Hi all, I hope you're well! I'm writing to you from the production office of a major new 6-hour TV drama about the British campaign in North Africa during WW2. We're in need of photos and/or info about two particular things: - the British Army's General Headquarters in Cairo's Garden City (aka 'Grey Pillars' and 'Number 10') - any British military prisons in/around North Africa generally (i.e. prisons where British MPs would've detained British servicemen) We've also sourced photos of Cairo's military hospitals, as well as the Sea of Sand, with far more success, but for obvious reasons, it's been quit hard to find photos of the interiors of these two places. But, I'm hopeful there may be an expert somewhere on this forum with photo albums to share. If anyone can be of help, it would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks, David Brooks E: sasprodoffice@gmail.com
Hello David and welcome. Initial suggestion, immediately edit your post and replace the "@" within your interesting email address to "at". It will hopefully lessen the chance of you being spammed unmercifully by any trawling software! Hope part of your production won't be painting a picture of Paddy Mayne as some jailbird lingering ner'dowell. Hope that's not being overly harsh. And I will endeavour to dig out some stuff that may be a help for you later this evening. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Thanks so much, Jim! And no worries about the spamming - I'm not using the email address for anything other than this. David Brooks
Apologies for the tardy update David, was much later returning home from my travels than expected. Have your production team looked at the book "Cairo In The War" by Artemis Cooper at all? If not, or in the event it's just been skimmed over these couple of extracts from the "Summer 1941" section of same may be useful (at least for the interiors of Grey Pillars) There are many interesting photos too within "Cairo In The War", here's an example (unfortunately none of Grey Pillars within the book though) The only photos I could find of Grey Pillars front exterior are the (modern) ones below, and I guess you will have already seen them! Below is an "interior exterior" of Grey Pillars (Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC having a smoke) Note that the white splodges within the image are where the war-time censor has obliterated signage within the grounds. Finally, here's a couple of views of the Semiramis, pre-war and during (the three chaps are on one of the Semiramis' many balconies). I hope at the very least there's some info here that will assist you. Good luck with all, and kind regards, always. Jim. P.S. If the late Lt. Col. Blair (Paddy) Mayne DSO is to feature in any way shape or form in your production please use as a primary source for information the Hamish Ross work published in 2003. You'll be able to avoid any of the "languishing in prison" nonsense then.
An afterthought re the chokey David (insomnia will do that to you!) In lieu of anything else appearing in the meantime re the prison side of things you could do no worse having a look at "The Hill" (one of the leads played by Sean Connery in his prime). Set and set up ideas may possibly be gleaned from it. Again, good luck with all. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Thanks so much, Jim - it really is appreciated! Particularly the descriptive passages of Grey Pillars, and the confirmation that the photo of the smoking general is actually from the compound. And, I'll be sure to check out 'The Hill' this weekend. Many thanks, David Brooks
