AVC Multimedia e-Book Series e-Book#3: AGBU 100 Years of History (Vol. I) | Page 35

Relief Measures for the Refugees in Port Said

The Port Said refugee camp. Upper right: The Armenian Red Cross health clinic. Bottom right: Buildings constructed by the AGBU (Coll. Bibl. Nubar/Paris).

The Port Said refugee camp. Upper right: The Armenian Red Cross health clinic. Bottom right: Buildings constructed by the AGBU (Coll. Bibl. Nubar/Paris).

The légion d’orient

The presence of large numbers of Armenian refugees ready and willing to bear arms led the Allied general staff in Egypt to tap the human resources available in the Port Said camp to create the Légion d'Orient on 15 November 1916. Initially, the Légion was made up exclusively of Armenian soliders serving under the French flag and stationed on the Egyptian front. Later, Syrian volunteers were also enrolled in this army unit. The soldiers of the Légion d'Orient were considered French army auxiliaries, and were officially recruited to fight Turkey under the French flag. The first Armenians to volunteer for the Légion were refugees from Musa Dagh. Somewhat later, the Légion began recruiting from Armenian colonies in Egypt and the Western hemisphere as well. It also found recruits among Armenian deserters from the Ottoman army and Armenian prisoners-of-war who had served on the Egyptian or Iraqi fronts and been captured by the Allies.

* United States/Boston: 89