starting today with the presentation of the diary of M.Fuad
Tokad, a Turkish officer captured by Russian Cossacks in
February 1916 in Erzurum on the Caucasus Front of WWI.
Fuad bey wrote his diary in two tiny notebooks that he hid
inside a matchbox. TNT's English version of the diary
will appear every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the
next few months.//
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Summary memoir of the time from departure from İstanbul…
to the front line and captivity
8 January 1915
I came home from school. It was the last day at home. We were at Hacı
Mustafa Efendi's in our Ishak Paşa neighborhood for our evening meal.
We walked a bit. Since it was the last day I looked at everything a bit
differently. At night we sat at home for quite a while and I chatted with
my mother, brother and father.
9 January 1915
I got up early in the morning and ate the meal my mother had prepared. I
kissed my parents' hands and my brother’s eyes and said farewell to our
home. My mother was secretly crying. I tried to comfort her, saying that
I'd return safe and sound...I went directly from home to school where they
discharged myself and ten of my friends. From there we all went to the
War Ministry, leaving one fellow behind to arrange for a wagon to take
our things. The other fellow showed up and we waited with our things
until mid-afternoon firstly in the mosque room at the Central Command.
Then they put a guard at the door, limiting our movements and making
us feel like prisoners. We fumed. At night they gave us each four lira for
travel expenses. At school we had also gotten 95 kuruş for 33 days
per diem. We slept on beds of wooden boards that night.
Haydarpaşa train station in Kadıköy, Istanbul, 1915.
10 January 1915
We awoke early in the morning, put our things on our backs and in our
hands and headed for the ferry. We couldn't find a cart. We did find some
bread as we ferried over to Haydarpaşa and boarded the train. A bit later
we said farewell and departed Istanbul. The names of my friends: me,
Sabri, Zekai, Nazım, Şevki, Ethem, Nail, Sabri (from Çorlu), Refet
(from Aksaray), Vecihi, İzzet (from Erenköy). On the train I thought
about home and two friends I left back at school -Emin (from Yenişehir
and Darüşşafaka 9th grade) and İsmail (from Karahisar-i Şarki and
Sabuncuzadeler). I drafted a letter in French to Emin about his work in
French. Late at night we arrived at Eskişehir and I sent my father a card
from here. After a couple of hours we set out again. Morning was
breaking. Earlier, I had sent my father a card from the bridge before we
had passed over to Haydarpaşa.
11 January 1915
We were proceeding ahead from Eskişehir. So far the train ride was
going well. We passed Karahisar Sahib and a few other stations along
the way and arrived late in the night at Konya. Near the station at
Göçmenler we had tea at a coffeehouse...the train waited for about four
hours. Once again toward morning, we left from here.
12 January 1915
We were progressing ahead after departing Konya. After passing
Karaman, Ereğli and a few other stations we reached Ulukışla a couple
of hours after sunset. Here we got off the train. What an awful place.
Everything is old and run-down. Because of the rain, there was mud
everywhere. No place to stay either. We spent the night at a crummy
coffeehouse. Conversation there was a bit unusual...some things about
politics, ideas...the Konya Plain is quite vast but unfortunately not a
tree in sight.
Turkey's railway system in 1936. In 1915, the train only went
east to Ankara and to Ulukışla from Istanbul.
13 January 1915
İn the morning we got a couple of springed carts from the Ulukışla
Command and five of us got on and departed. No snow anywhere, but
there was frost. To the south the Toros range was in sight in all its
majesty, covered in white. We walked on foot for quite a ways. Toward
evening we saw the city of Bor from a distance and we made it to Niğde
a couple of hours after sunset. There was a storm, which shook us up a
bit. We found a place to stay and went to sleep.
14 January 1915
We rested for the day in Niğde. İ found it quite backward but of course,
the view was beautiful. There was just about noplace in town one would
call nice...we walked around for a while. İ wrote a letter again.
15 January 1915
İn the morning we found a couple of carts (from Tekalif/tax office) and
set out from Niğde. In mid-afternoon we came to a boarding house
named Arabi Han and settled in there. Halil Rüşdi Bey, a major who had
been assigned by the Sivas Range Command picked us up and led us out
on the road. At night we reached the town center of Develi Karahisar.
The villagers split us up into two groups and housed us. They offered us
things too, which made an impression on me. We passed the night there.
We said nothing but nice things to the villagers and tried to enlighten
them.
Mt. Erciyes in back of Kayseri (Cesarea).
16 January 1915
İn the morning we boarded the carts and departed from here. We saw
the great Erciyes Mountain in all its majesty. The upper half was all
white. Soon after noontime, we came to the township of Incesu. The
official offices were more backward and run-down than at Develi
Karahisar. But besides being old and backward, Incesu was quite filthy.
There was even human excrement on the wall of the Government
Offıce, which is enclosed by a wall...anyway we stayed for a while
and then departed. We reached Kayseri at night and settled into a
building that had been a French school before it was confiscated.
We passed the night here.
17 January 1915
Again, in the morning we left here (Kayseri) in carts. Although every
place around here is cheap, Kayseri is cheaper. The road was quite
rocky at first. Toward evening we entered the town of Sultanhanı where
the villagers met us with a display of mounted javelin play. Again we
were offered things. Of course, this place is completely backward...
as we advanced some fellows caught up with us. They had left school
and came behind us in another train. Among them was my townsfellow
from Ankara, Sayid Efendi, whom I had met for the first time at the
coffeehouse in Ulukışla. He is from the transport class and like us is
headed for Erzurum with his friends.
18 January 1915
Once again, we departed Sultanhanı in carts. We reached Gemerek
township at noontime. We got off at the central neighborhood and were
offered eggs, butter, honey and coffee. Compared to other places, this
place was rather developed, 1800 buildings. Unfortunately, one in six
were Moslems. The others are all Armenian. The Armenians have a
private secondary school. The Gemerek headman is a smart young man.
Singing songs, we departed from here. At 4 at night, Turkish time,
we came to Şarkışla (Tenus) town center. We got off at the home of
tax collector Nuri Efendi and were met with great hospitality.
When Fuad bey encountered Enver Paşa east of Şarkışla,
Enver was returning from the disastrous Battle of
Sarıkamış.
Sarıkamış click here for a recent related TNT report.
19 January 1915
At morning we boarded the carts and left Şarkışla. We rested at the first
village we encountered, Kayadibi, and filled our stomachs. Two
kilometers ahead from here we encountered Enver Paşa who was
surrounded by villagers. We got down from our carts and saluted him.
Late in the afternoon the land suddenly became higher. Small hills and
rocky areas...up to this point (this year) we saw snow on the ground for
the first time. İn the evening we reached Yenihan, around Cami Hanı.
We spent the night.
Şarkışla
//End of Part I//
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