In the run up to Cyprus being freed from being a colony (1960), the UK fighter squadrons rotated through Nicosia on two-month detachments supporting operations against EOKA. The following incident happened before my time on the roster, but was told as gospel by our Eng O (we had only one in those days), who was married to a Greek Cypriot girl.
To qualify for the Cyprus Clasp on your GSM, you had to spend three months continuously in theatre. The fact that you might do two or more detachments meant your service wasn't continuous, and you didn't qualify.
The story goes of a Hastings about to get airborne with personnel who had just completed their most recent two month det having to have some unexpected maintenance, and so the baggage was piled up on the tarmac waiting for the off. In these days, the senior pax was designated the officer i/c pax, and had to sign a chit to say that he had inspected all baggage before it was loaded. Said Oi/cP had done so, and at about the time the Hastings, had it been airborne on time, would have been two hours into its flight, a suitcase exploded. Said Oi/cP was arrested and held for court marshal.
He had to wait more than a month for his CM, and was awarded the Cyprus Clasp, supposedly the only member of a UK fighter squadron to qualify.
Isn't life grand?
Wyvern