N. Z. SOLDIERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 45, 27 April 1942, Page 5

N. Z. SOLDIERS

ENTERTAINED IN CAIRO

Official War Correspondent N.Z.E.F.

Three thousand British troops convalescent or on leave have been entertained by civilian families in Cairo through the work of a New Zealander. Boundless enthusiasm for the Avelfare of our men, and n keen desire to do a worthwhile job in his second war have made a former Christclmrch businessman, Mr Alan L. Freeman, known to the Middle East as the organiser of one of the most useful honorary services of this war.

Fourteen months ago, at the suggestion of Lady Lampson, wife of the British Ambassador, Mr Freeman began the Imperial Services' Information Bureau. In an office in one of Cairo's busiest streets he has worked since then arranging trips and entertainments, and answering the variety of questions asked by the 10,000 men who have made use of the service. A connection with the Middle East which began as a New Zealand soldier early in the last war and led him, lie fore his retirement in 1938, to become general manager of one of the largest shipping and travel agency companies in Egypt, has given Mr Freeman an unequalled knowledge of what the colonial soldier wants to know, see, and do. Invaluable to our men has been his knowledge of Cairo's cosmopolitan population and its main languages—lie has studied Arabic to the stage of knowing several dialects. His signature to a card of introduction has made available to our men the hospitality of many European families whom otherwise they would never had an opportunity to meet. Each week about 150, men leave the bureau with invitations to civilian homes. A recent tally of the guest book in his own beautiful Heliopolis home showed that since the earliest months of the war, Mr Freeman and his wife have entertained nearly 1200 men, mainly New Zealanders. Wounded New Zealand troops have been Mr Freeman's main concern, as during the last war he suffered a permanent eye injury. A, library, which he built to 1000 volumes after his return to Egypt from New Zealand in 1928, has dwindled to barely 100 through his gifts to men in hospital. Wfcen I called at the bureau recently I found Mr Freeman organising three-iday trips of 1000 miles from Cairo to Luxor, Upper Egypt, and back for 124 piastres—less; than one-third of the usual cost. Preference for the 200 tickets was to be given to men on leave from the Western Desert. His conversation with an English . officer arranging to take a party of his men on t'ihe tour, might have occurred in a New Zealand travel agency. "Tell the bo3*s to take their overcoats," he advised. "It can be as cold as billyo on that train this time of the year."

Through Ills doorway that morning there was a constant stream of Empire soldiers, sailors and airmen, all with questions. "What should I pay for this?" "Where is this place?" To dozens of similar questions he gave prompt, polite replies, all of them tempered by an old soldier's wisdom. "That man," Mr Freeman said, as a French businessman left the office, "takes 70 of our lads to his home each -week-end."

.Appreciation of the bureau's Avork, particularly at Christmas when dinners were arranged for 183 men, has come not only from the troops, but in hundreds of letters from people throughout the world.