TCD MS 3416 page 63
[June 1916]
officers being pushed about, entirely at the mercy of these savages. From the time we arrived to the time we left, there was no Turkish officer in charge of us, and not a single officer with authority came near the place. The sanitary arrangements were awful.
The next morning the 22nd we received no food and all hawkers were driven away with their bread so that we had no means of getting food, a few of us, however, had some tea and a few crusts to carry on with, but we were not allowed to light a fire or to go outside the door. At about 10 a.m one 56 gallon cask of drinking water was brought for us and this had to go round 80 officers. We were not allowed to wash or smoke in our room. At 3 p.m a meal at last arrived which consisted of a little meat, bread avermercelli, for which we were asked to pay piastres we hung out against this ridiculous as the contractor, who explained that he was once a Turkish officer!, consented to charge.
This meal was put on the gravel and we were made to sit down on the stones while the soldiers helped us out of a large dish with their fingers, & treated the whole thing like a joke.