"Egyptian army of the WW1" Topic

What was the composition of the Egyptian Army during that time? And what were it's uniforms? Also, did they fought under the british or under the turks?

Britain declared Egypt a protectorate in 1914. I doubt if they actually fought anybody.

Acording to "The Dictionary of the First World War" by Pope and Wheal, "The Egyptian Army was a largely native home-defence force. In 1914 it comprised 17 battalions of infantry (8 Sudanese and 9 Egyptian), 3 companies of mounted infantry, a Camel Corps, support services and various local militia groups. Organized, expanded and equipped by the British during the prewar years, and led by British officers … Although a few field artillery units participated voluntarily in the defence of the Suez Canal in early 1915, the Egyptian Army … was primarily employed to maintain order in the troubled Sudan. Most of its equipment was obsolete British stock, although some modern Lee-Enfield rifles were available by the end of the war (147, 148).

Elizabeth Peters, who writes mystery/archaeology novels set in Egypt from 1890-1922, set one of her books against the backdrop to the Turkish invasion of the Suez. She found it almost impossible to dig up information about the invasion and its defeat. However, she does include details of the uniforms of the officers of the Egyptian army, which were really over-done, along with brief information on the uniforms of the soldiers.

The British were very doubtful about the loyalty of the Egyptian army and were afraid of an uprising of the Egyptian populace. This should hardly be surprising, given the humiliations daily heaped onto the Egyptian people. Just as an example, non-Egyptians were immune from Egyptian law; they could only be prosecuted by their embassies. On the other hand, an Egyptian who tried to defend his property from a European faced a long prison sentence. Even Egyptian guards at the tombs and other sites could lose their jobs or freedom for trying to keep a European from vandalizing or stealing an archaeological treasure.

^^I've never heard of her. I'll have to look her up.

79thPA, didnt they have any cavalry?
Emckinney, do you know what were those uniforms? What about the book?

Elizabeth Peters is an entertaining author, but be aware that her Egyptian stories are written for a female audience, and have a strong 'romance novel' flavor. They include plenty of details about the exact appearance of exposed parts of the bodies of her male characters. If this doesn't bother you, I heartily recommend them. She does seem to get the archaeology and history right.

Don--

Apparently all they had was a few mounted infantry and the Camel Corps. There were probably some type of mounted tribal auxiliaries milling about. Sounds like they were wearing old khaki and carrying breach loaders.

Chick--thanks. Sounds like there will be glistening sweat and male members flopping about! I guess you can always skip through that.

Don--

Just found this. It may be of some interest/use to you.

link

"Sounds like there will be glistening sweat and male members flopping about!"

No, really not. As I mentioned, they are mystery novels on top of archeology. Yes, there are always romances, but a lot of it is pretty Victorian :)

The protagonist, though, is quite open with the reader about her affection for her husband (in many senses).

Peters is also willing to make her heroine a bit ridiculous, and there are quite a few laughs among the dead bodies. When their first pet is known as "The cat Bastet," instead of just "Bastet," things are a little off-kilter.

Peters has a PhD in Egyptology, so the archaeology is right. My stepmother, an art history PhD specializing in Islamic architecture, has spent a lot of time in Egypt, knows a lot about its history, works on archaeological preservation projects in Egypt, and is a Peters fan. The books are accurate enough for her not to make derogatory comments, which is good enough for me. :)

I'll see if I can get some from the library. Sounds like it might be a pleasant diversion. Thanks for the heads up.

I love Elizabeth Peters, in all her incarnations!