türkçe links to original Turkish article
(Hurriyet Newspaper, 31 March 2019)
In the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, hundreds of thousands of
White Russians sought refuge in countries around the world, one of
which was Turkey. Of the 200,000 White Russians who came to
Turkey, 30,000 were sent to Gallipoli in 1920-1921. Under the
command of White Army General Kutepov, the first convoy of the 1st
Army Corps, famous for its discipline, reached Gallipoli on 22
November, 1920.
A third of these Russians settled in the town of Gallipoli, while the
military units were housed in tents 8 kilometers away. At the time,
Gallipoli was controlled by French and Greek occupation forces,
who showed little interest in the Russians. The local populace, on
the other hand, was more welcoming because they shared a similar
fate with the White Russians - suffering from the effects of occupation
in their homeland.
According to the research of Prof. Dr. Vedat Çalışkan of Çanakkale
Onsekiz Mart University, Turkish women, in particular, were very
generous to their White Russian counterparts and their children,
providing them with household items. Similarly, the local 'müfü'
(Moslem clergyman) opened mosques to the Russians and talked
with the local Turks about solving their housing problems. Once
housed, the Russians painted the walls with images from their
homeland, such as the Kremlin Palace.
The White Russians even built a 'dekovil' (narrow guage) railroad
from the military camp into Gallipoli town, and a port, bath, kitchen
and bakery were all set up, as well. Schools teaching the Russian
curriculum were opened, together with a 800-book library and a
reading room. More than 80 plays were staged at a 1,000-capacity
theater in town and a 2,500-capacity one at the military camp,
including works by Chekov, Gogol, Leonid Adreev and others.
As for 'futbol', there was a '1st Army Corps' team, a 'Camp Units'
team and a 'Gallipoli Town' team - a total of 23 football teams
emerged. After the White Russians left Gallipoli their '1st Army
Corps Football Team' carried on, beating the Bulgarians and holding
matches with famouns Czech teams.
Prof. Çalışkan explained that "we began to study the White Russian
presence at Gallipoli in 2005. The White Russians reestablished
their country here and set up an association and printed a magazine.
After the White Russians left Gallipoli, these associations lived on
in France, Hungary, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, where the Prague
office published 100 issues of its magazine until the end of World
War II. The White Russians' association in the USA published a
magazine called 'Perekliçka' (roll-call) between 1950-1960. The
monthly 'Gallipoli' magazine published 60 issues between 1933-
1939 in Sofia."
On 14 December 1921, the people of Gallipoli said farewell to
the White Russians, as marches were played for General Vrangel
and his troops, who then headed for camps in Serbia, Yugoslavia,
Bulgaria and Tunisia. When the White Russians departed they
left behind the Great Russian Cemetery, where 255 people are
buried, and a monument, which was restored in 2008.
Gallipoli ('Gelibolu' in Turkish) is located on
the north side of the Dardanelles Strait
('Çanakkale' in Turkish), at its opening into the
Sea of Marmara.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder