REBEL MOB FLEES

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1932, Page 2

REBEL MOB FLEES

FACED BY HANDFUL OF BRITISH SOLDIERS. EPIC CYPRUS SCENE. A British officer’s wife who recently returned to London from Cyprus supplied a graphic account of the insurrection a.s witnessed by British residents at Kvrenia, where there wore 54 British women and children. 011 Thursday, October 22, a motor driver brought news from Nicosia that Government House had boon burnt by the Enosis rioters (meaning people favouring union with Greece) the night before, she writes. At Kvrenia on the Saturday evening we were still without military pro tection, notwithstanding constant requests sent in to Nicosia. We all wondered what would happen on the following day, Sunday, which was the Feast Day of the Greek Flag of Independence, and even in normal times always 'celebrated wtith a certain amount of disturbance ' seditions speech-making. About 8 o’clock Sunday morning we were told that the people were massing at the Brshop of Kyrenia s Palace, some 300 yards from my house, and the same distance front the Commissioners’. At A rtA beard a mob approaching up the main street and moving toward the Government offices, which are not fur from the Commissioners’ house and mine. FLAG FROM TOY CUPBOARD.

The Commissioner Mr Dennis, who was in the house, rushed single-hand-ed to try and intercept the rioters, but in spite of* his gallant action lie »arrived too late to prevent them funn tearing down the Union Jack and reducing it to shreds and substituting a Greek Hag on the pole. All Mi Dennis could do was to read the Riot Act and then enter his office up a flight of steps. Several of the rioters rushed at him in a threatening way, but the Bishop called them back. A Cypriot policeman, was guarding the Government offices when the mob arrived. He challenged the crowd and said that he would shoot anybody who touched the flag, but the Bishop dramatically bared his chest and said, “Shoot away.”

As sbon as possible a dispatch was sent to Nicosia, and the incident was reported. A reinforcement of soldiers was asked for.

It is worth recording that the Commissioner’s offices were not left long without a Union Jack. The one normally flown at his own house was transferred to the office flagstaff, and my little daughter supplied one of her own from her toy cupboard to fly over the Commissioner’s house. SERGEANT TAKES CHARGE. At 12,15 p,m, a detachment of the King’s Liverpool Regiment arrived from Nicosia in three cars. They consisted of one sergeant, one corporal and 15 men, with a machinegun Sergeant Doyle was in charge. He quickly sized up the situation and took whatever steps were necessary to protest important points, but was obliged in doing so to break up his small force into several detachments. Although these soldiers had come from Egypt by air and had been without sleep for three days and nights, they were full of fight and in good heart. During the afternoon from the roof of my house we could see streams of villagers concentrating at the Bishop’s Palace from all directions, and the Bishop himself was plainly via ble with the aid of field glasses moving about in a crowd and addressing them.

Mr Dennis kept Nicosia- informed of what was taking place, but in view of the orders which he had received he could not allow Sergeant Doyle and his men to carry out the arrest of the Bishop, which they were very keen to do there and then, until further reinforcements bad arrived.

At .8.30 p.m. the sky was clear and there way a very bright full- moon, which enabled us to see the rioters, numbering about 2000, at the Bishop s Palace. By this time they were well primed with drink, and we saw them beginning to surge forward, shouting jfnd yelling “Down with the English ; let us make the place run with English blood.” They were armed with crowbars, sickles, knives, and some had shotguns. and advanced hurling stones at Sergeant Doyle and the few men with him who were not engaged in guarding other points. The local police inspector was also there with Sergeant j'Doyle and s°me of h.s police. DEFENDERS FORCED TO FIRE. The rioters were summoned to stop and disperse, but continued to advance, hurling showers of stones. 'Io intimidate the rioters, sb'ots were fired in the air, but without effect. At hist, when the situation had become very serious, a few aimed shots were fired into the ciowd, stopping them at. once. Three rioters were wounded, and the rest of the crowd dispersed in every direction and vanished as if by magic. A few hundred returned to the Bishop’s Palate, screaming and yelling for a doctor. As soon as possible the local police took steps to remove the wounded to the K.vreiiia ColUge. Hospital for treatment. At 11.30 reinforcements arrived from Nicosia in lorr.es. They went to the Bishop's Palace, but finding the

door barred Imd to b> -0- a open. They arrested several of tlm leaders after a scuffle, but at first the Bishop could not be found, He was eventually found hiding in an attic and taken off , : n a lorry. All was qniot after the Bishop's arrest. Tilt* people who attacked had been primed with cheap Cyprus brandy, and were therefore in a very dangerous mood. I shall always remember the gallant rush of the Commissioner to try to save the (lag in the face of overwhelming odds, our relief at seeing Sergeant Doyle and his men arrive, the splendid way in which he and his men set about defending us, and the thoughts which flashed through our minds when at one moment during the attack we thought the soldiers had been unable to stem the rush.