Major Clyde Aylin, who served with 1st Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment in Cyprus during 1956 - 59, attended the Cyprus Veterans Memorial Service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on 24 August.  He writes that "it was held to remember the 371 soldiers who died in this extraordinary war on two fronts - like elsewhere.  On the one hand the Eoka Ennosis campaign by the Greek Cypriots and on the other hand keeping the Greek and Turkish Cypriots from killing one another.  We additionally took part in riot control in Nicosia."

"Air Vice Marshall Sir Michael  Graydon made an excellent speech.  I was disappointed to be the only Royal Berkshire soldier attending along with one soldier fromthe Wiltshire Regiment who reminisced about his service in Kyrenia Castle.  The creation of the Arboretum is an amazing achievement and a visit is highly recommended.  Thanks largely to the efforts of the Air Vice Marshall, the RAF flew a four ton chunk of Troodos rock to the UK and had it engraved with all the units which had served in the campaign."

While leading a patrol as a young officer in October 1956, to underpin the Turkish police stations in Troodos in a Land-rover and Bedford truck, Major Aylin's patrol was ambushed by two massive bombs built in to the vertical cliff face beside the road, so as to blow our heads off as they drove by.  The bombs were detonated by three Greek Cypriots with a car battery.  The patrol all suffered flesh wounds, primarily from the tumultuous amount of rocks which fell on their heads.  Having ensured that field dressings were applied to the injured, Major Aylin set off along the road armed with a sten gun and revolver.  As an Army athlete who ran sub two minute half miles at the time he fully expected to intercept the terrorists.  The cliff was too steep to climb but he came to a gully and ran up it.  As he emerged on top of the plateau, there in front were the three assailants running away with the last man carrying the battery.  He fired a complete magazine from his sten gun and the trio went down.  Not sure if they were armed, he skirted round a knoll to his flank and lost sight of them.  Shortly afterwards an RAF helicopter with a tracker dog and his Turkish handler landed but, in the scorching dry mid October weather, the dog could not pick up the scent.  Apart from cuts to his head, Major Aylin recalls that his ears rang for days and he is now designated as profoundly deaf.