Tri-Service
Cadets See Hidden Side Of Cyprus
It's a part of Cyprus few ever see, and for some teenage cadets, it's a chance to witness history.
Locked inside the no man's land that divides Cyprus is Nicosia International Airport.
Now, a group of Army cadets from Northumbria have been given a rare glance inside this UN buffer zone that divides Cyprus.
During their visit, they held a service in memory of British troops who were killed during the Cyprus Emergency in the 1950s.
That turbulent history is evident around them.
Out on the edge of the airfield lie the mangled remains of what's believed to be a Greek military reconnaissance plane, shot down, it’s thought, in 1974 as Greek and Turkish troops battled for control of the strategic airport.
Also visited by the cadets was Wayne's Keep, a military cemetery containing hundreds of graves dating back to the Second World War.
Among them are some of the 371 personnel killed in the late 1950s during the Cyprus Emergency, when Greek Cypriot nationalists fought a violent campaign against British rule.
For the cadets it turned out to be a rare opportunity to immerse themselves in an overseas exercise that has both honed their military skills and historical knowledge.
These are experiences many may well take with them into a future military career.
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