In Cyprus as an Electrician

Heroes Remember

In Cyprus as an Electrician

Transcript

Well like my job as an electrician was busy, you know, always something to repair. The conditions were good. See we, I was there in ‘69, they had been there a few years then so they had previously set up... We had some good living conditions, they were quite good and meals were, you know, we got by on them and, more recreation there. We had movies every night and then you had a chance to play volleyball if you wanted to, or ball. They had organized sports and our camp was close by in Nicosia which was the capital of Cyprus, we visited there a lot. The people, yeah, we mixed with the people. We wore UN flashes and they were, you know, very kind to us and accepted us there. I guess I wasn’t involved with the part about Cyprus or the people, mostly infantry, that would have to go up on the hills, and observe, you know, the Greeks and the Turks to make sure they they weren’t, you know, causing trouble. They had it quite hard, I mean, but they were rotated quite often which they had to, because they were on hard rations and everything. They didn’t get the best. I’ve been on some of those outposts. My job as electrician, we used to have to repair generators that generate electricity for those people. So I would have to maintain them. We’d go by helicopters, only way to get into these places That’s the scary part, they’d drop you off by helicopter and say we’ll be back in an hour or two, you know, try and get your job done. Well, if you didn’t you were there for a week because they only went there once a week so, you know, this was sort of a challenge in a way. Yeah, it was some good experiences that way. That way I got to meet a lot of the infantry people which was the main, the main body of infantry people. I got to meet a lot of those guys. But as far as the camp and the conditions, we were, you know, being in Cyprus when I look back to Korea and just comparing, we had it great in Cyprus.

Description

Mr. Carney speaks about the conditions in Cyprus and how it was a positive experience for him.

Cy Carney

Mr. Cy Carney was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He grew up in a coal mining town where his father worked in the coal mine. Coal mining not being a career Mr. Carney would settle for, he decided to join the Army. In 1950, Mr. Carney joined the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals as a signalman. Mr. Carney’s initial thought was to join for three years, but his military career spanned 29 years. After the Korean War, Mr. Carney served in other missions with the Canadian Forces to include two years in Yukon, three years in Europe under NATO as a machinist, and in 1969 he was posted to Cyprus under the Black Watch as an electrician for a six month tour. After retiring from the military, Mr. Carney was employed at the Owen Plant in Grand Lake for 17 years. Mr. Carney married and had five children.

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