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[Page 32]
miles. At 5.30 p.m. we came to another small village and after we filled our water bottles and the sentries guards made certain of the way, we moved on.
About 7.p.m. we came to the hills again and at 7.45 we halted on a clear patch of ground at the foot of a hill. Here we found the carts with the gear. We were all dead tired so we got our mats out of the carts and laye them out on the grass and immediately went to sleep. Some time through the night the other carts arrived with tents. When we awoke in the morning we found we were in a small valley surrounded by the hills and a small creek running close by. We had a good wash in the creek which refreshed us up considerably. We had our breakfast of dry bread after which we proceeded to erect our tents. After we had finished the Municipal engineer arrived. He told us we would not start work till Monday, so during the afternoon we made some tea and cooked some eggs which we bought from people passing along the road. The following day being Sunday we did not work and much to our surprise the sentries allowed us to roam round the hills gathering wood. There was We found some good water-cress to be had which made a welcome change.
On Monday 12th July at 6 a.m. we started work. This consisted of breaking stones on the road. We worked till 6 in the evening. We were able to have a bath in the creek whenever we liked. During our stay here the sentries were very good to us allowing us to go where we liked. Everything went on the same for the week nothing happening with ecsxeption of killing a few snakes. During our stay we were continually running out of provisions, not even getting our proper bread supply. Needless to say we were continually complaining about the shortage of food. At 4.a.m. 19th July, a man on a horse came galloping into the camp and informed the sentries that we were to return to Afionkarahissar at once, so everything was hurry and bustle. We started on our journey back about 6 a/m. We thought that perhaps the war was drawing to a close and that we were going back to be released. These hopes were soon dashed to the ground for when we got back Afionkarahissar we found everything in a bustle, not because we were going to be released but because some officials had come from Headquarters at Constantinople to enquire into our treatment generally. When we arrived back we found that we had been joined by some new prisoners, Sergeant Delpratt, Pte. Allen, a Gurkah and two Frenchmen. They had arrived on the 18th. The train they came on was bombarded by a submarines near Ismit. Probably E 14 or E 11.
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The E 11 under Lieut Comm Nasmith went right in & up to Constantinople –on the way up he destroyed Transports, storeships, a large gunboat & ammunition ships besides shelling troop trains with reinforcements for Suvla Bay. His return trip was exciting. He ran foul of a cable & towed a large mine for nearly 10 miles
It would have been "good night" to the E 11 if one of the horns of this mine had touched anything as she skilfully dodged depth charges, mine fields, batteries, T.B.4s en route
Fortune favours the brave Nasmith came out alright & got a V.C. his officers D.S.O. & crew D.S.M.
They had a most exciting time, English French and Russians, each had a representative to go before this official from Constantinople. They gave him a list of all complaints needless to say he had a large list. The principal complaints were against the food, never getting meat etc., against the prices charged in the canteen and against the sentries. On July 20th there was a great change The canteen was closed,