Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06
British Troops Glad to
Leave Region of Suvla Bay

was a. great row from the general. but
to no purpose, the stuff being at the
bottom of the ocean and the ship au-
thorities being well intrenched behind
orders that nothing whatsoever in the
shape of munitions of war should be
permitted aboard.
During the evacuation many officers
lost their kits. One officer came back
with only what he had on his back. A
navy barge with the belongings of
scores of officers was upset in the har-
Dor. and everythin was lost. =. This Of
ffcer estimates his personal loss at
nearly $500, including good deal of
actual money.
"A ra gpicker." said this officer. would
find a fortune a Suvla, but there isn't
much left behind that will be of mill
tary value to the Turks. The place is
Uttered with ODDS and ends of things.
but it is junk mostly The men all
started from the trenches laden with
equipment In the hurry some of it got
to the beach and some didn't. If a
Tommy found II inconvenient to carry
all that was given him, he would throw
part of it away. He knew well that
he would never be sent back to get it.
The men were delighted to leave. They
are all anxious to carry on the war,
but they had grown to dislike Suvla,
and with good reason, too"
The officers tell good tales about the
Turks as enemies. Only one criticism
has the writer heard since the war be-
gan. That is from one of the Suvla
officers. He says that some months ago
there was truce for the purpose of
burying the dead. 1t lasted four. hours
time the British discovered that Enver
Pasha, the leader of the Turks, came
down the peninsula and had look over
the field of action. 1t was breaking
cir
during it to do anything that would
gain military advantage. However the
Turks as whole are not blamed. The
British army puts Enver down as one
kind of Turk and the others as SPORTS
manlike fighters
In this connection there is an inter-
esting story from Mesopotamia which
shows what a curious fighter the Turk
is. The British forces were coming up
the Tigris when small Turkish gun
boat was encountered. An Engagement
ensued. The Turk fought nobly. but
was finally put out of action. Every
man on board was killed or wounded
except the captain. His boat still had
little Roadway and he beached it,
steering to one bank and up an ada
cent canal. Then this Turk. who was
short and fat, sat on the rail of his
ship. lit cigarette and waited for his
British enemies to approach These
quickly advanced.
The Turkish skipper could speak a
little English:
Il am brave man. he said. II fight
very we'll"
You did. indeed responded a British
officer with sincerity.
Yes puffed the Turk. 81 learn from
the English. | served on that English
ship station at Constantinople''-m
ing the station ship which England al
ways kept at the Turkish capital in
times of peace.
Yes" he repeated, II fight well. I
learn from English. I like English.
So. 1 fight till can fight no longer.
Then | stop fighting and take my ship
one side. out of channel. so my English
friends'-here he stood up and with
oriental gesture swept his arm toward
the Tigris-"can proceed up river to
Bagdad without interruption
And it was quite true. Had he wish
ed, this Turk, who admired the English,
could have blocked the channel.