TNT Matchbox Diary: A Turkish POW in Russian Prison Camp (1915-1918)/Part LII

//Ed. Note: Fuad Bey begins to hear about the first rumblings
of the Russian Revolution. Otherwise, routine camp life
continues at Vetluga, where Fuad Bey and his fellow 
Turkish officer prisoners have Austrian and Hungarian 
privates as their servants!//

1 November 1916 Wednesday

The weather is rather nice. No rain at all. It’s dry outside. The cold is 

steadily increasing. Every morning the frost is two or three fingers deep. 

News: the Romanians are almost completely surrounded. Forces are 

advancing from Dobruca and the Carpathians. The Turkish cavalry at

Dobruca is on the attack and making Romania pay for the defeat in ’93

(1878)…we had a German lesson. At night Saffet summarized a novel 

for us. The Commander came to our house in the morning. He inspected 

and left.

2 November 1916 Thursday

The weather was pretty good but toward evening the sky became densely 

overcast. News: the Romanians’ situation is grave, there are signs of 

revolt in the Caucasus. A few unknown persons looted a store in 

Vladikafkaz and a mail train was attacked. Some other things…although

the Russians were supposed to give us our salaries today they didn’t and 

they didn’t say when they would. What a scandal! There’s no money left 

for table d’hote. We got 30 rubles for table d’hote with great difficulty 

from Çerkes Mehmet. I showed Franz some French at night. We chatted 

and went to bed.

3 November 1916 Friday

The weather is completely overcast. There was a light covering of snow 

outside in the morning. Anymore the weather is always cold. Even 

under cloudy skies the frozen water doesn’t melt. We wrestled with the 

matter of going to the bath in the morning. Since we didn’t have any 

soap we weren’t going to go and we didn’t have any money for the bath 

either because the bath is not inside our house. But we’ll take our baths 

at the main barracks and then we’ll pay the bath money after we get our 

salaries. Haydar lent us three rubles for soap money, so Halis, Fahri and 

I went with the second group to the bath. We got cleaned and scrubbed. 

The bath was a bit hot and we were surprised. The Hungarian and 

Austrian soldiers that serve us there, as well as the Russian fellows, said 

there is peace. The were pleased about this. When we returned we heard 

that doctors will be exchanged henceforth. Is that so? After the bath we 

slept until evening. A bit of a headache. Still no salary…being without 

cigarettes is horrible…at night Saffet summarized a novel named Safiye 

for us. Zühdü went to the hospital because  of a boil on his butt (blood

boil). The poor fellow has been suffering for a few days. May God be 

good to him. I saw my mother in a dream at night.

4 November 1916 Saturday

Like yesterday the weather is cloudy. It snowed a bit in the afternoon. 

I went to see Zühdü at the hospital in the morning, along with Burhan, 

Hurşid, Rıfkı and Kazim. The weather is cold. I should have worn an 

overcoat. I got very cold on the way. We waited quite a while but didn’t

get permission. The doctor came and we asked him for permission but 

regrettably he didn’t give it. We got mad and came back. I was only 

able to see Zühdü through the window. The boil has long since been 

pierced. According to verbal rumors, the Russian mujiks (peasants) have

rebelled and this revolt has spread to Moscow . The Russians have 

positioned cannons around the city and prevented entry…we heard that 

20 more Turkish officers will come here tomorrow.  Still no salary and 

we’re sick of having no money. Again I didn’t smoke a cigarette until

bedtime and I’ve sworn not to until I’ve got some money because I 

won’t ask anyone to borrow a cigarette. At night I gave a lesson to 

Franz and at the same time I learned some German.

5 November 1916 Sunday

The weather is still cloudy. Cold. Toward evening there was some light 

precipitation. The frost outside isn’t melting anymore. News:  in Iran

our army has broken the Russians and seized a position. The Russians 

then took it back with a counterattack…in mid-afternoon 15 of us went 

for a walk. Our aim was to meet the 20 officers we heard about 

yesterday.  We went to the outskirts of the city, to the place where we 

entered the city when we first came. We passed over a bridge (over a 

lake that flows into the Vetluga River). The forests begin after the 

bridge. Among the trees there are one or two villas which are quite nice. 

But everything has lost its former cheerfulness. All is quiet, except for 

wind from the north. The weather is cold. Anymore, it’s impossible to

remain outside without an overcoat. We waited quite a while but no one 

came. We went back. My stomach ached a bit at night and I had 

indigestion so I went to be early. I had crazy dreams at night, some of 

which must have really upset me because a few times I groaned audibly.

6 November 1916 Monday

The weather is nice. Cloudless. I walked around in front of the door by 

myself until noon. News: the Turks have retaken Beçar village in Iran 

and advanced 33 kilometers. Our allies are on the attack on all fronts. 

The enemy is in retreat everywhere. The Germans have taken one

regiment from each division on the Russian front for Romania. The 

place is filled with cannons (and machine guns too). Again today we 

went to meet the officers who are coming but we saw no one. We just 

did a lot of walking, that’s all. On the way back we passed by the old 

place and chatted with Şerif and the other fellows. While I was 

sleeping in the evening the Commander came. He said that the salary 

credit had come and that if he got the money from the bank we

would get our salaries tomorrow. Later in the night he came again and 

then left. Bedtime came around. Halis went to bed very early and pulled 

the blanket up to his head, covering it completely from time to time. 

I went over to him and he started to cry. I asked why and understood 

that he had surmised that I was cross with him because of my 

supposedly cold and indifferent attitude toward him since yesterday. 

I felt badly and told him he was wrong and reassured him. I consoled

him. We chatted a bit and went to sleep.

7 November 1916 Tuesday

The weather is nice, cloudless, sunny. Rather cold…at noon we went to 

the Command. We each got 50 rubles. Up to now we’ve gotten a total of 

440.5 rubles. Just when we were getting our salaries 20 Turkish officers 

came to the Kazarma (main barracks). We stood around and chatted

with them , asked them how they were. They told us that Trabzon had 

been retaken and that 10,000 Jacobins had marched on Moscow. Because 

he couldn’t come to the Command today, Şerif wrote me a note asking to 

borrow ten rubles if possible. I told him that I didn’t have change but that 

I would send it to him tomorrow. We gave 16 rubles each to the servants 

and for table d’hote this month. We paid our debts. We went to the market 

and got a month’s worth of tobacco. In light of what happened last month 

we sketched out a program. We made a decision to be organized. We

got everything owed to us. News: our allies are on the attack on all fronts. 

We haven’t been able to have a German lesson for a few days. 

Nevertheless, we’ll try. The new table d’hote officials are Hakkı and Fahri. 

We talked and went to bed.

//END of PART LII//