Always Inhuman.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 March 1918, Page 6

Always Inhuman.

TURKS AND PRISONERS.

AUSTRALIANS’ EXPERIENCE.

L A small party of repatriated soldiers have arrived in London from Turney. They include Privates Davera and O’Connor of Australia. Tnoy ■unanimously condemn the Turkish treatment, which they say is always inhuman. They flatly contradict the silly legend that Abdul is a clean fighter. They state that the prisoners v. lining under the Turks are poorly fod and worked until they fall on the where they are often left to . The prisoners working on the r...... ays under German control are i r treated. The usual punishment I lists cf tying up the prisoner head downwards, the feet being lashed with rawhide. The prisoners’ principal food consists of boiled wheat twice

daily. Colonel J. A. Murdock, C.M.G. (Red Cross Commissioner) interviewed the Australians in .a London hospital. Private Davorn, 'who <wound,ed iv-iee. was captured at Gallipoli in August 1915, He received passable t. atment at first, but the later the Turks stated that the English were i.-.reading Turkish and they took reprisals. The treatment bet. ;:ie excessively harsh. Davern received Red Cross food and clothing parcels regularly while the American Consul remained in Constantinople, also three lots of money, getting 166 piastres to the pound, which is an exceedingly good rate of exchange, but this was nullified by the high prices of foodstuffs. Tea cost 80s a pound and cheese 7s.

.When the Netherlands Consul replace, a cue American Consul, the parcels arrived irregularly, and were often delayed for months. (During the latter £art of his captivity, while working out, he received plcpty of freedom, possible owing to the fact that escape was impossible. Altogether in considers the treatment absolutely cruel and unwarrantjedi. While returning to England ho stayed for 10 weeks in Austria, where the treatment was hea% r en compared with that received in Turkey, in Austria he had practically the same food as the Ausstrian orderlies. When the Austrians heard that parcels addressed to Davern were passing through Austria they allowed him to meet the train. Luckily, he intercepted four of his Red Cross parcels. BARBAROUS CONDUCT WMle Danvers was in Austria there was a huge strike, , iu which soldiers und civilians participated, the cry being bread or peace. Unfortunately, Davern was unable to give the Red Cross information with reference to the missing men who, the Society hoped, were Turkish prisoners, but he met many Australians who were already on the Red Cross liet. Davern, with the exception of a stiff knee, looks little the worse for Ms captivity, Davern, during his two and a half year’s captivity, managed to retain his paybook and a letter from his little Australia niece. O ’Connor was shot in the thigh in August, 1915, while lying out. The Turks killed the wounded and bayoneted his comrade, who was alongside of him. O'Connor feigned sleep, and was awakened by a huge stone crashing down on his head. It made a deep on bis forehead. The Turks, after their inhuman blow, discovered thaJt, he was still alive. Two Turks dragged Mm to the top of a clif, with the evident intention of throwing him down. A German officer intervened, and ordered him to be taken to headquarters O’Connor lost a leg which he considers could have been saved if he had been decently treated. He only received one food and one clothing parcel and various sums of money at Christmas, 1915. O’Connor declares that the Gormans are the prisoners’ only friends, probably because the Germans hate the Turks, and vice versa. The Germans regard the whites as a tie between themselves and the Fatherland. He attributes the barbarous conduct of the Turks to their lack of education. O’Conor’s treatment in Austria resembled that of Davern. He intercepted three parcels en route to Turky. He looks well, despite his disfigurement.

'j British repatriated soldiers confirm the stories told by the Australians. A corporal of a naval division states that the Turks stripped off the clothing from the wounded and killed, and clothed their own men. When the Turks were ordered to retake B’agdad .at all costs the prisoners at Hajdar Dasha camp saw a terrible explosion, which blow np previouss and ammunition and about 4000 Turks end Germans. It was rumoured that r submarine caused the exlposion. but f o report was not confirmed.