Op Tosca: Coldstream Guards praised at conclusion of UN tour in Cyprus
The Coldstream Guards were awarded medals at a parade inside the Green Line buffer zone in Nicosia after concluding a UN peacekeeping tour.
The 1st Battalion and attached personnel spent six months on Op Tosca 43 working with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
Around 225 Guardsmen and Officers were tasked with monitoring Sector 2 as part of the permanent British contingent in the divided capital city.
Brigadier Patrick Allen OBE, Force Commander UNFICYP, said: "For more than three-and-a-half centuries the Coldstream Guards have stood at the forefront of the British Army, renowned for their professionalism, discipline and leadership in every theatre in which they have served."
The Coldstream Guards is the longest continuously-serving regiment in the British Army, having fought at Waterloo, both World Wars and peacekeeping in the United Nations Bosnia mission in 1993.
He added: "The soldiers on parade today have continued that proud tradition through their service here with UNFICYP."
Other members of The Household Division deployed with the Regiment, plus numerous units from across the Armed Forces including the Royal Engineers, Intelligence Corps and reservists.
The Battlegroup also includes members from all home nations, seven Commonwealth countries, Nepal and Ireland.
During Op Tosca 43, personnel conducted more than 2100 patrols, reported 200 military violations, and supported 160 community events.
Brigadier Patrick Allen OBE said: "Sector 2 is the most demanding sector in the buffer zone."
"Opposing forces operate in closer proximity here than anywhere else, and the dense urban population and the divided capital city of Nicosia brings unique challenges."
UNFICYP setup in 1964 to stop intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
With around 800 personnel contributing from countries around the world, it remains one of the UN’s longest-running peacekeeping missions.
British personnel patrol and manage the busiest part of the 180km Buffer Zone from the centre of the world’s last divided capital city.
The Regiment has a historical connection to the mission after Guardsman Graeme Lawson was killed in July 1974, becoming the first fatality following the Turkish invasion.
The Coldstream Guards will soon transfer authority of Sector 2 to 39 Engineer Regiment as they prepare to leave Cyprus.
Upon returning to the UK, they begin training for exercises in the UK, Sweden, and Kenya.
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