COMPULSORY SERVICE IN TURKEY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2579, 29 September 1915, Page 20

COMPULSORY SERVICE IN TURKEY

A Turkish soldier lelates, for tho benefit of "Al-Mokattam," one of the native Egyptian papers, liis experiences aa a "compulsory trainee" in the Ottoman army. "On the very day on -which I joined the army the sergeant ordered mo to clean all tho shoes of the men who were asleep in my room and to wnsli his own clothes, which were most filthy. He also ordered me to buy the blacking and soap out of my own pocket-money. On the following day I was given my first military clothes, which,were not only filthy, but in rags, and had buttons of different colours. As for tho shoes, they ivere of different sizes for cncli foot and they had no heels. Then I began to drill' The officer, who was a German, 'ooked upon us soldiers as slaves, and one day, because one of my movements was not riglit, he took my rifle and hit mo with the butt on the face, causing some of my teeth to fall out and cutting iny lip. When I went to see the doctor the German officer was thero. As soon as he saw .me he asked liow I dared to complain against a superior, and brought 'a charge against me. A month later I )vas tried and sentenced to two'years' imprisonmen't. . I was not called before tlio Court, but was told I had' been dealt with' much less severely than I should have been. I was in prison for three months, and was then given a rifle, tho officer telling'us tliat Turkey was at war. The' officer in charge said there was plenty of ommunition in tho stores, hut lie had no ardors to take it. AYe wore eventually taken prisoners without firing a shot for the; Sultan,"-