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[Page 67]
About the middle of June 1916 an alarming outbreak of Malaria fever swept the Belemedik. This outbreak was quite unexpected in view of the height above sea level and pure atmosphere. Nearly every person became sick and a great number died through the want of proper medical attention and poor food. It was at such a crisis that the Germans plus the Turks showed their true spirit for they increased the labours of those who could manage to work and only allowed them to make coffins for their dead mates and give them Christian burial in their spare time. Moreover when a prisoner became sick and couldn't work his pay immediately ceased and he had no money to buy food, therefore he starved He was not allowed to stop work without a Doctor's certificate and the German Doctor in charge of the prisoners was a callous inhumane blighter who only gave his sanction when the patient was nearly done. Not a few even when in dying cursed him. He was known as "The Swine".
It was during this outbreak that I lost three of my boatmates, Chief Stoker Varcoe, Petty Officer Gilbert and Able Seaman Knaggs.
Truly our condition was bad, but when we saw the heartbreaking deplorable plight of General Townsend's men marching as prisoners from Kutelamarah to Belemedik even the sick rose up to pity them. Many a poor wretch spoke with a shudder of that awful journey forced to travel when eaten with fever and dysentery. On the march they were driven to walk twenty miles per day. Very often at the end of day's march they did not get anything but just a handful of flour or raw grain. What means did they have of cooking anything, suffering from the extremes of climate, scorching sun by day and bitter cold by night. When they reached us they were mere skeletons and looked eloquent examples of c combined Turkish and German "Kultur". Truly one touch of nature makes us all akin. We did what we could to relieve and cheer them with gifts of clothing, food and medicine. On the short anamanus amanus section of the Bagdad Railway over 1000 answered the last Roll call.
[Side note: Anamanus? or "Taurus"
Dated NB Place for 1st escape Aug]
About September 1916 a sick party of 140 who couldn't work were sent from Belemedik to Angora, but soon after their arrival instead of being allowed to rest they were put to work again on a light Railway between Angora and Ezeroum. Typhus Fever broke out among these invalids. The worst cases were put into tents in spite of the bitter cold and wet. There was snow on the ground 2 and 3 feet deep. No wood for fires or cooking. In about six weeks 75 out of the 140 of these prisoners died or rather were killed because when they became delirious and a nuisance to the orderlies and guards they were murdered by an injection of some poison by means of a needle.