Papers concerning the Treatment of British Prisoners of War at Kut [‎29r] (57/62)

Turkish Treatment of British Prisoners of War.
It became apparent after the surrender of Kut-el-Amarah on 29th April
that officers and men would need all their self-control in the treatment they
received at the hands of the Turks. Officers of the Divisional Artillery were
ordered to keep their swords, and our first surprise was that there was no
formal turning over of them to our captors.
The Turks entered Kut at 11.40 a.m. by the way of the fort, and after the
soldiers had piled their arms they wandered about in groups of twos and
threes, looking at our gun positions and picking up anything they saw lying
around. It appears that the investing force consisted chiefly of Arab
irregulars, and very ragged, badly-disciplined troops they were.
At 3.30 p.m. we were ordered to march to the river bank, where the
10th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, consisting of the 03rd, 76th, and 83rd
batteries, assembled. At the same time we were informed of the kit allowance
for officers and men ; 200 lbs. per officer, exclusive of tent, was allowed and
an additional 200 lbs. for the mess. 30 lbs. was allowed for each soldier.
It seemed extraordinarily liberal, but the object of it will be seen later.
We had already heard rumours that the Turks were looting in the town, and
thinking tnat the presence of officers with our men would have a restraining
influence on the Turks I marched in front of the first party from my battery,
the 63rd, and Second Lieutenant Trafford brought up the rear ; both of us
were wearing our swords, as all the artillery officers were doing. The head
of the column reached the concentration place in safety, but the rear did not
have such good luck. A native driver was carrying a kit box belonging to
Lieutenant Trafford, and in spite of the protests of that officer a couple of
Turkish soldiers carried it off. Major H. Broke-Smith, D.S.O., commanding
the 63rd Battery, Royal bield Artillery, had a very unpleasant encounter
with a Turkish officer. He brought over the battery on its second trip with
the remainder of the kit and an armed Turkish officer stopped him and
ordered him to take off his belt and sword ; he did so, whereupon the Turk
put on the belt and sword and walked off. On arrival at the camp by the
river Lieutenant-Colonel St. J. Mauhl, Royal Field Artillery, the Brigade-
Commander, was informed of this, and he said that officers had better break
up their swords or throw them into the river.
Turkish soldiers were looting everywhere, and while some of their officers
tried to stop them, many were as bad as the men. The officers of the
Bombay Volunteer Artillery were held up at the point of a revolver by a
Turkish officer who took away their watches and money. Major Lloyd,
commanding the 76th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, was smoking a pipe
when a Turkish soldier came by and snatched it out of his mouth. The
Turks took a large number of water bottles away from our native troops,
a who seemed to suffer far worse at their hands than the British soldiers.
Major-General Sir John Melliss, Y.C., K.C.B., was in the British Officers’
Hospital when a Turkish soldier came in and snatched the General’s
boots away from his Gurkha orderly who was cleaning them. At the
time the General was very ill from jaundice, but he jumped out of bed and
ran after the thief, who turned round, gripped the General by the neck, and
pushed him up against the wall. General Melliss demanded that a Turkish
officers’ guard should be placed on the British Officers’ Hospital and after
some delay this was done.
Captain Stephenson, Army Veterinary Corps, informed me that a Turkish
officer and some soldiers had entered his billet and taken away everything
he had except the clothes he stood up in, in spite of his repeated protests.
The men of the Howitzer Batter}^ had their boots taken away from them ;
these, however, w r ere returned when representation w r as made to the
authorities. I personally saw several individual cases where both British
and Indian soldiers had their kits looted both by the Turks and the Arabs
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