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[Page 29]
westerly direction, across a big level plain. After travelling for about 5 hours we notice our guards putting their packs on and generally preparing to leave the train. This told us that it would not be long before we would be at our destination. Shortly after this the train stopped at a station called Afionkara Hissar junction for Smyrna, chief town of sandjak pop. 40,000 opium [?]. They made us understand that this would be our destination up till this we did not have the slightest idea where we were going. We were met on the station by Naval officers and guard this told us that there were other naval prisoners here for submarine E 15 had been sunk and the crew taken prisoners 14 days before us.[See note on E 15 on page 40.]
The Naval guard took us over and we marched off after going along the road for about half a mile we were taken in to an old broken down place. It was evident that this placed belonged to the military for there were rifle racks all round the room and places to stow equipment. This was a frightfully cold place- wind blowing in through the cracks in all directions. We christened this place the bird cage. In the evening an officer came in and we complained of the cold and asked if we might have something to cover ourselves with at night., but he said they had nothing to give us. This was 6th May, and that night we shall never forget. First of all we stowed ourselves together to try and keep warm but it was no good, so most of us spent the night marching up and down the room singing to try and keep life in us for the cold made it impossible to sleep. The following day we were visited by a doctor and another officer, so we all complained of being ill through the cold thinking that this might induce them to give us some covering at night or be shifted to another building but the only reply we got was "did England send all invalids to fight for her" We told them that we were prisoners of war, not dogs, and that we had been used to being treated as human beings in England. The officer went away without saying another word. Our own officers were confined in a building close to us but a little better than ours. We put in another agonising night in this building. The forenoon of the following day we were told that we were to be removed to another building and that we should be with our own friends. At 12 noon we were marched off further into the town. After ten minutes walk we halted near a big mosque and in the same grounds there were some fairly decent buildings (they had been a school) this was our destination. There were about 200 Russians sailors from the merchant ships captured in Constantinople and a few French sailors from the submarine Saphire. We marched into the first building and here we saw the first of E 15 crew. They were pleased to see us both for company and for what news we had. We occupied a room opposite them. Six of us going into their room as they had less in a room of the same size. Our room was on the corner of the building with two windows on two sides. This made the room nice and light but we were far too crushed This room was 22 x 15 feet and 27 of us had to sleep and eat there. The room E 15 crew occupied was about the same size but very dark, and situated only about six yards from the closets- always a horrible smell coming in through the