AIF Training Camp Postcard (c. WWI)
 
The Postcard depicts the holding Camp of the ANZAC forces in the Middle East.
 
The first contingent of Australian soldiers destined for the war in Europe left Western Australia on 1 November 1914, thinking that they were headed to England for training before proceeding to the Western Front. But it was decided that the overcrowded military camps in England were unsuitable for so many men over winter, so the Australians instead disembarked in Egypt on 3 December 1914, making their way to Mena Camp, a vast training facility near the great pyramids about 16 kilometres from Cairo. At its peak, there were around 25,000 soldiers in camp. After training for six days of the week, the soldiers were allowed to explore. Most had never been outside Australia, and became eager tourists. While the pyramids and Sphinx were popular attractions, it was also easy to travel into Cairo city, with its bazaars, cafés and brothels.
 
The postcard is inscribed from Will who was a Soldier that was attached to the AIF Divisional Engineers that was stationed in Egypt on his to Gallipoli and the Middle East.
 
In Fair to Good Condition