Trace and Tell your Family's Empire Stories
Introduction
When I was 20, just after the Second World War, I spent a year in Egypt as a regimental officer in the British Army. As a soldier, I was involved in protecting the Suez Canal Zone. I experienced bitterness from some Egyptians who were resentful of the British Army presence.
I returned to Egypt in 1951 as a missionary for the Egypt General Mission (EGM). In contrast to my army experience, this time my everyday life involved helping and communicating with the local Egyptians and I spent two years learning Egyptian Arabic.
As a missionary I developed a connection with the Egyptians that would have been impossible as a soldier. However, I was expelled from the country by the Egyptian government in May 1956 for teaching scripture to Muslims in a missionary school.
I still have a great affection for the people of Egypt and their country. Eventually, I returned to Egypt in the 1990s as a tourist. Today I live in Cheltenham with my wife Irene, whom I married just before starting work at the EGM.
Browser by chapterAlan East talks about his disappointment at being expelled from Egypt.
At the beginning of 1955, I was the English and Bible Studies teacher at the Egypt General Mission School in Ismailia. The school taught local Egyptian children.
We had a rule that children coming to our school should attend the Bible classes. However, as Egyptian nationalism developed, we were forbidden by the Egyptian Government to teach Muslim children Bible classes. The Egypt General Mission reluctantly agreed.
We received no funding from the British government and some thought we were a bit stupid to try and convert all these people to Christianity. In one sense they were right.
In the boarding department, we continued to have evening prayers. A parent objected and told the Egyptian authorities that this was going on. This was the last straw for the Egyptian Government and I was declared 'persona non grata' and expelled from Egypt.
I was bitterly disappointed that, as a result of Egyptian nationalist tension, I was expelled for the offence of teaching Muslim children the Bible. My equivalent, based in Suez, was also expelled. So I returned to England in May 1956. The rest of the mission returned to Britain in November.
