Seven decades of stories to tell: Dhekelia Station officially marks 70th birthday
Dhekelia Station on the island of Cyprus has officially commemorated its 70th birthday.
If walls could talk, the military base would have 70 years of stories to tell.
The Army garrison, designed by the Royal Engineers, was built in 1953 at a cost of £10 million.
Dhekelia Station sits in the Eastern part of the British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus – made up of British military and local citizens.
The number of Armed Forces units based there over the years has decreased and Dhekelia has transformed from a garrison to a station – as it is known today.
In that time, it has witnessed Cyprus gain independence from Britain, the war with Turkey in 1974 and has been called home by thousands of military personnel and their families, all while providing operational military support.
Major (Ret’d) Peter Parish was sent to Dhekelia 25 years ago as the garrison's Admin Officer.
As a veteran, he still plays a part in station life and told Forces News: "When I arrived in 1998, it was a very, very busy station. There were nine sub-units within the station.
"Not counting the RIB [Regional Infantry Battalion], there were probably 1700 or 1800 military plus their families".
"In 2007, the garrison started to become smaller. We lost 62 Squadron Royal Engineers, we lost the postal and courier unit, so everything that was done in Dhekelia for many, many years, shifted down to Akrotiri and Episkopi."
Jenny Tidman grew up on Dhekelia Garrison in the late 1980s and returned to the island eight years ago as a primary school teacher.
She said: "Obviously, the community’s changed, lots of the places have changed, but it’s still got that real vibrant community feel to it.
"There are a few people like me who have left and come back so I think Cyprus does have a real pull for many people, it's such an incredible experience."
The Station's 70th anniversary in 2023 offered a chance for Neville Clark to take a trip down memory lane. He was 25 when he moved to the base as a teacher.
Mr Clark told Forces News: "It was like coming into a brand-new world. It was like coming into George Orwell's 'The World of Tomorrow'. I just could not believe when I arrived here how different it was.
"In fact, it was something that's impacted on my life for the rest of my life up to the age of 83 which I am now."
Fast forward to 2023, and Dhekelia Station is made up of 1250 people, comprising military personnel, family members and civilian workers.
Half a mile down the road is Alexander Barracks, home to the RIB, whose personnel are rotated through every 2 years.
The station shows no signs of slowing down, with a new Primary School opened by the Princess Royal this year, a new medical centre on the way and housing upgrades in the pipeline.
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