SOLDIERS from Derbyshire are to fly to Cyprus to patrol the buffer zone that separates the country.
More than 400 troops from the 2nd Mercian Battalion will be sent to the Mediterranean island in October to work for the United Nations.
The six-month tour will be the first time the Woofers – as the battalion is affectionately known – will have been sent on operations in Cyprus, which has been split across the middle since Turkey invaded the island in 1974.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul 'Shove' Gilby, is the commanding officer of 2 Mercian, which contains around 150 Derbyshire soldiers.
He said: "This tour is going to be a real test-bed for the future as this will be the first time we have really worked in conjunction with reservist soldiers as part of a new British Army concept.
"It is also the first time we have been asked to lead a project of this magnitude on behalf of the UN so it is a complete honour that soldiers from Derbyshire and the Midlands have been trusted to carry out this important work.
"It will mean that many of them will be away from their families and friends for Christmas, but that is the nature of soldiering and it is something we are training hard for and looking forward to immensely."
The 2 Mercian troops will fly to Cyprus in October and their work will come as a total turnaround to their previous three tours of duty, which all took place in Afghanistan.
Their stints in Helmand Province saw them lose almost a dozen men in the line of duty, three of whom were from Derbyshire.
Lt Col Gilby said: "We are all fully aware that the forthcoming tour will have different challenges to our previous one's in Afghanistan.
"We will be patrolling the buffer zone, which is also known as the 'Green Line', ensuring that the two sides are keeping the ceasefire and dealing with any potential flash-points that arise. We will also be working multi-nationally with troops from countries such as Argentina and Australia.''
Lt Col Gilby said the political situation in Cyprus had left parts of the buffer zone untouched for 40 years.
He said: "When the invasion took place many people fled from their homes and abandoned them and so there is often the incredible sight of a car that was brand new in 1974 and has been there ever since. with something like two miles on the clock.
"Being asked to lead a tour like this is a genuine honour and we are preparing for it with pride," he added.
The United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus is a demilitarised zone, patrolled by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force.
It was established in 1974, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and partitions the island into the area controlled by the Government of Cyprus in the south and that under the administration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The zone runs for more than 110 miles along what is colloquially known as the Green Line.
The zone cuts through the centre of the old town of Nicosia, separating the city into southern and northern sections.
There is also a buffer zone around the Kokkina exclave in western Cyprus.
The width of the zone ranges from 11 feet in central Nicosia to 4.6 miles at the village of Athienou.
About 10,000 people live in several villages and work on farms located within the zone and the village of Pyla is famous for being the only village on Cyprus where Greeks and Turks live side by side.
