Acceleration of History by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

2. See Tooze 2014 on the sense of reshaping in post-WWI politics and Hughes 1959 (chap. 10) on the “point of cleavage” in social thought.

Chapter 5

The Contribution of Cyprus to the Second World War as Part of the Allied Forces and the Impact of War on the Military and Political Evolution of the Island

Marios Siammas

Introduction

As war approached Europe, it was more than obvious that the British could not continue their authoritarian rule over Cyprus and other colonies. With the pressure from Whitehall and the ongoing developments in the war preparations, there was a substantial relaxation of press censorship in early February 1939. Since February, it had been abundantly clear that Britain would ask Cypriots to join the army. As memoranda prove the War Office was not envisioning Cypriots forming a Regular Battalion, but rather was hoping to raise regular units of Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and Royal Army Service Corps (TNA, CO 323/1659/3, “Memoranda by the Secretary of State for War and the Secretary of State for the Colonies,” February 22, 1939). A few months later, on August 10, 1939, there was a changing of the guard in Cyprus with Sir William Battershill succeeding Palmer. It was widely known that Battershill was more liberal than Palmer, and Cypriots inevitably had far higher expectations in terms of constitutional freedoms and reforms. Battershill was familiar to Cypriots because he had previously served on the island as Colonial Secretary from 1934 to 1937 and had built a sympathetic reputation (Yiangou 2012). Battershill was unfortunate, however, as just two months after his arrival war broke out, putting a halt to any major reforms he had planned to apply in Cyprus. Since August 22, Cyprus, along with the rest of the empire, had been on high alert. War was approaching and this was more than visible. The British, however, faced no political difficulties in terms of leading the island into war. Cypriots responded generously to their rulers’ appeals for help in human and material terms. Even the poorest villages spontaneously organized collections for the Red Cross and the army (TNA, FCO 141/2676, “History of the War,” August 22, 1939–December 2, 1939). Radio broadcasts were organized in the larger villages and peasants from smaller villages traveled significant distances to listen.

At the outbreak of the war, various orders were issued, according to the Cyprus Defence Scheme (TNA, FCO 141/2676, “History of the War,” August 22, 1939–December 2, 1939). The most important of these measures included total telegraphic and postal censorship, the establishment of coastguard patrols, the execution of certain defensive works, and the construction of trenches. The Emergency Powers (Defence Act) 1939 and the Emergency Powers (Colonial Defence) Order-in-Council 1939, applying that act to all colonial possessions including Cyprus, were published in an extraordinary issue of the Cyprus Gazette on August 29, 1939. The Emergency Powers were published a day later. Additionally, regulations attached to these measures were implemented concerning various trades, transport, and travel to and from the island.

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