'Views of an Antique Land' - Imaging Egypt and Palestine in the First World War
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University of Cardiff, 19th / 20th May 2017 I was recently invited to speak at the Heritage Lottery Funded Project 'Views of an Antique Land' conference which was held at the University of Cardiff. My presentation focused on the logistical challenges of housing the EEF in Cairo during the First World War.
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'Views of an Antique Land' - Imaging Egypt and Palestine in the First World War
- 1. ‘Recollections and Representations of Cairo (1914/18)’ The Egyptian Expeditionary Force Sarah Shepherd MA, Military History
- 2. AANS sisters possibly of No 3 Australian General Hospital on top of the Great Pyramid. The nurse seated at right has a camera case beside her, c.1915 • Logistical Challenges • Accommodation • Leisure and Entertainment • Medical Facilities • Imperial War Graves and Cemeteries Presentation Scope
- 3. British forces involved in Egypt and Palestine (E.E.F) 42nd (East Lancashire) Division 2nd Mounted Division 53rd (Welsh) Division 31st Division 46th (North Midland) Division 54th (East Anglian) Division 52nd (Lowland) Division 74th Yeomanry Division 75th Division 60th (2/2nd London) Division Yeomanry Mounted Division 10TH (Irish) Division ANZAC Mounted Division* Australian Mounted Division* 29th Division* * Moved to Egypt as a base for operations at Gallipoli
- 5. An early panorama of Mena Camp and the Pyramids taken by Captain Alfred McKenna, 16TH Dec 1914 Museum of Victoria, MM050634 refers ‘A big water scheme was under construction for reticulation to the camp and during excavations a old jar of gold coins was found – they were soon disposed off’ Captain Walter C Belford MA 11TH Battalion AIF
- 6. ‘Life will drive us mad with monotony before we have been here many weeks’ Alfred Plumley Derham, Mena Camp c.1914 Makings of a camp (Mena, Egypt) c. 1914,University of Melbourne Archives, Alfred Plumley Derham collection, 1963.0024 refers
- 7. ‘One of Our Streets’ Maadi, Egypt – Trooper G.S Millar, WW1 1914/15 Museum of Victoria, MM050548 refers The Garden City ‘"This is the town of the garden homes. Talk to any resident of Maadi and you will find that he is equally proud of his home and of the town, for Maadi is a community and life there is veritably laid in green pastures. This does not mean, however, that it is a 'bush' town - though there are bushes and trees a-plenty. The very streets of Maadi are gardens’
- 10. ‘There are about 1500 troops in the barracks. The Officers quarters are fair, and so would the men’s be if it were not for the bugs. Work is principally done before 10am. We fall in at 5.45am, we also have parades later in the day, but we have to keep the men in the shade. So far we have been sweltered in our thick clothing’ Lieut Col D.H Wade 9TH Battalion ‘The Ashton Territorials’
- 12. ‘Will try and send a few things from Egypt, curio’s and the like that might be of interest to you. Haven't any as yet except a stone from the top of the biggest pyramid but ought to be able to get some’ 1175 Corporal Herbert Andrew Smythe Australian Infantry, AIF Mena Camp, Giza, Jan 1915
- 13. ‘During a fortnight’s leave – I went to Cairo. Whilst there I visited the Great Pyramid and went on top and also inside the Great Pyramid. The camel journey was from the town of Cairo itself to the pyramids and it was advisable to go by camel actually because of the road, or part, was mainly loose sand. I also went to the Sphinx and had a walk all over the Sphinx. Seeing them as I did, one could not but be impressed with the fact that they’re fantastic constructions’ Edgar Wooley, Wireless Operator The Royal Flying Corps, Egypt, c.1917
- 14. Sister Mary Theresa Martin 2nd Australian General Hospital Mena House Hotel / Ghezireh Palace, Cairo
- 15. Enlisted 18th August 1914 Embarked from Sydney on HMAT A19 Afric on 18 October 1914 with No 2 Company, 1 Divisional Train, Australian Army Service Corps Served at Gallipoli Promoted to Lieutenant and later Captain Awarded the Military Cross "for gallantry and distinguished service in the field" on 9 November 1917 and the Bar to the Military Cross "for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" on 22 March 1918.622 Cpl Norman Rutledge Plomley (622 Captain Norman Rutledge Plomley MC & Bar)
- 16. A bright morning and pleasant in the sun but cool in the shade. In afternoon visited the Zoo at Ghizeh. Delightful gardens - the best in Egypt - far superior to the Nuzha Gardens at Alexandria. In morning to Aquarium and Grotto at Gezina. To town in the afternoon. Pyramids of Ghizeh. Went inside Cheops and thoroughly explored other pyramids and mastaba of 4-5th dynasty, seeing skeletons of men probably slaves. Lunch at Mena House. Quiet morning. Shopping in afternoon buying things for Fripp and Philips. Citadel in afternoon. Revisited Mosque Mahomed Ali and saw Joseph's Well. Saw also tree against which a spy was shot a month ago. Six bullet holes were discernible and shewed bad shooting, being spread all over the place. William Bailey London Regiment 27th Feb 1918
- 17. ‘All the restaurants and saloons have been renamed in Cairo, such as the Triple Entente Dining room, the Allies Café. But the Australians seem to take precedence - for everywhere you will see the names such as The Australian Bar, the Kangaroo Café and the New Zealand Bar, and they have special prices for the Australians and New Zealanders’ Private Charlie Egan
- 18. ‘In Isolation’ The Moascar Training Area 1st / 2nd Australian and New Zealand Divisions
- 19. ‘Alexandria is a very large but dirty and uninteresting town. The people are mixed French, Arabs, Copts, Jews and all manner of divers races. The poor are a pest and the buildings unpretentious’ ‘The people are disgusting in their mixture of East and West. Saw some fine Egyptians but the majority do not appear at all well to the Western eye. I have heard that Alex was this kind of town’ ‘Alex improves greatly upon acquaintance though there is still a lot to be desired’ Second Lieutenant Leonard Leader Brereton 3 / 5th Bedfordshire Regiment Saturday 27th January 1917
- 20. The Work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- 21. Release Date: 2018 FontHill Media - http://fonthillmedia.com/ Twitter: @imohshep
- 22. References and Acknowledgments The Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/ The Alexander Turnbull Library https://natlib.govt.nz/collections/a-z/alexander-turnbull-library-collections University of Melbourne Archives http://archives.unimelb.edu.au/ State Library of Queensland http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/ The Commonwealth War Graves Commission http://www.cwgc.org/ Conflict Egyptology Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/egyptconflictarchaeology The ASTENE Society http://www.astene.org.uk/ FontHill Media http://fonthillmedia.com/
Editor's Notes
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- Zeitoun NZEF
- A letter sent from the Kasr-el-Nil Barracks, Cairo, by Lieut. ColonelD.H.WADE, Commanding Officer of the 9th Battalion was published in the Ashton Reporter on October 31st 1914, he says, " There are about 1500 troops in the barracks. The Officers quarters are fair, and so would the mens be if it were not for the bugs. Work is principally done before 10am. We fall in at 5.45am, we also have parades later in the day, but we have to keep the men in the shade. So far we have been sweltered in our thick clothing. Food is good, and the vegetables particularly so. The men are allowed out of barracks after 6.30pm and must return by 10pm".
- During World War I, the Moascar Isolation Camp provided the final preparation for entrainment to Alexandria and the Western Front. The isolation camps screened soldiers arriving in Egypt as reinforcements for two weeks, checking for any illnesses such as measles which can break out when people are crowded together for long periods. Ismailia is a city in north-eastern Egypt, situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal. During World War I, the Australian Y.M.C.A. ran soldiers’ clubs, etc., in Cairo, Alexandria, and elsewhere. They also pooled their resources with the United States, Canada, England, and New Zealand to form the International Hospitality League and provided social services to all Allied troops.
- During World War I, the Moascar Isolation Camp provided the final preparation for entrainment to Alexandria and the Western Front. The isolation camps screened soldiers arriving in Egypt as reinforcements for two weeks, checking for any illnesses such as measles which can break out when people are crowded together for long periods. Ismailia is a city in north-eastern Egypt, situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal. During World War I, the Australian Y.M.C.A. ran soldiers’ clubs, etc., in Cairo, Alexandria, and elsewhere. They also pooled their resources with the United States, Canada, England, and New Zealand to form the International Hospitality League and provided social services to all Allied troops. The isolation camp at Moascar, the site of the training area for the 1st and 2nd Australian and the New Zealand A Divisions.