As was required of all young men in the 1950s, Dad had no choice but to fulfill his compulsory military service obligation. Reluctantly, he took a break from his art studies after graduating from Sunderland and before attending the Royal College of Art in London. After basic training (about which he had virtually nothing to say), he spent the rest of his time in the army in Cyprus, dodging bullets sent in his general direction by Greek Cypriots who wanted the British occupiers to leave.
He never spoke too much about those days living in a tent, ticking off the days on a poster-sized calendar he hung by his army cot. I don’t think his group saw too much heavy action - he mentioned patrols to keep an eye on both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots and occasional swims in the sea during which some of ‘the lads’ would keep watch on the cliffs in case anyone felt inclined to take pot shots. He worked with the guys who fixed the trucks, I think, but not as a mechanic. I believe he managed the parts supply station and also provided assistance to one of the senior officers.
He created art here, too - posters, drawings, Christmas cards. Somewhere (I can’t seem to find it) I have a photo of a model wooden sailboat he carved for a commanding officer.
The worst legacy of the months he spent in Cyprus was his nicotine addiction. Cigarettes were part of the soldier’s rations and many of the troops smoked. It was a habit that started in the army and which Dad didn’t manage to kick for decades. In his early 60s, already having some heart troubles (he had a valve replaced about 20 years before he died), he finally quit cold turkey. But, the damage had been done.
His lungs, never strong, suffered irreparable damage and in his final years, he suffered terribly from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). I can’t help but think that if he hadn’t smoked for all those decades he would have been around a bit longer.
I’m sure he would have been pleased to hear that the British military completely banned cigarette smoking in 2022. The link takes you to an article posted on the matter on the Forces.net website.
The Brits were not the only ones to get their soldiers hooked on tobacco. During the First World War, US Army General John J. Pershing famously said, "You ask me what we need to win this war. I answer tobacco as much as bullets.” I guess faced with the horror of going over the top and into the fray, a cigarette and a slug of rum were justifiable ways to deal with an unfathomable situation.
Right, on that depressing note, I’ll leave this for today.