Patrolling the Green Line: Canadian Peacekeepers in Cyprus
The peacekeeping operation in Cyprus is one of Canada's longest overseas military commitments, but conflict on the island remains unresolved.
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. Canadian Peacekeepers were the first to arrive on the ground in 1964, and Canada has maintained involvement in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) ever since. While tensions on the island have stabilized, the conflict in Cyprus remains unresolved to this day.
Supported by the perspectives of three Canadian veterans who served in Cyprus over the course of three decades, this video provides an overview of Cyprus’s contested sovereignty since the Second World War and focuses on Canadian involvement in the United Nations mission there.
This video provides educators an opportunity to present oral history as a valuable source and incorporate firsthand accounts into classroom activities and discussions.
This video is produced by the Memory Project, a program of Historica Canada. For more stories of service, visit thememoryproject.com.
Credits:
Illustrations by Jessie Durham @jessieeedurham Featuring: Sergeant (Ret'd) Robert Thomas Major (Ret’d) Paul Hale Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Ronald Bragdon