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Summary. Australian and New Zealand troops arrived in Egypt in December 1914. They set up Mena Camp near the Great Pyramids outside Cairo and began training in preparation for the Western Front and Gallipoli. While they waited in Egypt to be deployed, the Australian and New Zealand forces were formed into the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) under the command of Lieutenant General William Birdwood. The training the Anzacs received was only rudimentary and did little to prepare them for what was to come.
Ships took around 10 days to arrive in Egypt where troops spent a few months training before they went into combat.
LET'S PRACTICE USING SOURCES!
WE HAVE SOURCES BELOW.
What do the sources below reveal about the experiences of Australians while training in Egypt?
IN YOUR RESPONSE YOU SHOULD REFER TO: camp life and accommodation, training, entertainment and social life.
Source A-Film clip
Source B
Source C: Diary Entry from an ANZAC Soldier (1915)
“We’ve adopted a little kangaroo as our mate. The boys laugh every time he hops about camp — it makes us feel a little closer to home.”
Source D: Newspaper Article (1915)
“Australian soldiers stationed in Egypt have gifted their kangaroo mascot to the Cairo Zoo as they prepare to ship out to Gallipoli. The creature, a symbol of their homeland, brought cheer to the troops during their training.”
Source E
Source F
Source G
Source H: Group portrait of all the original officers and men of the 11th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, AIF. The group of over 685 soldiers are spread over the side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) near Mena camp. Capt Barnes records in his diary: 'After Church this morning the whole Battalion was marched up to the Pyramid (Old Cheops) and we had a photo took or at least several of them.' Amidst the training undertaken by the men, there was time on Sundays, days off and evenings when leave was granted to visit local sites of interest such as the pyramids, the Citadel and the many mosques in Cairo. The trams struggled to keep up with the demand and local transport such as carriages were heavily used. The cafes and restaurants of Cairo were also heavily patronised.
Source I
Source J: According to Charles Bean, a war journalist travelling with the Australian divisions, the training was of exceptional intensity and a fine achievement. A very limited leave was allowed in Cairo after hours. Training would be for eight hours a day six days a week. All day long, in every valley of the Sahara for miles around the Pyramids of Giza were groups or lines of men advancing, retiring, drilling or squatted near their piled arms listening to their officer. For many of the battalions many miles of desert had to be covered in the morning and evening to and from their allotted training areas. At first, to harden the troops, they wore full kit with heavy packs. Their backs became drenched with perspiration, and the bitter desert wind blew on them as they camped for their midday meal and many deaths from pneumonia were attributed to this cause.
Source K
Source L. It was tough in Egypt too, with basic facilities, and not much in the way of training beyond marching up and down the sand dunes and deserts. Although some Australians misbehaved and were sent home, the vast majority accepted that a soldier’s life can be pretty tough. However a month before the Gallipoli landing, Australian troops were involved in the first incident of what would become known as the Wasser Riots. The troops rampaged through shops in a district of Cairo known for its bars and brothels, setting fire to some of the businesses and brawling with staff and owners. Journalist C E W Bean reported that it was ‘obvious that there had also been enlisted a certain number of criminals, some of whom had entered the force with the intention of running gambling ‘schools’ or escaping punishment in Australia.’ The behaviour of Australian troops would continue to be a sticking point throughout the war. But looser discipline was considered by many of their superior officers as an acceptable ‘price’ when put beside their performance on the battlefield. Australians and New Zealanders were known as among the most fearsome and willing troops of the Allied forces.
Source M- Damage from the Wassar riot.
Activity 2. Learn more about the battle of Wasser.
https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/investigating-battle-wasser
Using the sources below, as well as the links to the newspaper articles on Trove, complete the following tasks:
1. Imagining you are a war correspondent, and you have interviewed the soldiers who provide their accounts of the event in the diaries below, write a 600-word newspaper report on what happened at the Battle of Wasser. Ensure your article covers the details of where and when the Battle took place, who was involved and why it may have broken out, as well as providing an overview of the public reaction back in Australia.
2.How do the versions of events differ between the newspaper report from the time to the individual accounts in the sources provided, and why do you think this is?
3.How do you think knowledge of these events might impact on the Anzac legend?
What do the sources show us about the experiences of Australians training in Egypt?
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