This lantern slide, “Australian Y.M.C.A. Canteen in Egypt (1917),” shows seven men, a combination of Australian Y.M.C.A. war workers and soldiers, at a Y.M.C.A. canteen in Egypt. They are all standing behind a wooden counter, and behind them are shelves of goods for sale.
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During World War I, the Australian Y.M.C.A. ran soldiers’ clubs, etc., in Cairo, Alexandria, and elsewhere. They also pooled their resources with the United States, Canada, England, and New Zealand to form the International Hospitality League and provided social services to all Allied troops. The YMCA huts followed the advance of troops, and by 1916 there were thirty YMCA centers total by the Suez canal, in the Sinai Desert, and in Cairo. Though the proprietors of these canteens considered their work a public service and their prices very reasonable given the circumstances, the men often complained bitterly about the cost of extra food.
Text on border reads, "Aust Y.M.C.A. Hist. Rec. Sect.; Canteen Aust. Y.M.C.A. Egypt."
Part of the Australian Y.M.C.A. WWI Lantern Slide Series
