egbert Posted 5 February , 2011 Share Posted 5 February , 2011 I just took this picture from my ship transiting the Suez Canal. Does anyone have a clue what this memorial about the GW is about??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangel9 Posted 5 February , 2011 Share Posted 5 February , 2011 http://www.maritimequest.com/misc_pages/monuments_memorials/suez_canal_monument.htm "The Suez Canal Defence Monument at Ismalia, Egypt. The monument was designed by the French, is 50 meters high, 240 meters long and used 4,700 tons of granite in the building. The monument was erected to commemorate the defence of the Canal Zone from the threat of the Turkish Army in WWI." John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 5 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 5 February , 2011 Ahhh, thank you very much John. When comparing to the pictures in your quoted link, time seems to have changed not at all there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 5 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 5 February , 2011 Panorama picture of memorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple Posted 5 February , 2011 Share Posted 5 February , 2011 That's a very impressive memorial. Particularly, as I'd presumed the French weren't involved much (or at all, to be honest) near the Suez, nor the later Sinai, Palestine, etc... campaigns. But, I quick check of Wikipedia suggests that some small French ground units and, lets just call them, foreign volunteers fought for the French Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 6 February , 2011 Share Posted 6 February , 2011 I'd presumed the French weren't involved much (or at all, to be honest) near the Suez, nor the later Sinai, Palestine, etc... campaigns. But, I quick check of Wikipedia suggests that some small French ground units and, lets just call them, foreign volunteers fought for the French If you wish, you can down-load 'The Advance of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force …etc…' and on page 45 you will find details of the French detachment and a brief record of their service (cavalry and infantry) in 1918 As I understand it their main contribution and very important role in 1914/15 see Egbert's first post and photograph was in the form of reconnaissance aircraft, supplied by their navy, who warned of the Ottomans approaching the canal, and later traced their retreat back across the Sinai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceebee Posted 19 April , 2011 Share Posted 19 April , 2011 This is an interesting monument which has not received much attention, so Egberts photos are most welcome. As John correctly notes, Egberts photos are of the Suez Canal Defence Monument, which was constructed between 1926 and 1930. The monument was commissioned by the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company (Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez) and designed by the French architect Michel Roux-Spitz with Raymond Delamarre, a sculptor and medalist. In the Suez Canal action which occurred from about 28 January to 3 February 1915, French forces were represented in an Anglo-French naval squadron positioned in Lake Timsah. An account of this action is well documented on the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre. Link Articles on this action are taken from various sources including the Australian and British official histories. Beans account of the action mentions a French seaplane discovering Turkish forces in Beersheba. I have a bit of research on this monument which I will post shortly on the cemeteries and memorials forum. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 19 April , 2011 Author Share Posted 19 April , 2011 another picture of the memorial emerging from the morning mist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceebee Posted 19 April , 2011 Share Posted 19 April , 2011 Egbert Great photo. This one and the earlier panorama shot show the sheer size of the structure. I am reminded of the Vimy Ridge memorial. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 June , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Couple of more pictures as we passed it last month, transiting the canal ... ... ... ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Those look like shell-marks on the face of the monument - any idea if they are from the 6-Day War or the Yom Kippur campaign? I suppose they could be from both?! Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 Good photos - Thank you. Here's a link to an article on the defensive battles: http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/279622.html It was written for a primarily Indian Army readership and probably doesn't give the French, especially their naval guns, sufficient acknowledgement. Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 6 June , 2012 Share Posted 6 June , 2012 In his Bibliography of the Palestine Campaigns (Appendix II of his 1928 book of a similar title: The Palestine Campaigns) Wavell mentions two French histories covering the early action at the Canal L'Attaque du Canal de Suez by Lieutenant Douin: “An account of the first attack on the Canal by an officer of one of the French warships present. Two good maps” On se bat sur mer by Paul Chack: “Contains a chapter of over 100 pages entitled 'La France Sauve le Canal de Sues,' giving an interesting and picturesque but somewhat imaginative account of the first Turkish attack on the Canal.” see also http://archive.org/details/onsebatsurmer00chacuoft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 26 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 26 May , 2013 Nothing has changed there This photo from ship last week when transiting the Suez Canal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charpoi Warrior Posted 27 May , 2013 Share Posted 27 May , 2013 I somehow managed to miss this when I was there in January. I was at the Egyptian Memorial across the canal and completely failed to notice it. I'm guessing the damage came during either the War of Attrition or the October War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 27 May , 2013 Share Posted 27 May , 2013 We shouldn't dismiss the French contribution to the defence of the canal too lightly. They had similar strategic concerns as Britain did, and they took pride in the Canal itself. It was French naval gunfire that neutralized the most dangerous Turk artillery, that had successfully engaged British shipping. Well Done the French for building this magnificent monument. Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenbecker Posted 28 May , 2013 Share Posted 28 May , 2013 Mates, I did notice in the right corner what looks like a Egyptian Army Radio truck with generator and possibly some arials around the truck? Whats the rules of the use of war memorials for this kind of military activity (if it is such)? S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charpoi Warrior Posted 28 May , 2013 Share Posted 28 May , 2013 I noticed that: the truck hasn't moved in the couple of years covered by the photos. I doubt it is active. I don't think there is anything to stop memorials being used for military activity, but off hand I can't think of an instance where one was. The use of churchtowers for OPs or snipers is a staple of diaries and memoirs and is sort of analogous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 28 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2013 Steve, I would say it is part of an open air museum. Some 100m further to the right side you find this old SAM 2 air defence unit on display from the last war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charpoi Warrior Posted 28 May , 2013 Share Posted 28 May , 2013 Aha! I stared at that area on Google Earth for ages and couldn't work out what the patterns were. Great photos Egbert, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenbecker Posted 30 May , 2013 Share Posted 30 May , 2013 Mates, Thanks for that. Of cause was this Sam site there during the October war, why use a War Memorial for a Sam site? Did they think the Israili's wouldn't bomb it? S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRKY Posted 30 May , 2013 Share Posted 30 May , 2013 I have a small photo taken by my Grandfather in around 1921 when he was stationed here in R.E., have always wondered where it was and for a long time thought it was Vimy, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charpoi Warrior Posted 30 May , 2013 Share Posted 30 May , 2013 At the risk of drawing the Moderators' ire: the SAM sites were right on the canal partly to interdict the Israeli Air Force raids during the War of Attirition and partly to extend their reach over the IDF second line of defences. Ismailia was one of the Egyptian crossing points in the October War and the siting of the SAM battery there has a lot to do with the width of the canal and the nearby built up areas. Attacks on missile sites by the Israelis tended to be on the radar rather than the missiles and used missiles which homed in on the radar signal so damage was very limited. To drag this back to relevance for this site: this is a memorial which means very little to the Egyptians, in a war few nowadays know much about; that is why it hasn't been repaired. Those that do know anything of the Great War see the French and British as occupiers who drained their land of wealth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 30 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2013 I have transited the Suez Canal 3 times within 2 years and took pictures to compare yesterday and today. I must admit, for Egyptian circumstances the memorial area is very well maintained. I guess this is because the grounds belong to the Egyptian state/military and the adjacent SAM 2 open air museum kind of protects the huge sand dune from being built over with houses . If the memorial would be situated in Western Europe it probably had suffered more through graffity.......If you google-earth in the near vicinity (10-20km) you will see more abondoned and active SAM sites with distinct Sam layout patterns in the desert. No match for the IAF, not then and not now. I have a small photo taken by my Grandfather in around 1921 when he was stationed here in R.E., have always wondered where it was and for a long time thought it was Vimy, Tony Would you post this picture here? I may probably match the angle with one of my many today photos from said memorial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 31 May , 2013 Share Posted 31 May , 2013 Kirky, Like Egbert, I too would hope that you can post your grandfather's photograph here however, the monument seems to have been built later in the 1920's, well after 1921 see http://en.wikipedia....chel_Roux-Spitz - 1928-1930: Monument "In Defence of the Suez Canal", Ismailia, Egypt and see http://en.wikipedia....ymond_Delamarre - two colossal figures of Serene Intelligence and Serene Force for the immense monument to the "Defenders of the Suez Canal", whose architect was Michel Roux-Spitz, 1928–1930 Interesting names given to the figures regards Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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