TURKISH PRISONERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2666, 11 January 1916, Page 7

TURKISH PRISONERS

AN INTERESTING SKETCH r niis sketch was written in Gallipoli by an interpreter in the Intelligence Department of tlio British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

Speaking strictly, tho name "Turkish" is misleading, as the armies of Turkey include Christians, Jews, and Arabs. By "Turk" is invariably understood a Mohammedan; there is no non-Mohamme-dan Turk. Wo mean Ottoman or Osmanli when we refer to "Turkish" prisoners. The Ottomans—and they include Armenians belonging to Turkey—make a similar mistake by calling every Britisher "Inguiliz" ("Englishman"). The Ottoman private soldier is usually illiterate. In timo of peace ho is either a farmer or one of those famous Constantinople hamals (porters), or a professional soldier. The number cf regulars, however, has been greatly reduced, if 0110 may judge by the prisoners, who aro most of them inexperienced recruits. Tho non-commissioned officer can read and write, and in general intelligence is far superior to l»lehmed (the Turkish private). Mohmed's world includes a few of his village men, his corporal and his sergeant, who is invariably an experienced fighter. He is not concerned to remember his officer's name; he is not interested in him; besides, there is too great a gap betheir social positions to warrant anything like a conversation. The officers are very intelligent and thoroughly modern in their ideas. They are markedly influenced by their German teachers, and aro taught to bo confident in their final victory. -The,y are too proud to resume command of their men when employed by their captors on fatiguo duty. Tlio Turk thinks the world of his uniformj and bestows great care on it; he cares for it as much as wo care for our Sunday clothes or dress suit. It is tidier than tho rags he carries m private life, but it is made of poor material; cheapness is the first concern, lhe close-fitting khaki cap does not protect the face from the sun. The winter uniform, with plain brass buttons and no badges, is of a green-groy colour —a good "field" colour. iMany a Turk wears his old set of rainbow-coloured rags under his uniform—too unwillinc to part with them. ' A motal or compressed-paper tobacco, case and tobacco, a tozbih (loop of beads), a home-mado combined pocketknife and saw, ji patent cigarettelighter, an awl, needles, and cottonthread these are Mebined's necessities. He has a purso containing anything up to thirty shillings; he gets his money from his homo, as ho cannot save much from his nominal (in tho quantitative and prospective sense of tho word) salary, tonpence a month. Side bv side with his money lies his 'private" seal, whioh he is very careful not to lose. A very few (;eep small notebooks, with tho first page (only the first) written on as fellows: "I must wnto homo soon,"or "We arrived in Maidos ten days ago" (with 110 date), or "I must not fcrget to send selams (salutations) to the barber's son," and so forth. The food > varies with the regiment and the place. Appai ently their A.S.C., unlike their Bed Orescent Corps, is not very efficient. Their full rations consist of bread, < haricou beans, nuts, dates, and raisins, with meat sometimes. Lately there has been introduced what they call "German soup," which resembles Julienne, but the Turks do not liko it. If you question a newly-captured Turk about the food, ho will swear it is very good and abundant. 1 believe it is really & "treat" to him after the "bread and fresh onions" fare of his private life. If you raise the food question a few days after his capture you will find that our bully beef has tickled his palate, for he will now speak disdainfully of his regimental rations. Ono prisoner was asked on the fourth day if he was fit to do some digging for us. He said: "Oli; certainly, I havo been feeding on meat for the last threo days; I can build a house for you '' The prisoners are more or less well built, but they are dirty-looking. There is a melancholy about them which, together with the Kismet brand of reserve, makes them appear very inoffensive. I have always known the Turk ta be an artful hypocrite. A regimental ho'dja (equivalent to our brigade chaplain), with his symbolical green headgear, was captured early in the fighting, together with some 200 others. When asked 'how he accounted for his being in the firing line, lie gave the following and only explanation, which he repeated several times like a parrot:— "Well, sil, as it happened I was in the trenches, sir, and of course when I saw our British comrades come along I just surrendered, that's all, sir." Very probably ho was "doing his hit" by inciting his fanatical pastoral sheep' "to drive the 'gyavoors' into the sea." We then asked him where their guns were. He replied, "Well, sir, I am a religious man. I was so since my youth. I know all about tlie Koran, sir, but nothing about our guns, our machineguns, and our bombs." As there was no answer from us, lie went 011: "Sir, you speak Turkish very well. How long havo you lived in Turkey, sir ? I think I have seen you in Constantinople." (Exit hodja.) At present the Turks as individuals appear to bo tired of the war, but in tho Turkish arm'y morale seems to bear no direct relation to efficiency. '.The reason is not obscure. It is to be found in the following order of the day: "If you fall back we will turn our machineguns 011 you; ifi you surrender the 'gyavoors' will butcher you; the only way to die honourably is to stick to your trenches and fight to the last."