Original Item: One of a Kind. Well you can easily picture this, fully engraved with ancient Egyptian symbols and a monogram at the bottom appearing to read G.F.S. with letters entwined. This brass drinks tray also bears the Crown over wings with R.F.C. in the center and and another engraving in the very center of the tray of the R.F.C. Cap Badge of Crown over R.F.C. surrounded by a laurel leaf shaped horseshoe, over CAIRO.
Clearly a presentation among a small bunch of Officers no doubt billeted at the SHEPHEARDS or SEMIRAMIS HOTELS in downtown Cairo at the time of Lawrence of Arabia. IMA Owner Christian Cranmer stayed at the SEMIRAMIS in 1976 on one of our Gun Quests, which as it happened was very successful. The place was enormous and antiquated and rated the BEST HOTEL in all Africa in 1880.
When he got back in 1977 it had been demolished as had the SHEPHEARDS, which was destroyed in a terrible fire in 1952: both had favorites of British Officers in both World Wars. This Brass Drink’s tray, a typical hang over from the British Colonial Military, but truly charming.
Sherry for any of you chaps ???