English  |  Français

Art

OP Mojave

Merle Tingley (Ting)
RCRM-L2024.008.0003
Archives and Special Collections, University of Western Ontario
1975; mixed media

It seems that Turk and Greek Cypriots made of this OP, situated north-west outside Nicosia, a preferred target practice, with numerous shooting incidents. In his drawing, Tingley distinctly illustrates the two camps by using Greek – Turkish flags, and the UN caught in the middle.

This cartoon was printed in two different editions of London Free Press 7 May 1975, alongside an article that refers to an incident that occurred at OP Mojave in February 1975. In a cross-fire between Greek and Turk Cypriots, a Turk was fatally wounded; the ensuing tension subsided instead of escalating because Private Erroll Gapp, one of the two Canadian soldiers on duty in the OP, managed to calm the situation. Later on, Gapp was rewarded with a Medal of Bravery for his gallantry.