When Cyprus passed to the British in 1878, the first High Commissioner was Sir Garnet Wolseley. Upon his arrival, he formed the first police force on the island, known as the Cyprus Pioneer Regiment, which consisted of two-thirds Turks and one-third Greeks. The British seemed to trust more the Turks in Cyprus because, after all, the island was given to Britain by Turkey, it was an ex-Ottoman province. Sir Garnet gave orders to Donisthorpe Donne, his ADC, to design and prepare uniforms for the new regiment. The colours of the uniforms reflected the colours of the British flag. It was "all Sir Garnet" meaning; that everything was in good order.
The ‘Did You Know’ series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and the Active Citizens Fund.
