TCD MS 3416 page 4
[April 1916]
men ate too many & the sudden change from starvation rations caused 29 deaths. What a surprise a Turkish prisoner with us must have when jam, butter, meat & good bread are placed before him!
The next few days were passed in foraging.
Every Turk has an eye for business, especially when his customer has no access to the open market, we were all very hungry and the men were obliged to exchange their clothing for food, while we officers were obliged to buy food from the Turkish soldiers at the most exhorbitant rates; the food bye the way was of course stolen from some Arab villager.
Great was our surprise, however when a tug and two barges arrived under the white flag full of rations from the Tigris Corps below.
On May 4th at Shamran all officers were separated from their units, except one per unit; Henley remained with our battalion, while we officers of the 43rd – and with some 100 other British officers and 50 Indian officers and our orderlies embarked on a steamer for Baghdad. Our accommodation on the upper deck was fairly