UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1942-10-16_Page-045

279 lessons to classes of soldiers. This opportunity was accepted by numbers of New Zealand soldiers and five different groups of New Zealanders completed this course and one group of nine South Africah Ladies in uniform. Total 77 In general it has to be noted in regard to the work done by the soldiers that few of the soldiers have been able to continue their studies for long. One or two only of these enrolled were able to continue throughout the year, taking two or three lessons per week. Difficulties have been being posted to other assignments outside of Cairo or to other hours of work which prevented their attend-ance. Sometimes men would wish to prepare for a particular assignment and would give two or three weeks intensive study of Arabic. Or some would take advantage of several days leave in Cairo to study Arabic. It thus comes about that the en-rolment for the year is much larger than any previous year, but the total number of lessons, it has to be noted, is less even than that of last year. Total 1940-41 5, 415, Total 1941-42 3, 729 VVe note also that a few students have taken Turkish and Persian because they were anticipating special assignments where these languages would be of use. Thus there was one student studying Arabic and Persian, one Arabic and Turkish, two Persian only, and three Turkish only. We have had occasional requests during the past year in regard to the possi-bility of studying the following languages: Amharic, Swahili, Kurdish, Urdu, Russian, French, Italian, and Hebrew. Regarding the first language named Amharic, we endeavored to secure information about possible teachers, but we were not able to learn about any Abyssinian available. Regarding Swahili, we have ordered Swahili textbooks and dictionaries from Nairobi. Regarding Kurdish and Urdu we were unable to secure teachers, but the request for lessons was not pushed further. fie were able to direct a New Zealand Theological student who wished to study Hebrew to Dr. Butros Abd El-Malek of the Egyptian Theological Seminary. An officer who wished to practice Russian conversation was put in touch with a Russian student in the College and similarly one or two desiring to speak Italian with Italian students. On the whole, I think that we can justifiably feel that we have been making a contribution to the total war effort by reason of the help we have given in the study of these languages and our contacts with the considerable nalaber .iì :J.Liicers and men who have been in attendance. It may be of interest tū nute the various types of students who have been enrolled without mentioning names. Thus among the students of the past year were a Greek Orthodox Priest, the English wife of the son of a well-known Muslim leader of India, a lady artist who reproduces the pictures & Hieroglyphs of various Egyptian temples, the manager of the Prudential Life Assurance Co., Ltd. with one of his office force, an officer who has been sent on various special missions to Arabia and other countries of the Middle East, Urientalist who studied Arabic under Prof. Gibb at London and Oxford, the director of Reuters Agency in the Middle East, a lady who is expert in Balkan languages attached to the G.H.G., three Japanese students (up to December 1941) a number of officers of the Arabic (Lybian) Defense Force, several officials of the Minister of State's Office, an anthropologist lecturer in Fouad El-Awal University; an Indian officer engaged in radio broadcasting to India and Indian troops, a titled English officer who several years ago lived for a year among the Tauregs in the Central Sahara and wrote a book about them. These instances are given to illustrate the types of students enrolled. III. LECTURES: At the beginLing of the year it was planned to inaugurate a series of lectures on popular subjects such as the SOS offered last year. A numbe