The Battle of the Wazzir was the name given to a riot that took place in Cairo, Egypt, on 2 April 1915 during World War I. The riot took hold in a street called "Haret el Wasser", part of the Wagh El Birket area of Cairo where there were a large number of brothels and drinking establishments. At its peak about 2,500 Australian and New Zealand soldiers were involved, many of whom were intoxicated. The soldiers were reported to have had an assortment of complaints, including recent price increases, poor quality drinks, and concerns about the spread of venereal disease. The riot resulted in considerable damage - estimated at several hundred pounds worth - to several brothels which were set on fire; firefighters who responded to the blaze were also accosted. In response, mounted police were dispatched, as well as yeomanry, Lancashire Territorials and military police. A view at the time, that the wanton destruction and assaults were just ‘a bit if fun’, has persisted, despite evidence of the seriousness of the criminal behaviour during the event. Australian soldierEric Ward wrote: Early in 1915 the noted Australian World War 1 historian C.E.W. Bean had expressed concern at the behaviour of some Australian soldiers In fact 322 soldiers were sent back to Australia for various reasons including disciplinary. Surprisingly Bean wrote that the two Wasser riots while ‘not heroic’, ‘differed very little from what at Oxford and Cambridge and in Australian universities is known as a “rag”. Even a recently as 2015, a blog written for the Australian War Memorial on the centenary of the incident describes it as Private Victor Laidlaw, of the 2ndField Ambulance, found the event rather more disturbing and in his account he described a 'disgraceful occurrence': The most balanced and reliable account comes from historian Graham Wilson who has studied the event in detail. His view is that: "The truth, however, is far more sordid, far less heroic and righteous, and casts absolutely no credit whatsoever on the AIF." He identifies that the Court of Inquiry “found that the riot grew out of an incident arising from two or three disgruntled Australians trying to extort money from some prostitutes who they said had given them VD.” According to Australian Trooper James Brownhill, the men had their leave cut which was a significant punishment. He wrote home on 12 April 1915 giving his view of the riot A second incident occurred on 31 July 1915, which was subsequently described as the "Second Battle of the Wazzir". In February 1919, the Auckland Star recounted another incident, following the armistice:
