Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Richardson war narrative, 1916-1918 / Leslie Duncan Richardson
MLDOC 2447

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Leslie Duncan Richardson
No. 1351, Signaller,
1st Light Horse Regt. A.I.F.

Enlisted June 17, 1915 at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, left Australia on Oct. 13, 1915 on SS. Pera, arrived at Suez on Nov. 13/15. Trained in Egypt, kept there for horse duties until evacuation of Gallipoli. Regiment reformed in Dec./15. In Jan./16 doing duties in Upper Egypt. In May, 1916 moved to Suez Canal. During May & August/16 engaged in various skirmishes with the Turks, clearing up outposts, &c.

The attached narrative briefly explains some events during captivity. After a brief stay at Alexandria, was transferred to a rest camp at Port Said, then sent to England for a month’s furlough before returning to Australia. Arrived in Sydney by SS. Ascanius, April 4, 1919.

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My Experiences as Prisoner of War in Turkey.

On 3rd August 1916 the Turks were advancing on the Suez Canal. They had reached a point two miles South of "Romani" which is 30 miles east of Suez Canal. The 1st Light Horse Bde, excepting the 1st Regiment here took up a position to check the advance. The Turks attacked at 11 o’clock that night, and the 1st Reg. was called upon to assist the Brigade.

Our troops were greatly outnumbered, and after severe fighting the order was given for the Bde. to retire about 7 a.m. During this retirement I was cut off from my Regt. by the fast following Turks, finally finding myself confronted by two huge Turks with fixed Bayonets. These greeted me with a prod in the ribs and informed me that I was a prisoner of war, and escorted me to the enemies Headquarters, some two or three miles behind their firing line. I was brought before the German General Von Gress G.O.C. Canal operations, who began a series of questions and cross questions regarding the numbers, Types and positions of our troops. I pleaded ignorance, stating I was a new Reinforcement having arrived there only the night before, for which good information I was cursed at, and spat upon by the Gentleman? himself, and ordered to be taken to a Turkish Depot some miles further back. On arrival I was told to sit down, was given a drink of salt water, later on being searched by a Turkish Officer who confiscated knifes, Photos, Watch, Pocket Wallet, Cigarettes, Pay Book, one or two articles of Clothing & spurs.

Throughout the day other prisoners arrived in the camp from various Regiments until we numbered nineteen, about 8 p.m. same evening. From here we began a tedious march across the Sinai Desert, reaching a spot about ten miles from where we were captured, where we heard that our troops were pushing the Turks back rapidly. This information caused our escorts much anxiety and

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after a hurried consultation a number of Turks began digging a hole. On asking the reason we were informed that an escort could not be spared to take us further, so it was decided to shoot and bury us, to save any inconvenience. With the intention of carrying into execution this plan a firing party was brought around us, and it was then we saw the earnestness of their threat. We appealed to a German Major who happened to be riding at the point, a man who had been decorated twice with the Iron Cross, and who spoke fluent English, stating that we were prisoners, and asked him to treat us as such, and not allow these Turks to shoot us like dogs. He saw the position at once, dismounted and thrashed the Turkish Officer in charge. This is the usual method of treating any Turkish soldier responsible for a breach of their rules and regulations. The German Officer handed us over to a group of German Artillery men, who gave us food and coffee and kept us out of danger for twenty four hours, afterwards handing us over to the Turks again.

On leaving these artillery men we were tied together in pairs with rope and ordered to march thus, but we found it impossible, walking on one another’s heels causing us to fall over, each time one fell he was struck heavily on the back with a rifle butt, for his carelessness. In this predicament we were marched from Camp to Camp for exhibition. In about six days we arrived at Bir Mazar, where we received our second meal since being captured. The final march to this place was 25 Miles, the journey taking ten hours, with Thermometer registering in the vicinity of one hundred and twenty degrees in the shade, and without a drop of water. This last "stunt" completely "fed us up" for we were suffering from burnt feet, hunger, exposure and privations to such an extent, that we decided we would be shot rather than carry on. This refusal led to us being supplied with Camels, these welcome ships of the desert carrying us to El-Ordya, the Railhead at that time of the Palestine Railway. An eventful railway journey brought us to Jerusalem

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on the 13th August 1916 where we were allowed the pleasure of a wash, the first since being captured. For want of a better place we were barracked in a Hospital, given two good meals, and a bed to sleep upon. We began to think things were improving and that the Turks decided to make amends for our earlier treatment, but we were awakened early next morning and hurried off to "Damascus" where the treatment was very different to that in Jerusalem. We were cast into a room about 10" by 10" [10 ft. by 10 ft.?] extremely filthy and full of Vermin. Eighteen of us were thus accomodated, and were guarded by as many soldiers who robbed us of our food and kept us strictly confined for three days.

On the 18th August we were taken to "Allepo" where we were thrown into Barracks with a number of deserters from the Turkish Army who were in chains. These Barracks were even more vermenous and filthy than the room at Damascus, but we were allowed the luxury of a bath here. Again we were moved this time to a farm called "Lameoree" where we were supposed to entrain but on account of various delays on our march, we missed the train, and had to wait two days for the next, during which time we were housed in some donkey sheds. Eventually we embarked on the train, our destination being Tarsus, from where we were taken on Motor buses through the Tauris Mountains to a German Camp, but we were not allowed to remain here long being placed under a Turkish escort, and marched off on a 27 Mile journey to Pezanti. This march was one that will live in our minds for ever: we were given no food before starting, and being exhausted from the constant marching and lack nourishment, many of us tired, but the Turks would not allow us to rest, and when any unfortunate lagged behind, he was punished with the butt of a Turkish rifle. In time we all began to tire and each and everyone was punished in like manner. We could not endure this treatment any longer, and rose in rebellion, but we were powerless, and as a reward for our trouble we were made to run instead of march, thus covering the whole

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journey in six & a half hours. Leaving Pozanti that night we arrived at Afion Kara Hissar. This was a hugh [huge] concentration camp and before being admitted we were isolated in a house for 15 days, here I had the misfortune to contract Maleria Fever, owing chiefly to our house being ten feet from the ground, and having a stream of dirty water running underneath it. This is a common occurence in Turkish Towns, most of the lads contracted fever and one died.

Leaving this Hospital ten days later I found payment of money from Constantinople stopped, the Commandant of the Camp, appropriated it for his own use. However after bargaining he condescended to allow us 50 piastres (8/4) out of the pound sent. This commandant proved himself a theif and a scoundrel to the highest degree, parcels and money sent to prisoners were never allowed to pass him, and he frequently disposed of the contents in the town.

We frequently found articles with the soldiers names on in the town, we knew this was going on, but could do nothing to prevent it, several of the Prisoners were severely thrashed for drawing attention to this fact.

On October 1st 1916 one hundred prisoners including myself were removed to Angora, two days journey, were [where] we were accomodated in a filthy house, after being shaven from head to foot, and given a bath. However we were not allowed to stay here long, and were taken 20 miles out to lay a Railway line. Here my trouble began again, suffering from Maleria fever I was allowed to live in a tent four days before being removed to a Hospital from which Hospital I was discharged after fourteen days, suffering with Dysentry, but soon found myself back with both Maleria & dysentery. Christmas 1916 & New Year were bitterly cold, snow falling heavily, and here we suffered many hardships, we were billeted in small mud houses, no wood provided for

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cooking, and our food consisted of a pint of boiled wheat and one pound of black bread per day. The work was 5 miles distant from the Billets and walking to and from work and subsisting on such mean fare greatly reduced our physice, added to this we lacked a change of clothes, or even a blanket and the vermin in the house was something beyond what I can describe. Here prisoners were thrashed out to work and the whole treatment, and conditions caused the majority to be stricken with Typhus, at one time 90% were in the Hospital, I amongst them, being unconscious for 15 days, with a Temperature averaging 103.2. I found myself with another Englishman in a ward occupied by Turks, and but for this Englishman, who administered my wants in medicine and food, would certainly not have lived to tell the tale. The Turkish stole the food and medicine intended for me as well as the few poor rags of clothing which I possessed and sold them. I was discharged about the end of April, almost without clothes, and sent to a rest home for a month where the treatment was more severe than a working camp.

On the 25th May 1917 I was declared fit for work, but Maleria being in my system again attacked me, eventually turning to Rheumatic fever from which I would certainly have succumbed but for a good Armenian Doctor who spoke fluent English, listened to my explanation of my case, and treated me accordingly. In this hospital I witnessed a deed which I am sure is not in the rule of warfare. A Turkish Doctor made it a practice of injecting a fluid into prisoners in a low condition, a dope which hastened their end. This was fully explained to me by the Operator himself, which fact hastened my discharge from the Hospital. After resting a few days I discovered that I was suffering with heart trouble, and asked to be repatriated on that score. I successfully passed three Turkish Medical boards, and finally sent on to Constantinople for further examinations. I appeared before a board here consisting of German &am; Turkish Doctors, who decided that as I had not

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lost a leg or arm, I was not totally incapacitated, and therefore not intitled to be repatriated, but rather to rejoin a working gang. Eventually I found myself on the gulf of Ismidt, about 60 miles from Constantinople, where the tasks were wood cutting and Charcole making. The charcole being used by the Turkish War Office. The working conditions were a considerable improvement on any we had hitherto met, the hours being from 6.30 to 5.30 p.m. an hour off for lunch at midday, the food however was the same, a wheat and bread diet, doing a work which we would not attempt in Australia unless we were assured of a pound or two of meat each day, as well as occasional milk, Eggs, and butter. Here also the supplies of food were so hard to obtain that we often found ourselves fighting and quarelling over its distribution. Things brightened up considerably however when money arrived from the Red Cross Society. Here as well as in other parts of the world, money had a majic effect on the supply of foods. We were employed on this work into the middle of winter, when instead of being rewarded with money for our work, we were moved to a Constantinople prison.

Leaving Constantinople in January 1918, we again found ourselves in that "Hell on Earth" Afion Kara Hissar, under the same demon of a Commandant. I resolved to try my luck at escaping from here, but fortune favoured me for once, some Australian Officers, who were prisoners here, required attendants, and I received an appointment. The work was pleasant, and living fairly good, so that I stayed on at this job until the Armistace was signed. Sometime previous however to the actual signing of the Armistace the lot of prisoners improved considerably, due I am sure to the Turks realising that their case was hopeless.

Consequent upon the Armistace the Afion Kara Hissar Camp was disbanded, we being taken in parties to the seaport of Smyrna, were [where] we spent a very pleasant time, waiting for a steamer to take us to a British Country, which in this case was Alexandria, where we arrived on the 22nd November 1918.

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The whole incident is now like a nightmare. The inhuman, uncouth, uncivilised Turk, the filthy accomodation, insufficient food, the brutal turks and the terrible uncertainty of life, made this term of prisonment one of the horrors of the whole war, which will long live in the memory of those whose misfortune it was to have to endure it, but never before did we prisoners realise more fully, what is meant by the term "Free" and protected by the Union Jack.

The above is only a brief account of our doings, some of the incidents briefly mentioned, would take pages to describe fully, and even then most people, would not believe that men could live after enduring such hardships, or that such demons as the majority of Turks were, existed in any part of the world to-day.

L.D. Richardson
1st Light Horse Regt.

[Transcriber's notes:
Aleppo – misspelt as Allepo – P. 4
Taurus Mountains – misspelt as Tauris Mountains – P. 4
Gulf of Ismidt – also spelt Gulf of Izmit – P. 7

[Transcribed by Judy Gimbert for the State Library of New South Wales]