Bidspirit auction | The Egyptian Mail – February

The Egyptian Mail – February 19, 1942 – WWII Frontline News from Cairo - A rare and historically important issue of The Egyptian Mail, published in Cairo on Thursday, February 19, 1942, during the height of World War II. This English-language daily, printed under British wartime censorship, served as the leading English newspaper in Egypt, covering the Mediterranean and North African war fronts with firsthand reports and Allied propaganda. The dramatic front page headlines announce:  • “British Convoys Get Through Mediterranean – Navy Foils All Attacks”  • “Russians Pierce German Lines Thirty Miles from Latvian Border”  • “Axis Withdrawal West of Gazala – Raid on Benghazi”  • “Two New Battleships Nearly Completed”  • “Gandhi Meets Chiang Kai-Shek” Other sections include detailed war communiqués, sports columns, entertainment listings for Cairo and Alexandria (including cabaret and cinema programs), and a vibrant advertisements page for wartime businesses and leisure spots such as Casino Opera, Kursaal Restaurant, Liscovitch Jewelers, and American Lloyd travel. This edition vividly documents Cairo’s cosmopolitan life during WWII — a city filled with soldiers, diplomats, and journalists — as well as the intensity of Allied operations in North Africa, especially around Gazala, Benghazi, and the Western Desert. 📜 Details:  • Newspaper: The Egyptian Mail  • Date: February 19, 1942  • Place of publication: Cairo, Egypt  • Language: English  • Size: Large format (approx. 58 × 43 cm unfolded)  • Condition: Fair to good — tears and folds, particularly along the central crease and edges, but text mostly complete and legible 📖 Historical context: Published just months before the pivotal Battle of El Alamein (1942), this issue captures the tense atmosphere of the Allied struggle for North Africa. It reflects the strategic importance of Egypt as a command hub for the British Eighth Army, as well as a crossroads of international press, propaganda, and morale during one of the war’s most critical phases. A highly collectible original artifact from wartime Egypt — an authentic window into daily life, propaganda, and reporting under the British Empire’s control in the Middle East.