Once established in Egypt in charge of the Remount Station at Moascar with 230 horse breakers to oversee and thousands of horses to break in, classify and send on to their most suitable army postings, Major A B Paterson took a little time to take in all that was going on around him.
A very primitive Australian Air Corp Flying School was located next door to the Remount Camp. Paterson was very moved by the number of young Australian soldiers who were drawn to the glamour of flying only to find that the aeroplane was still in its infancy and totally different in its reaction and use to any land based machine.
The death toll was rather high and Major Paterson wrote home to his wife in Sydney. He encouraged her to leave the children with relatives and volunteer to serve with the British Red Cross. Mrs Alice Paterson sailed from Australia across the very dangerous Indian Ocean and served her country as a volunteer in the Red Cross Hospital at Ismailia. A wonderful gesture and a great service to her country.