PRISONER OF WAR IN TURKEY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1918, Page 2

PRISONER OF WAR IN TURKEY.

NEW ZEALANDERS EXPERIENCE. Such details of ,life inj a Turkish camp for prisoners of war as ar,e allowed to be given 'by the men are contained in a letter received from a New Zealand soldier, -Private VV. R, Surgenor, of Otakeho, Taranaki. Private Surgenor, who was a member of the Main Body, was wounded in August 8, 1910, and was for some time, in Turkish hospitals. He has written in previous letters of the good treatment he received in (lie hospitals. The following- letter was written at Adabazar on October 28, 1917: — '•Just a few lines to let you know we are still here, and getting along fairly well. We get a half-day oft' every week now, besides Sunday, and get our game of football. I play soccer with the rest. We are trying to get up a game of Rugby soon, but Rugby is not very well known amongst regular soldiers. At all our previous games we have had a certain number of spectators, with fixed bayonets, expecting- every minute to see someone making a break for free air, though here we have a lot mo.'," liberty, owing chiefly to our isolated position. Also, the hills around aliow of a little latitude; we can go iino the bush any evening with a sentry and gather our supply of dry wood Our messes are made up of twos mostly, owing to the inconvenience of cooki?!;: for a larger number. Where no cooks are allowed, as I mentioned before, we have three Turkish meals a day, cooked for us by two of our own cooks, though I would sooner have a good plate of porridge than any of these. The meal consists of a handful of crushed wheat, flavored with a little salt, boiled for two or three hours, a little boiled olive oil is added to taste, and the dish is served hot for five or six hungry aien. Our menu now chiefly is: —Dinner—come in from work and fry a couple of eggs to eat with bread after whent coup; for tea we boil a small pot of potatoes and pumpkin to eat with our soup; for breakfast wo always leave a few cold potatoes, and if we get up early fry them and eat' them with our soup. On Sundays we usually buy a little flour if any money is in the 'firm,' and fry a few sultana cakes. Carbonate of soda is greatly used here as a substitute for baking powder. A lot of tobacco is ground around here. We used to get a very small issue of tobacco, also some from the Embassay. Now we neither get the High Commissioner's parcel nor money, and must find, all these luxuries. I have learned to speak Turkish fairly well, also a little French. I can also pass the time of day to many nationalities. I can use the bakehouse if I work on Sundays, but I am not doing anything now until Christmas, when I can make it worth while. If anybody wants to know how I am let t.hem write. Letters are to us as cheques are to farmers. I break as much stone here a day as would earn me Is 9d a day at home. I do it for love here. Ido not {Kink T will ever feel like an honest day's work again unless I have something more kindly to coax me than fixed bayonets."