UN Cyprus unnamed as issued, General Service Medal clasp Northern Ireland named 23883721 CPL D J ANDREWS D & D & Army Regular Long Service & Good Conduct Medal named 23883721 CPL D J ANDREWS D AND D. Edge know 8 o'clock on GSM.
Cpl Andrews probably enlisted around 1957/58. In Nov 1958 the 1st Battalion moved to Cyprus, where they carried out anti-insurgency activities against the paramilitary EOKA organisation. A ceasefire was called in Dec 1959, and the island achieved independence from Britain in Aug 1960. Following the ending of the conflict the battalion carried out exercises in Libya before returning to the United Kingdom in 1961. From 1961 to 1963 the battalion was based in Plymouth, taking part in exercises in the Salisbury Plain Training Area and in recruitment activities following the ending of National Service. In May 1962 the regiment was given the freedom of the City of Exeter, and were presented with a stand of colours by the Colonel-in-Chief, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. From Jul 1963 the battalion was based in Holywood, County Down. Placed on twenty-four hours' travel notice, in May 1964 they moved to British Guiana where there was political and civil unrest. Elections were held in Dec of that year, a first step in the independence of the colony. The battalion returned to Holywood in Jan 1965. In Feb 1966 the battalion joined the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) as part of 6th Infantry Brigade based in Münster. In 1967 disturbances spread throughout the Arab world in the wake of the Six-Day War. The battalion were dispatched to Benghazi in Libya to evacuate isolated British personnel. In Jan 1968 the regiment were transferred within the BAOR to the 12th Infantry Brigade based in Osnabrück. In 1970 the battalion moved to Malta. Following the outbreak of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Devon and Dorsets were moved to Belfast with less than twenty four hours' notice in June 1970. They found themselves involved in the Battle of the Falls.
