Australian Imperial Force Headquarters (Egypt), Central registry files, 1914-18 War

The establishment of an Australian Imperial Force (AIF)
Intermediate Base in Cairo, Egypt was recommended in December 1914,
and took effect from 15 January 1915 with Col V C M Sellheim as
Commanding Officer. The Base came directly under the General Officer
Commanding (GOC), Egypt. Its role was to provide administrative
support to AIF Headquarters in Egypt, and co-ordination between the
Headquarters, the Australian Government, and the High Commissioner's
Office and War Office in London.

By mid 1915, the Base was organized in six sections:

1. Records and Postal
2. Finance
3. Ordnance and ASC duties
4. Medical
5. Remount and Veterinary
6. Base Details

A subsequent attempt to move the Base to Alexandria under the control
of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force was resisted, and it
continued in operation into 1919. The Officer in Charge of the Cairo
Central registry was Warrant Officer F Ballhausen. He and several
other Base staff were commended for loyal service. A sub-section of
AWRS joined the AIF HQ Egypt and among other things handled maps.

The present series, known as the "Cairo Registry files", was amongst
a large quantity of records returned to Australia at the end of the
1914-18 War. The series was taken over by the Australian War
Memorial from AIF Base Records Office (CA 2001) in Melbourne on 21
April 1931, but was not re-located to Canberra until about 1948. The
records (originally c.90 feet) were heavily culled in 1957 (and
possibly also earlier) as it was considered they were "lacking the
historical content which would have justified their retention". The
need to create space for 1939-45 War records seems the more
overriding (and regrettable) reason.

Although the multiple number system of the series appears
homogeneous, it apparently covers two separate sets of files referred
to as "Old Cairo" (to class 490/-) and "New Cairo" (from class 501/-
). Both had unused numbers. Subjects covered in the extant portion
of AWM22 include personnel matters (commissions, transfers,
promotions, disposal of kit, rates of pay, allowances), equipment,
graves and memorials, canteens, chaplains, complaints, hospital
ships, wearing of emu plumes, colour patches, the 1917 census and
conscription referendum, "Kia-ora Cooee" and other publications,
codewords, inventions, riots, the Australian Flying Corps,
Dunsterforce, and the Australian Army Postal Service.

• AWM22 80
• AWM22 130