with leaders there, recruits fighters and heads off
toward Akhisar where the nearest concentration
of Greek forces are located.
The "Saruhan provincial subdivision" was an
Ottoman-era administrative district that
included the areas involved in this story.//
How the national movement was born within Saruhan provincial
subdivision:
The closest enemy location was Akhisar. Consequently, that is where I
headed. However, along my route I recruited the armed villagers I
encountered and, like a snowball that grows as it rolls through the snow,
I firmly resolved to multiply my forces in this way. Essentially, I felt I
had no other recourse.
When I left Balıkesir, Bakırlı Hâfız Hüseyin, a Soma notable, learned
that I would be coming to Soma so when I arrived there he introduced
me to Buhati Bey, the Soma district chief, and other influential people.
After a brief meeting, decisions were made about defense and
organization. In accordance with these decisions, the most honorable
citizens of the town would be assembled as a force and paid a
commensurate wage. The necessary money would be gathered from
the local populace.
In order to emphasize the seriousness of the matter, money was first
collected from this group of leaders to whom I made my proposal.
In rapid succession, other contributions flowed in. The speed of this
success stemmed from my experience in Balıkesir.
So, first off, armed fighters were enlisted and, after putting this
organization into shape over the course of two nights in Soma, the
requisite orders were promulgated to convert the local fighters into a
detachment under my command. The next day, leaving Hâfız Efendi
in Soma, I continued on my way with my detachment. Since my
troops were unkempt, I did not let them enter the towns along the
way.
The Temperment in Soma and Kırkağaç:
Since the local Turkish populace was well aware of the depredations
the Greek army visited upon every village they entered, they were
keen to avoid them. But even though they were stout-hearted folks,
there was no one among them with the boldness and intellect to
persuade them to act and, consequently, their only recourse was to
accede to the wishes of their Greek neighbors and hope that the
advancing Greek army would go easy on them. As a result, though,
they surrendered their national self-respect.
What a horrible reality! Yes, a more painful picture cannot be
imagined than to witness the enslavement of the local Turkish
populace by the enemy, even before the enemy had arrived.
//END of PART TWO//
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