Sir Hugh Foot, the last Governor of Cyprus, while leaving the island remembered that the 16th of August 1960 came in one of the hottest summers he had ever experienced.
All the documents for the independence were signed at a midnight ceremony. The next day, the new president and vice-president came to say their farewells at Government House, and Sylvia, Sir Hugh and their three sons drove off to Famagusta. They sailed away in H.M.S. Chichester. As they looked back, Sir Hugh Foot remembered a quotation from Shakespeare he had used in jest when he had arrived as Governor two and a half years before. He had referred to one of his predecessors as Governor of Cyprus, Othello, and to the cry which went up from the walls of Famagusta as his ship approached:
"Bring renewed fire to our extinct spirits
And give all Cyprus comfort"
The ‘Did You Know’ series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and the Active Citizens Fund.
