This set of photographs are from the two sets of negatives that were in a metal 35mm Ilford film can.
The negatives are in good condition but a little dirty, I am washing them at the moment.
In my last post I was guessing that the photographs were taken in Cyprus well I guessed correct!
The sign in the photo below reads Khirokitia there is another rather blurred photo that has a sign in it that reads Nicosia.
As you can see here we have an RAF camp and an RAF Land rover The markings on the door reads 751 SU That stands for 751 Signals Unit.
A quick search on the Internet revealed...
751 Signals Unit (Cape Greco and Ayious Nikolos),
Commanding officer Sqdn Leader R Street.
A mobile signal unit camped in tents providing radar coverage of the area.
C.O. Sqd Ldr.Mc.Donald 1958.
Detachment at Cape Andreas Mobile Radar unit based at Cape Greco until late 1959 when it was closed and some personal transferred to Nicisia.
This closed Jan l960 and transferred to Cape Gata i.e 280 SU.
This may be the photographer???
As the camera angle is low and the subject has that pensive when is the self timer going to go off look on his face. Indicating to me that the camera is sat on a box and has been pre-focused by the person in the photograph?
Focusing on the camera that took these photographs, When I got the un-exposed films and the two sets of negatives, and had developed the films, it was obvious that the camera had serious film transport problems.
The rolls of film I developed were partially exposed, the frame spacing was all over the place toward the middle of the roll merging into the last frame being a multiple exposure, the remaining unexposed film was all wrinkled up. I think the problem is that the photographer was unfamiliar with his camera and was not loading the film correctly. the film was being wound out the spool by the camera but it was not winding on to the take up spool.
This sort of thing could easily happen with a Contax rangefinder the contax also has a self timer.
The quality of the photographs also suggests Zeiss optics and the first set of negatives is from a roll of Agfa Isopan I.S.S the empty cassette was also in with the films and was printed entirely in German, The photographer may have done a tour in West Germany and got a very good deal on a S/H Contax RF??? and been given a roll of Agfa B&W film.
Next stop Cyprus and some Rolls of Ilford HP3 from the Naffy happily snapping away during his tour in Cyprus, when he gets back home to Blighty he takes his rolls of exposed film for processing and gets a nasty surprise, only two rolls of film have come out OK, The lab has developed one of the rolls of film and found problems, rather than waste money on processing the remaining films he pays for his prints and the unexposed rolls of film are returned by the lab. When he gets home the problem camera and the rolls of film are put in a draw and remain there for 58 years?
Here we are out on patrol in Cyprus.
This photograph has been taken on early on in the campaign. Because later on the Land rovers were modified with a steel pole being mounted onto the front of the bumper to protect the occupants of the Land rover from wires strung across the roads at night by forces hostile to the British forces. Note the front mounted Bren gun
Series 1 Land rovers were not built for comfort.
They don't make them like this anymore...
Some unknown faces, The person here is sitting in the rear of the Land rover in the earler shot.
And Here he is again in the back of a vehicle sporting a tash!
Its a really super Photograph
And finally a group shot this could be another shot using the self timer?
If you recognise anyone get in touch I can email hi rez scans from the negatives if you wish. The e-mail link in in my profile on this photo-blog.
