Tpr Albert Briers (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: At Mena Camp, Cairo, Egypt. In a letter to his mother – ‘The Egyptian men are very small and the Australians look very fine soldiers alongside them. The coming of the Australian Army was a godsend to Cairo, as there are not many tourists here this season. Cairo was a great surprise to us all. It is a bigger place than Melbourne and roaming about on your own is not safe as one does not know when he might get a knife between the ribs. But as for the slums, they are simply awful, and the filth and dirt seem to be enjoyed by the queer mixture lolling about.

There are lots of things of interest to see over here – museum, skating rink, racecourse, theatres, picture shows and other places where one can enjoy himself. But all these sweet things will be knocked on the head now as we expect to be called away any minute. I suppose to have a piece of Turkey for dinner’.