File 94/1915 Pt 1 ‘German War:- Turkey. Prisoners’ [‎153v] (315/441)

Note by Mr. Rosario on military matters.
We left Baghdad on the afternoon of the 13th December 1914. We met with no
adyenture iintil the afternoon of the !8th December, when at Haditha, where we arrived at
about 4.-30 p.m We had scarcely settled ourselves at the caravansarai when we were told
that a number of Gem an and Turkish officers with about SOU soldiers had arrived and that
we shall have to quit the Khan to make room for the officers. We attempted to sleep in the
vicinity of the Khan, but were told that, if we did not move on, we should be fired on. We
out^n the desert 1 ^ r ° m ^ bau an d for the first time since leaving Baghdad we camped
On th e 27th December on our journey from Tibni to Sabkha we passed two parties of
soldiers about 40 or 50 stroog. On the afternoon of the 30th December we reached Meskeneh
and were, for the first time, prevented from occupying a Khan and compelled to take
quarters at the gendarmen station. At sunset a Commandant (Turk) of the Turkish
t t e 1 re Wlt K , a number of troops (said to be about 50). The troops were
lodged m the Khan which we had intended to occupy. The Commandant called at the
gendarmen station and without any cause brutally struck with his whip one of the members
otourcaravan. We arrived at Aleppo on the afternoon of 1 st January and stayed there till
the morning of the 9th January 1915. Aleppo was full of soldiers arriving from the north and
proceeding southwards, some said for Baghdad while others for Egypt. We could not how
ever obtain an approximate number of the troops arriving and leaving, and we were afraid to
make minute enquiries, as we were known to belong to the Consular staff at Baghdad. We
heard it said that Jamal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , who was in command of the troops for Egypt had declined to
proceed thither unless he had half a million of men, *
™ the 10t ? Ja A n 1 uar y bet ween Banam Oghly and Hammam saw two companies of soldiers
on their way to Aleppo. They had a commissariat equipment which looked as if they were
tor European troops. (I don t remember seeing camp equipment with the troops at Baghdad).
JNumerous camel caravans conveying ammunition also passed us on the way.
/m , 0n x the 1 tth January on nearing Kuruk Khan we passed a camp of about 1,000 soldiers
(Taboor) on their way to Aleppo. On the 12th January on our way back to Bariam Oghly
we met the same soldiers encamped at Hamam, where we halted for tiffin. We then heard
that most of these soldiers were Armenian. On the morning of the 13th January we reached
Katma station on our way to Adana. We halted all day at the station and noticed four
trains load of soldiers on their way to Aleppo; we left Katma at 9-45 p.m. and arrived at
Radjou station at midnight, here we found that we had to again travel by carts to reach the
railhead at Osmaniah. On the 14th January we took up our quarters at a village called
Massaka, an hour s distance from Radjou station. The road between the station and
village was full of soldiers and about 200 camels laden with stores.
0n ]; he 16th Jau uary there must have been between 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers encamped
between the village and Radjou station. Soldiers have been coming from the north and nro-
ceeding south daily between 14th and 17th January, while we were halting at Massaka
Left Massaka on the 18th January and en route met a regiment of cavalry and about 100
camels onthe way to Aleppo On the 21st January on our way to Hasan Beyly saw about
1,100 troops on their way to Aleppo. At Hasan Beyly, where we arrived the same evening
the village was full of soldiers and we had to encamp outside the village. ®
i2«d January. On our way to Oemapiah we passed several bodie°s of troops and a caravan
eonMstmg of 165 camels laden mth ammunition; later on we passed eight guns (said to be
475 centimetres) led by buffaloes (eight buffaloes to each gnn). Halted at Osmaniah on the
23rd January. Here we were told that about 83,000 soldiers had passed this place for
Aleppo this I consider to be an exaggeration. We were also told that the soldiers were sick'
and tired of this war and would not offer much resistance.
t* Left Gsmaniah for Adana and Tarsus. At Osmaniah station met five
ntish Indians (Moslems) who said they were three days out from Constantinople. They said
they were about 80 in number who had joined the Turkish army (voluntarily or under compul-
smn they would not say). 1 hey wore a nondescript uniform ; without arms which they said they
would obtain at Damascus. They said they had received no pay but were promised a bonus
after the war Before further information could be obtained from them they P were hurried off
utn Tk i brethren. On our way between Adana and Tarsus we saw several trucks
laden with guns of the same calibre we had seen on our way to Osmaniah.
On 8th February, 3 guns, 41 horses and mules and 20 carts laden with ammunition wer e
n t , TarS " 8 m , the W Y, t0 Ad L ana - At the hotel 8t Aleppo we met some German officers,
who had on their hats or helmets the word Mujahidin written in the vernacular.