Apologies for the thread drift that follows.
In 74 was but a spotty faced lad on holiday with my Ma and Pa in Kyrenia.
The "holiday" was cut short somewhat with Archbish M being chased off and that bunch of nutters taking over.....................
When the villages on the northern slopes of the coastal hills began to burn my Pa reckoned that it would take Johnny Turk a fortnight to get organised. Well even Dads can be wrong as we were woken the next dawn by the familiar odour of aviation fuel and the scream of a pair of F100s pickling off a pair of naparm canisters into the olive grove at the back of our hotel where some ancient T34s were parked up.
The for real "air display" by a swarm of UH1s going to Nicosia (somewhat higher and fewer on the return journey
), F104s smoking in at low level plus a Turkish CF Adams DDG shelling the old fort was a real eye opener for me and probably had a lot to do with me joining up later.
It was only after a RN Wasp with an Admiral in full formal gear who organised the convoy of hire cars etc to 8 mile beach with the Paras (UN in still wet paint on the side of their Ferrets) + Marines etc for our Helo trip onto HMS Hermes, that we found out that the guys from Akrotiri were flying CAP.
So its a bit late I know but thanks for the top cover guys.
Wonder if our suitcases are still behind the door where we left them.......