Alexandria- Jabbori or Gabbori or Yabbori

[Howard]

My Grandfather, Tom Anderson had this in his effects. His papers on Ancestry show he was M2/135781, i.e. a driver, a private in the ASC, attached AOC and that he served in Egypt. He got there via Alexandria.

My puzzle is the word Jabbori or Gabbori or Yabbori on the address, this is the only real evidence I have of where he served.

Any one any idea? A google search said that Gabbori was "Established as a City in 331 by Alexander the Great", but that does not help as the Great War was more that 1500 years later!

Otherwise, nothing found.

Howard

Pte.S.T.Anderson 135781
M.T.A.S.C. attached A.O.C
Ordnance Office
Gabbori
Alexandria, Egypt

[JWK]

Well, Gabbori seems to have made it to at least 1882 so we're getting nearer WW1 :

From the "Purmerender Courant" ("Newspaper of Purmerend"- and that's north of Amsterdam) of 6th August 1882 :

an article on "the war in Egypt"

http://waterland.courant.nu/issue/PC/1882-08-06/edition/0/page/2

"A platoon of Marines landed at Gabbori, from where they were transported by rail to Mex, which city was occupied to keep the Bedouins in check"

But as to where Gabbori was/is? Looks like it was/is SW of Alexandria.

There's a thread on "Mex, near Alexandria" here :

JW

[MaureenE]

On this online military map of Egypt, of the period, which I think was part of the Official History, there is a place near Alexandria, on the coast, which is St (?) Gabar Stn. I suspect this may be the same place as Gabbori.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-rm2421-1

National Library of Australia collection.

Cheers

Maureen

[Guest]

Mate,

Gabbari was known as the Citadel and as a Military prison in Cairo.

But I am unsure about a Gabbori in Alexandra?

Cheers

S.B

[MaureenE]

Further to my post 3, I think this place could be now called Sidi Gaber, which still seems to have a strong military connection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidi_Gaber

There were Barracks there during WW1

http://www.manchester-regiment.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;MR00527&pos=2&action=zoom&bt=europeanaapi

​It was not uncommon in India (with which I am more familiar) for place names to have several different forms, and at any one point of time, for more than one form to be in common use. So even though the post card is labelled Sidi Gaber, I would be happy to accept that Gabbori is a variant name for this place.

Cheers

Maureen

[Howard]

Many thanks for that information, it gives me more to go on. As you will have realised, I am clutching at straws here like so may researching ASC soldiers!

The reference to Mex in the other thread is good, I have a postcard that shows my Grandfather after a bathe at Mex (which I had stupidly thought was an abbreviation for the Med.). There is an Al Max close into Alexandria on Google Maps.

I have another post here that refers to Kantara, solely because another postcard shows an unknown George Allum at Kantara so I assumed my Grandfather was there. Through this forum, I have now established who George Allum was, a forum member's ancestor.

So my Tom may have been at Mex, Kantara or Sidi Gaber (Gabborri) or all three. It is odd that such a huge military effort over there has left so little in the record.

Thanks again

Howard

[michaeldr]

The accepted spelling during the Great War appears to be Gabbari

see http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/listing/object-205224385

“part of "MARSHALL CECIL (PRIVATE)" (photographs) Made by: Marshall, Cecil (Private) 1916

Staff from the office of the Chief Ordnance Officer, Gabbari, Alexandria, Egypt, 25 May 1916.”

see also this second item in the IWM's collection: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205286710

H. M. I. CALEDONIA at Gabbari Docks, Alexandria, etc etc

Edited 29 September , 2015 by michaeldr

[Howard]

Many thanks for that. I just tried Gabbori again in Google so see why I had failed to find anything and am surprised Gabbari does not come up in the Do you mean list. I suppose that data is only generated by many searches.

Now I have something to go for. Yet another of Tom's postcards is this one showing the docks. It seems that Gabarri was just round the corner.

I have now found this map from 1959, right in the middle is Gabbari!

Howard

[Howard]

In another thread, there is reference to a history of the AOC. That contains details of Gabbori, Kantara and Mex camps that I have been looking for.

Like many aspects of the Great War, once one finds one thing, it leads to another. My Grandfather's envelope above (dated 31st Dec 1917) is marked Salved from Mails Lost at Sea and the AOC history contains this passage "One of the worst shipping disasters of the war occurred there on a Sunday at the close of the year 1917, when the troopship Aragon was sunk near shore in front of the Ordnance depot. This happened just at dinner time, when the whole of the A.O.C. were present and turned out to succour the victims."

It would seem likely that the two are linked. More hunting.......

Howard