WWI Cypriot muleteers to be commemorated

The Nicosia municipality, in collaboration with an action group promoting the role of animal military corps, is set to host a ceremony to honour the role of the Cypriot mules in the Allied forces during the First World War.

The ceremony, which will take place on Thursday at 10:30am at the parking area adjacent to the Famagusta Gate in Nicosia, will commemorate the contributions of the Cypriot muleteers from 1916 to April 1920 in Thessaloniki and Istanbul.

The ‘Macedonian Mule Corps’ was a formation of the British Salonika Army consisting primarily of Cypriot muleteers and their mules.

It provided crucial logistical support during its service to the Allied war effort on the Macedonian front and the Southern Russia intervention.

Around 12,000 Cypriots served in the corps, 3,000 of whom received bronze British War Medals.

“The initiative aims to recognise and commemorate the significant part played by the muleteers’ corps during the First World War,” a statement released by the Nicosia municipality said.