Naval General Service Medal with Cyprus Bar

image kindly supplied by and copyright owned by DNW

During 1955 to 1959 there was a conflict in Cyprus between the British Colonial Government and the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), a Greek Cypriot right-wing nationalist guerrilla organisation. EOKA began an armed campaign in support of the end of British colonial rule and the unification of Cyprus and Greece (Enosis) in 1955. Opposition to Enosis from Turkish Cypriots led to the formation of the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT) in support of the partition of Cyprus. The Cyprus Emergency ended in 1959 with the signature of the London-Zurich Agreements, establishing the Republic of Cyprus as an independent state separate from Greece.

Various ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary were engaged in the support of the Royal Navy during this conflict. The crews of three of the RFA ships qualified for the award of the Naval General Service Medal with the Cyprus Bar as their time in theatre, in total, exceeded the qualifying period.

The RFA ships concerned where the crews qualified for the award of this Medal and the dates that they were in theatre were –

The RFA ships which were in theatre but their crews did not qualify for the Medal were –

RFA Echodale               RFA Wave King

RFA Eddycliff               RFA Wave Knight

RFA Eddyreef               RFA Wave Laird

 RFA Fort Duquesne       RFA Wave Master

RFA Spaburn                  RFA Wave Ruler

     RFA Spapool                 RFA Wave Sovereign

RFA Tiderace                RFA Wave Victor