address

[bleckie]

HI All
The attached image contains an address only part removed is the soldiers name, would I be correct in assuming it stands for "Middle East Force" date is 1941

Yours Aye
BruceL

[Andy J2022]

MEF certainly stands for Middle East Force, but I would be surprised to see it used on its own as part of a postal address.  Maybe something "Maj T Smith, HQ MEF, BFPO 116" or similar. The MEF was spread over quite a large area including Palestine and, I believe, Iraq, so MEF on its own would have been fairly unhelpful.

If it was on a soldier's documents, that would make more sense especially if it was used in a general way, rather than for instance to denote a posting to a specific unit.

[Andy J2022]

Just to add to the above, here's a description of the coverage of the MEF extracted from a military paper written in about 1943 talking about soldiers' health:

The soldiers of all these races [the Allies] were compounded into a mighty army which, as Mr. Churchill said in a  broadcast in 1942, numbered nearly a  million men. These million men were distributed amongst the Eighth Army in the Western Desert of Egypt and Libya, the Ninth Army in the Lebanon and Syria, and the garrisons and base installations of Cyprus, Malta, Palestine, Egypt, Aden, Sudan and Eritrea.

[bleckie]

Hi Andy

That is the only info on the addy apart from soldier's rank and name date is 18/11/1941 it is written down the left hand edge of the postcard which by the way is a photograph obviously taken while he was on leave as the return address is his brother in law and i know that this soldier was in Egypt at some point recovering from wounds.
Yours Aye
BruceL

[bleckie]

Hi All

Just to add interest to the above, this soldier was in what stood for T.A. at the start of hostilities and was called up as he was under the age of 18 instead of going to France with the Black Watch he was sent to the Shetland isles. When the Black Watch was sent to the Middle East as part of the eighth army that's where he ended up and was seriously wounded. He was one of the lucky ones he survived.
Yours Aye
BruceL

[Ross996]

Mediterranean Expeditionary Force

[Andy J2022]

Mediterranean Expeditionary Force

Except that this was only a thing in World War One, not WW2.

[bleckie]

Hi All
Have spoken to one old relative at this time he was in Egypt.
Yours Aye
BruceL

[Ross996]

You are correct. sorry.