91Èȱ¬

In 1943, in recognition of the part played by British troops in the liberation of Egypt from the threat posed by the Afrika Korps, the Egyptian government turned the Gezira sports ground into a club for allied personnel. The artefact in question is the crest from the 'Springbok' stand (pictured bottom right); each of the stands being named after a unit present at the time and crested accordingly. Sports were very important for the men stationed there, allowing them to blow off steam and maintain their fitness. Regular inter-unit competitions were held for units stationed nearby (a heading for such a game from the Egyptian Mail is shown in the top right).