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[Page 30]
windows as the sanitary arrangements in Turkey are of the very worst. I forgot to mention that these rooms were absolutely bare, no tables or stools. We had to sit, sleep and eat on the floor. On arrival at this place a very strict guard was kept over us not being allowed out of our rooms except for an hours exercise every day and then we were kept at one end of the yard and not allowed to mix with the Russians or French.
We spent our hours exercise walking up and down or playing rounders etc. This routine was carried on every day the same. Still getting two meals a day never seeing meat or vegetables, but we did not lose heart as we thought it would only be for a short time. There was a canteen where we could buy a few eatables. We have since found out that they were making 2 and 300 % on every article they sold. The canteen was run by the Commandants brother in law. Of course there was a great swindle being worked, the Commandant and Officers taking a good percentage of the profits. All they sold in the canteen was sugar coffee, some while sour tasting cheese, ulver, a sweet mixture which can be cut like cheese and eaten with bread, and a few onions. The canteen was a small room in the Russians building. We were not allowed near it so a Turkish boy came round with a basket each day. He in turn tried to make his little bit of profit from the prisoners. On 15th May we were joined by two Australian soldiers who had just come from the Dardanelles. They gave us very little news as our troops had not been fighting long enough to make any decided progress. There was a Turkish bath in the same grounds as our building, so once a week we were allowed the privilege of going for a bath provided we could pay the 2 piastres which they charged. The correct price should have been half a piastre. This was another case where we were robbed. After a lot of trouble our Captain was allowed to send us £ 6:0:0. With this we bought tea, sugar, and charcoal to boil the water. After this we had tea twice a day. For some time this was a great luxury. We had a Turkish Naval Lieutenant Commander in charge of us and under him four lieutenants. The Commander was a stout man with a most awful temper. On two or three occasions we had reason to know that he had such a bad temper. He was an officer rescued from the battleship Masudah "Massudiyah," sunk in the Dardanelles by submarine B 11 so he had reason to love submarine ratings. on Nov. 13th when the Powers that be told the Turks to "get ready" for the April landing.
This was a very old battleship of 10,000 tons guarding the mine fields below the "Narrows" – where the current runs all 4 ½ knots- She was lying at anchor under the supposed security of 5 lines of live mines but the skipper of the B 11 "got home" with his 18 in. torpedo & the Turks reported she sank as the "result of a leak" I believe she sprang the leak so quickly that only about 30 of her crew of 600 got free. It was rough luck to have one of the few as our Commandant but no doubt he had reason to vent his spite on submarine ratings.
Afion-kara-hissar being a military recruiting town there was a military commandant of the town. This officer paid us a visit usually once a week but it was not the slightest bit of good complaining. Things went on the same till the 1st June. On this day we were informed that we had to go and work on the roads of the town. After having our wretched meal of practically nothing but hot water, we were fell in at 6.30 a.m., mustered and marched off in charge of