A BASRA DIARY

Evening Star, Issue 16037, 14 February 1916, Page 1

A BASRA DIARY

The following notes were written by Mi* Christine Bennet, M.D., member of the Arabian Mission (American) at Basra. Mesopotamia. They cover the period from the outbreak of war to the entrance of the British-Indian force into Basra, and give a very vivid picture of things as they appeared on the Turkish 6ide. Basra stands about two miles from the Shatt-el-Arab up a creek known as Ashar Creek. at the mouth of which the small town of Ashar stands. November I.—War has been declared, and Mr Billiard, the British Consul, has boon recalled. Mr Van Ess and Dr Bennett called on the Governor to-day offering the hospital and schools for the Red • "Crescent service. He accepted the offers gladly and seemed pleased. November 3.—Mr Bullard was allowed to leave to-day, but the remaining Britishers, and the Russian Consul are detained as prisoners. November 4. S.S. Ekbatana was dismantled to-day, and sunk to block the river. War news is no longer published. November 5.—A1l sorts of rumors, among them .reports of attacks upon Fao and Abadan. (Fao is a small town at the mouth of the Shatt-el-Arab, and Abadan is an island at the mouth on the opposite side- to Fao, which contains the refinery' of tho Anglo-Persian Oil Company.) November B.—Crowds of Arabs lire off their guns as they pass along tho road. Tho religious frenzy into which they are working themselves makes the native Christians tremble. November 9.—Tho green flag is out indeed, ajid there- aro grave rumors of the threatened massacre of Christians.

November 10.—Wo are all wearing red crescent sleeve bands. Four wounded arrived to-day—two officers and two men from a gunboat which was sunk by a British shell. Wo are training our native Christians for service- in tho care of wounded. November 11.—Fanaticism is running high. Chio Jew was killed. Mobs pass our house with banners flying and firing off guns. November 15. —Twenty wounded soldiers come in. They are Turks wounded in an engagement at Fao. November 14.—1 have been busy with tho Christian women making mattresses and pillows. November 15.—N0 music or singing in church to-day, bo as not to attract attention to our services. At noon we could! hear plainly tho boom of cannon down the river. A wounded officer was brought in who said that the battle had been opposite Abadan. November 16.—The. influx has begun. The first to arrive were two wounded Aiabs—old trends of ours. They told of a. terrible battle which raged from morning till noon ; of ineffectual attempts to take a .structure of steel and cement which -the British bad erected, and of a terrible carnage increased by the tire from the gun-,-wats. Also they spoke softly of finding tho horsemen of Sheikh Mabarak and Sheikh Khazal arrayed against them on tho aide of the British. The wounded began to come pouring in, sonic dragging their tired feci,'and :some carried moaning on stretchers. The statements made by the Arabs were corroborated by others, and: facts added. Out of a battalion, of 800 Turkish troops, only 250 returned. Five bund Kid dead were left' Ixshind, and over 350 wounded wore brought in. This did not include all the Arab wounded. November 17.—Now cases continue to pour in. suffering dreadfully because they, had act been cared for. Thoy were tho severely wounded, who had been difficult to move. Lighter cases were sent away, as ihe hospital had undertaken to care mainly for the severely wounded, and those requiring operations. The Montiflo chief Ajcmio came to town with his. Arahs; Saide Tabib Hey has -gone over to the British. The green flag is furled, ana fear oi a massacre is over for the present. When the Arabs realised that their Moslem brothers were fighting on the side of the British they comprehended at last that this was not a war lor religion, but between Governments for supremacy ana power.

November 18.—News came that tin, Turkish troops arc in full retreat. A little before 'sunset troops in broken ranka moved in. The Arabs arc- ready to fly tin. white iiag, and hopo for leniency from tin. British, because, as they Bay, they wop. forced to light. November 19.—Reported tn-day that Ajemie captured 200 British and two automobiles. Reports al! to-day have been conflicting,- but towards evening came the news of the fall of Ah el Ga-ssih, and while we were siting At dinner one of the police informed ])r Bcnnet that all the wounded who could walk must leave at once. He added in an undertone : " 'J.'ho English aro near." Tlio jnotor ca.rs taken turned out to lio a dilapidated motor cycle, and the 200 prisoners dwindled, into two Portuguese cyclists. Ak 1 6it hero writing muffled sounds pcrmeat© the ait. There is an exodus of people from Busrali and Asliar.

November 20.—The Turks havo evacuated Busrah. "AH long the road a cross tho canal was busy—foot soldiers, cavalry, and artillery retreating. Word anno that tho fort and city hall wore absolutely empty. The Governor, Com-mander-in-chief, and all tho officials havo left. Panic wigns in AshaTv-fear, not. of the coming English, hut of the robber Arabs who will follow on tho hoels of the Turk.-:. Towards nightfall tho native Christian families gathered at our house, and s..>;no a;, the house of Mr Van Ess for mii-i-.tial protection ;uid. comfort. We kept expecting the British, but no British am,'. Wo went to bed partly dressed, the men keeping watch during the. night. Shooting ; ind looting writ on, -with, only occasional letups. November 21.—Morning dawned with tiie shooting still froqucni, but our grounds had not been entered. Our helpers Bighed their relief, and a prayer that to-day would surely bring the British. The Custom.shouse was partly burned and completely looted during the night. Our Arab eervants, demoralised either by fear or lust of plunder, refused to work. We are left without tho usual supply of water. All sorts of people passed and repassed with the .spoils of plunder, shooting each other on any filight pretence.. Across the canal one man was left dead, stabbed for the sake of three bars of soap. It looked as if wo must pass another night of tumult and terror, but juet at sunset we heard with thankfulness and great relief the report of a cannon from tho river. Immediately tho tiring lessened, and in about two minutes cc-used altogether ; and when, after the light of day had left the sky, trie friendly searchlight of a man-of-war gleamed in tho heavens, all was magically quiet and peaceful. November 22.—Sunday morning again ; but how different from the past two! We had a. praise «?rvioe in the church, and our voices -were raised in thanksgiving. Tho Union Jack waves over the Custom House and flags are ' flying everywhere. Two thousand troops have already coma up tho river on the Lynch river boats, and tho rest are advancing by land. Wo rejoiceabove everything clse'in the, thought that in the passing of Turkish rule a new era is da wrung for Busrah and Irak.