5 St. 36 Min, 3 Dez 1914 Jahr - The AIF in Egypt for training

Beschreibung:

The AIF(Australian Imperial Force) first arrived in Egypt, and not Europe, like they thought. The reason for this was mainly to train them further, but it was also to protect the British interests in the Middle East and the Suez Canal. A letter from one Australian soldier reads: ‘It would be a good camp here were it not for the sand. it makes a good training ground, however. Walking through the heavy sand is good exercise and gives us a good appetite.' The harsh environment and the blazing hot climate proved challenging for most of our soldiers, The training was arduous and of a high intensity. Limited leave was allowed in Cairo after hours, as training would be 8 hours a day, six days a week, but this built them up to from rookie nameless soldiers to respectable and formidable soldiers. After 4 months in the desert, they were ready for some action.