Captivity and Shame: An Evaluation on Diaries and Memories of Turkish Prisoners of War in World War One

Rıza Özbölük

Makale detayları

Captivity and Shame: An Evaluation on Diaries and Memories of Turkish Prisoners of War in World War One

Yazarlar:

Rıza Özbölük

Yayıncı:

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Dergi:

Çanakkale Araştırmaları Türk Yıllığı Vol.22 Issue 35, pp.1-21

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

10/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001301311

pISSN:

2148-0877

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 In the World War I, tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers were taken prisoners. Turkish soldiers, who were held captive for many years in camps located in a wide geography from Egypt to Malta, from Russia to Burma, continued returning their homelands until 1922. A significant majority of prisoners of war preferred silence rather than speaking about this unheard-of experience. Therefore, the number of autobiographical texts such as diaries and memoirs left behind is surprisingly low considering the number of captured soldiers. Captivity was an extreme period of experience for thousands of Turkish soldiers but they did not feel the need to record this experience due to the days being identical. Because the monotonous camp life that continued for years in narrow spaces, the scarcity of events worth recording made it unnecessary to take notes. Therefore, this situation negatively affected writing down the memories years after the war. However, the few prisoners, who insisted on keeping diaries or notes while they were in the camps, felt the need to make some changes on the notes kept in the past when they wrote their memoirs years later. Prisoners of War give an impression that they are ashamed of being captured, but they do not express it directly. Both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkeys public opinion towards the soldiers who were captured in the war, which was not very positive, made the memories of the prisoners not merely a transfer of past experiences.

 In the World War I, tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers were taken prisoners. Turkish soldiers, who were held captive for many years in camps located in a wide geography from Egypt to Malta, from Russia to Burma, continued returning their homelands until 1922. A significant majority of prisoners of war preferred silence rather than speaking about this unheard-of experience. Therefore, the number of autobiographical texts such as diaries and memoirs left behind is surprisingly low considering the number of captured soldiers. Captivity was an extreme period of experience for thousands of Turkish soldiers but they did not feel the need to record this experience due to the days being identical. Because the monotonous camp life that continued for years in narrow spaces, the scarcity of events worth recording made it unnecessary to take notes. Therefore, this situation negatively affected writing down the memories years after the war. However, the few prisoners, who insisted on keeping diaries or notes while they were in the camps, felt the need to make some changes on the notes kept in the past when they wrote their memoirs years later. Prisoners of War give an impression that they are ashamed of being captured, but they do not express it directly. Both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkeys public opinion towards the soldiers who were captured in the war, which was not very positive, made the memories of the prisoners not merely a transfer of past experiences.

 In the World War I, tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers were taken prisoners. Turkish soldiers, who were held captive for many years in camps located in a wide geography from Egypt to Malta, from Russia to Burma, continued returning their homelands until 1922. A significant majority of prisoners of war preferred silence rather than speaking about this unheard-of experience. Therefore, the number of autobiographical texts such as diaries and memoirs left behind is surprisingly low considering the number of captured soldiers. Captivity was an extreme period of experience for thousands of Turkish soldiers but they did not feel the need to record this experience due to the days being identical. Because the monotonous camp life that continued for years in narrow spaces, the scarcity of events worth recording made it unnecessary to take notes. Therefore, this situation negatively affected writing down the memories years after the war. However, the few prisoners, who insisted on keeping diaries or notes while they were in the camps, felt the need to make some changes on the notes kept in the past when they wrote their memoirs years later. Prisoners of War give an impression that they are ashamed of being captured, but they do not express it directly. Both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkeys public opinion towards the soldiers who were captured in the war, which was not very positive, made the memories of the prisoners not merely a transfer of past experiences.

 Birinci Dünya Savaşında on binlerce Türk asker esir düşmüştür. Mısırdan Maltaya, Rusyadan Birmanyaya kadar çok geniş bir coğrafyada yer alan kamplarda uzun yıllar esir olarak tutulan Türk askerlerin vatanlarına dönüşleri, 1922 yılına kadar devam etmiştir. Esirler içerisinde kayda değer bir çoğunluk bu emsalsiz hayat tecrübesini aktarmayı değil sessizliği tercih etmiştir. Dolayısıyla esir düşen asker sayısına nispetle onlardan geriye kalan günlük ve hatıra gibi metinlerin sayısı şaşırtıcı derecede azdır. Esaret binlerce Türk askerin hayat çizgisinde olağanüstü bir tecrübe dönemiydi fakat birbirinin aynısı olan günler bu tecrübeyi kayda geçirme ihtiyacını törpülemişti. Zira dar alanlarda, yıllar boyunca devam eden monoton kamp hayatı, kayda geçirmeye değecek olayların azlığı, not tutmayı gereksiz hale getirmişti. Dolayısıyla bu durum savaştan yıllar sonra anıları yazma işini de olumsuz anlamda etkilemiştir. Kamplarda bulunduğu dönemde günlük ya da not tutma konusunda ısrarlı davranan az sayıdaki esir ise yıllar sonra anılarını kaleme aldığında geçmişte tutulan notlar üzerinde bazı değişiklikler yapma ihtiyacı hissetmiştir. Savaş esirleri doğrudan ifade etmeseler de esir düşmekten dolayı utanç duydukları izlenimi verirler ve kasten esir düşmediklerini ispatlama çabası içindedirler. Hem Osmanlı İmparatorluğu hem de Türkiye Cumhuriyeti kamuoyunun savaşta esir düşen askerlere yönelik pek de müspet olmayan bakışı, esir anılarını sadece geçmişe dair bir tecrübe aktarımı olmaktan çıkarmıştır.

Makale detayları

Captivity and Shame: An Evaluation on Diaries and Memories of Turkish Prisoners of War in World War One

Yazarlar:

Rıza Özbölük

Yayıncı:

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Dergi:

Çanakkale Araştırmaları Türk Yıllığı Vol.22 Issue 35, pp.1-21

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

10/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001301311

pISSN:

2148-0877

Turkish prisoners of war

diary

memoir

memory

autobiographical text.

Turkish prisoners of war, diary, memoir, memory, autobiographical text.Türk savaş esirleri

günlük

anı

hatıra

otobiyografik metin

Turkish prisoners of war

diary

memoir

memory

autobiographical text.

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Rıza Özbölük

Yayıncı: Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Dergi: Çanakkale Araştırmaları Türk Yıllığı Vol.22 Issue 35, pp.1-21

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 10/2023

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001301311

pISSN: 2148-0877

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Rıza Özbölük

Yayıncı:

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Dergi:

Çanakkale Araştırmaları Türk Yıllığı Vol.22 Issue 35, pp.1-21

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

10/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001301311

pISSN:

2148-0877