“My name is Ahmet son of Tahir. I was born in 1887. I am 94 years old. I served for the army for six years. I was a heavy gunner in the Galipoli front.

When I first arrived to the front, I was trained for 60-70 days in the Cimenlik Fortress. Then I joined the sixth company.... We were positioned in the Nar Fortress, where we have stayed for six months. Later we were sent to 5^th company of the Dardanos forts. We were 150 men. Our commander was Captain Ahmet. We had four batteries. Their shells were similar to rifle shells. We were holding them and putting in the battery. On 18 March, we were under Kepez. The battleships of the enemy were coming from Salonica. They were bombing our forts. The batteries were destroyed... ammunition stores were fired. After a while Kumkale and Helles forts were shut up. The battleships were gradually coming towards our sight. Then we fired our batteries.

I was the second gunner of the battery. I was positioning the shells. That day the strait was full of battleships like black clouds. Hit the one you can.... About sunset, one of the enemy ships sunk in front of us.

That day, all the ships damaged. The undamaged ones withdrew and ran away. On the first day of the Naval Attack, we lost eleven soldiers from our company.

We have camouflaged our batteries by covering them with pines. At nights, we were pulling them out. We had a projector for the nights. They tried to destroy our projector but they failed. That night they came back and investigated the ship wrecks. And we began to fire. They have gone. On the other day, they attacked again. But failed again. I have given up and gone. But bombarded the Helles. Reduced our soldiers and landed on the peninsula.

They had balloons, I saw. When we have seen the balloons, we were hiding. After the balloons, they were usually firing. Many shells hit our trenches but killed no one.

One day I was going on my sentry duty. With haste, I had forgotten to tie my bootlaces. There was an Arab officer. He saw and called me out. He slapped at me. Moreover, shouted, “what will I say, if a high officer sees your condition. With anger he sat under the oleaster trees then a bomb had fell upon. The land turned upside down. Officers and us ran near him.

-Don’t worry.... I am ok..., said he.

There was another company near us. A shell was hit their battery. Their officer Hasan died there.... He was their commander... Today, that place is called Hasan Mevsuf. Eighteen soldiers were injured that day. I saw them.

Our battalion’s commander was Major Mustafa Bey; our company’s commander was Captain Ahmet. I was from 3^rd Heavy Artillery Regiment’s 1^st Battalion’s 5^th Company.

We had ship near the shore under Kephez. It guarded Canakkale. The ships of the enemy torpedoed and it sunk. One day, enemy damaged one of our torpedo boats; its name was Turgut or Yavuz; I do not know. It passed the strait. We saluted it, I remember.