Turkish Prisoners in Egypt: A Report by the Delegates of the International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red Cross
History
Turkish Prisoners in Egypt: A Report by the Delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, British
Periodically a gymkhana is got up, with donkey races, gymnastic
competitions, and the distribution of prizes.
_Work._--No work is demanded from the prisoners.
_Correspondence, Money Orders and Parcels._--Very few money orders are
received. The interned Turks are chiefly illiterate; those whose wives
are interned at Cairo, and who are allowed to occasionally visit them,
seldom write, as they know them to be well treated. Parcels are seldom
sent to the camp, and hitherto no philanthropic society has busied
itself over the necessitous.
_Prisoners' Aid._--The only plea which has been addressed to us by means
of the Ottoman interpreter, who speaks French and English extremely
well, comes from a certain number of destitute prisoners. They wish to
have, in addition to the complete outfit with woollen overcoat supplied
by the English Government, a change of warm garments, which they have
not the means to buy. Many find it difficult to wear the kind of
foot-gear in ordinary use--the heelless leather Turkish slippers--and
wish for laced shoes such as they wear at home. We asked the interpreter
to make out a list of names of the needy; and after submitting it to the
commandant of the camps for verification, we decided to send him from
the Ottoman Red Cross Fund the sum of 2,000 francs, to provide these
prisoners with the extra garments which they require, and with shoes and
tobacco.
~7. Sidi Bishr Camp.~
_(Visited on January 6, 1917.)_
The camp of Sidi Bishr is situated 15 kilometres (9-1/2 miles) to the
north-east of Alexandria in a healthy spot on the sea shore, where the
sand dunes form little hillocks intersected by miniature valleys. Palms
are scattered over it, and it lies open to the fresh breezes. The view
from the highest points of the camp is very extensive. A recently
constructed road for vehicular traffic leads into the camp, all the
appointments of which give the impression that everything has been done
to make the prisoners as comfortable as possible. A kitchen garden has
just been laid out in a sheltered place, and a flat piece of ground
surrounded by palm trees prepared for games, tennis, football, etc.
_Strength._--The camp at Sidi Bishr contains 430 officers, 60 of whom
have been here since February, 1915; 410 orderlies captured with their
officers, on whom they attend, each officer having 1 orderly; 10 imaums
(priests); 20 civilians, who were captured by the Sherif of Mecca and at
once handed over to the English.
The commandant of the camp is Lieut.-Colonel Coates.
The American chargé d'affaires in Egypt has twice visited the camp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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