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Master Thesis Set out to Find out What Kind of Picture of Egypt the British Military Personnel Portrayed to Their Friends and Family Back at Home

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Master Thesis Set out to Find out What Kind of Picture of Egypt the British Military Personnel Portrayed to Their Friends and Family Back at Home Nuancing the picture of Egypt A study of how Egypt was portrayed home by British military personnel during the First World War University of Bergen Master’s thesis Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion Autumn 2020 Sigrid Buhaug Kluck 1 Table of contents Sammendrag ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1: Introduction and methodology................................................................................................. 6 Methodology and sources .................................................................................................................................. 10 Letters ................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Postcards ........................................................................................................................................................... 15 Photographs ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Historical background ........................................................................................................... 18 Egypt 1869-1914 ................................................................................................................................................ 18 The Suez Canal and British invasion ............................................................................................................ 18 First World War ............................................................................................................................................ 19 The War in Europe ............................................................................................................................................. 20 Trench warfare and the Battles of Verdun and Somme ................................................................................ 20 Standstill and final offensives ....................................................................................................................... 21 The campaigns of the Middle Eastern Front ..................................................................................................... 21 The Battle of the Suez Canal......................................................................................................................... 22 The Gallipoli Campaign ................................................................................................................................ 22 The Mesopotamia campaign ......................................................................................................................... 23 The Senussi campaign ................................................................................................................................... 23 Sinai and Palestine campaign ........................................................................................................................ 24 The war effect on Egypt ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Demobilization .............................................................................................................................................. 25 The soldiers ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 The QAIMNS and VADs .................................................................................................................................... 26 Destination Egypt .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Grand tours .................................................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 3: Egypt as the tourist spot and antique land ............................................................................. 30 Letters ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 Dr Blore’s correspondence with his mother ................................................................................................. 31 Private Jones’ letters to his wife ................................................................................................................... 37 Driver Pashler’s letters to his son Arnold ..................................................................................................... 39 Postcards ........................................................................................................................................................... 41 Postcards by Dr. Blore .................................................................................................................................. 41 Postcards by John Inch Low ......................................................................................................................... 44 Postcards by Driver Pashler .......................................................................................................................... 47 Postcard by Officer Dugdall ......................................................................................................................... 50 Postcards collected by Nurse Russell............................................................................................................ 51 Photographs ....................................................................................................................................................... 54 Nurse Russell ................................................................................................................................................ 54 Private Williams ............................................................................................................................................ 58 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................................................................... 59 Chapter 4: Egypt the Sandy Hellhole....................................................................................................... 60 2 Dr. Blore to his mother ...................................................................................................................................... 63 Private Jones to his wife .................................................................................................................................... 65 Driver Pashler to his son Arnold ....................................................................................................................... 71 Jack Tait to his mother....................................................................................................................................... 74 Sergant William Barron to his family ................................................................................................................ 76 Bertram George to his family ............................................................................................................................ 79 Lieutenant General Sir Randolf Baker to his sister ........................................................................................... 80 E. N. Buxton to one of his sisters ....................................................................................................................... 81 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................................................................... 83 Chapter 5: Egypt – a fleshpot and free space ........................................................................................... 85 Fleshpot ............................................................................................................................................................. 85 Freedom to immorality.................................................................................................................................. 86 Letter from James Ryan to his parents .......................................................................................................... 88 Postcard by John Inch Low to his daughter .................................................................................................. 89 Freedom to enjoy a good meal .......................................................................................................................... 91 Letters from Jones to his wife ....................................................................................................................... 92 Women’s free space ........................................................................................................................................... 94 Nurse Hills to her family ..............................................................................................................................
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