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The wreckage of a United Nations Land Rover in which an Australian peacekeeper died, has travelled from Cyprus to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
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The Land Rover previously lay in the buffer zone between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish-controlled areas of Cyprus until 2016, after being destroyed by a land mine.
Two Australian peacekeepers were originally escorting a local family through the buffer zone when it struck the land mine near the Lefka–Aplici crossing on 12 November 1974.
Australian peacekeeper Sergeant Ian Ward was killed, as was one of the passengers seated beside him. The other Australian peacekeeper, Senior Sergeant John Woolcott, was seriously wounded but survived, along with three children.
The vehicle wreckage was later removed from the cleared mine site and transferred to a UN Protected Area.
Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson travelled to Cyprus in March 2024 and, with the assistance of the Australian high commissioner to the Republic of Cyprus Fiona McKergow, successfully advocated for the vehicle to be transferred to the memorial in Canberra.
“The Australian War Memorial is grateful for the cooperation of the United Nations, the Australian Defence Force and the government of Cyprus in facilitating the transfer of this important artefact to the memorial,” said Anderson.
“The sacrifice of Sergeant Ian Ward is critical to our understanding of the hazardous nature of Australian peacekeeping operations.”
The Land Rover will be displayed in the new Australian Peacekeeping: 1947 to today gallery currently under construction as part of the new Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial.
The Australian Peacekeeping: 1947 to today gallery will open in early 2026 in the new Anzac Hall, alongside new galleries on the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Melissa Cadden, senior curator for the memorial’s new gallery, said the vehicle has been acquired as the centrepiece of the new exhibition.
“The vehicle is a symbol of the sacrifices made by Australian peacekeepers,” she said.
“It is also a poignant reminder that we not only deploy the ADF to conflict zones around the world but also police and public servants.”
Sergeant Ian Ward was a member of the NSW police force. He was seconded to the Commonwealth Police (now Australian Federal Police) as a member of the 11th Australian Police Contingent to Cyprus. He was part of a UN peacekeeping force maintaining peace between Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.
The Australian Peacekeeping: 1947 to today gallery recognises all of Australia’s peacekeeping operations in a single gallery. It will also feature operations in East Timor, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Cambodia, Rwanda, and Somalia, among many others.
“Australians have been deployed in peacekeeping operations every day since 1947,” Anderson said.
“The development of the peacekeeping gallery has given us the opportunity to remember not only those who died in the defence of Australia, but in the pursuit of peace all over the world.”
