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[Page 26]
Sentries would bang them and they would give up the chase.
After a little more than half an hours march we entered reached the big military barracks of Constantinople. We entered marched in through the main entrance, a fine big archway with a clock on either side, one giving English time and one Turkish time. We passed through into the fine big parade ground, with big buildings all round, We marched to the far side of the parade ground and entered what appeared to be the prison of the barrakcs. We were all put into one room, there just being enough room for all of us to lay down to sleep. There were grass mats spread on the floor and we were motioned to sit down. Shortly after this some officers brought us in a big pile of cigarette tobacco and papers that we might make our own cigaretts and after this a man was sent in with small glasses of tea for us without milk and very sweet. This was very appreciable acceptable after our march, as we were unused to that exercise.
We learnt from our Sentries that the Turkish name for tea was "chay." This was the first Turkish word we learnt. Needless to say we were always calling out for "chay." In the evening we were served with tea again and later with our evening meal which consisted of a kind of pea not unlike Indian corn boiled and a horrible tasting with a nauseous grease floating on the top of the water, which we learnt afterwards is always put with these meals. There were three dishes brought into us and placed on the floor and we were given a wooden spoon each and told to divide ourselves equally round the dishes. Just imagine Englishmen with a dirty wooden spoon squatting down on the floor all eating from the same dish, food not fit for a pig. Needless to say we scarcely touched this meal, although we were so hungry. We very soon lay down to sleep or I should say to be eaten with bugs, lice and fleas. They gave us no blankets or beds, so we just lay down on the boards and covered ourselves with our overcoats.
During this day we had been visited by several Turkish officers who came into the room, looked at us, held a short consultation and went away. None of these officers could speak English, worse luck, so it was useless trying to make complaints. When we awoke in the morning we were served out with a loaf of brown bread each and afterwards the morning meal which consisted of roughly crushed wheat and water with the same horrible grease floating on the top. Needless to say we sent this away scarcely touched and contented ourselves with dry bread. This was May 2nd 1915 On May 1st, the day of our arrival nine of us were questioned before a board of Turkish Officers, one being taken out at a time after they were questioned they were sent into another room and not allowed near the remainder. After getting different and absurd answers from each one they gave it up as a bad job, but still they wouldn't let us