This well known and very popular photograph of all the original officers and men of the 11th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, AIF, was originally lent to the Australian War Memorial in the 1930s by Colonel K McLennan MBE. A copy negative was made, accessioned as A02875 and Colonel McLennan's original print was returned.
Amidst the training undertaken by the men, there was time on Sundays, days off and evenings when leave was granted to visit local sites of interest such as the pyramids, the Citadel and the many mosques in Cairo. The trams struggled to keep up with the demand and local transport such as carriages were heavily used. The cafes and restaurants of Cairo were also heavily patronised.
The group of over 685 soldiers are spread over the side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) near Mena camp.
Officers identified in the front row are, left to right:
2nd Lieutenant (Lt) F P Strickland; 2nd Lt J Newman; Major (Maj) S R Roberts; Lt J H Morgan; Captain (Capt) J S Denton; Capt A E J Croly; Capt Charles A Barnes; Lt K McLennan; Padre Fahey; Lt (later Capt) A P H Corley (later killed in action 17 September 1915); Lt (later Capt) C A La Nauze (later killed in action 28 June 1915); Capt J H Peck; Capt W R Annear; Capt R R Reilly; 2nd Lt M L Reid; Lt D H McDonald; Lieutenant Colonel J L Johnston; Capt R W Everett; Maj E A D Brockman (later MC); Capt E T Brennan; Capt R L Leane; 2nd Lt A H Darnell; 2nd Lt A H Priestley; Lt W H Rockliff; 2nd Lt J H Cooke (later killed in action 2 May 1915 ); 2nd Lt H James (later MC); 2nd Lt C F Buttle; 2nd Lt H H Walker (sitting); Lt J Williams (top).
Missing are:
2nd Lt S H Jackson, Lt A R Selby and 2nd Lt A H MacFarlane.
Capt Barnes records in his diary:
'After Church this morning the whole Battalion was marched up to the Pyramid (Old Cheops) and we had a photo took or at least several of them.'