Weddings

The chaplains in Maadi Camp had to take many weddings and almost invariably the civilian churches round Cairo were used for them. A special entry had to be made in the registers that the

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marriages had been solemnised according to the ‘Foreign Marriage Act of 1892’. This was a British law and did not necessarily apply to New Zealanders. New Zealand camps might have been deemed New Zealand territory and therefore subject to New Zealand law. but the fact remains that most of these weddings took place outside the boundaries of the camp.

There were many regulations and Army forms in connection with marriages. In 1944 these were revised and published by Headquarters 2nd NZEF, with one amusing misprint. New Zealand soldiers were warned that if they wished to marry South African girls they might be required to make an ‘Anti-nuptial’ financial settlement! The Army always tried to dissuade soldiers from making what were considered unsuitable marriages, and the chaplains also used their influence in this respect.