I was born in 1893. I am eighty-eight years old. I was in Helles during the Gallipoli wars. I was in 9^th Regiment, 26^th Division, 3^rd Squad. Regiment’s commander was Captain Ali Ihsan. Squad officers were Yusuf Effendi and Ayin Effendi. I was an infantryman. I had a Massuer rifle. We spent four or five months in the deployments. The enemy has landed. They were marching on us. Their soldiers were untrained. They were just advancing on us. We had machine guns. We were firing on them. Later we have learnt that they were Arabic soldiers...

At first, the enemy bombarded us from the sea. They fired and fired. We did not reply their fires, so they came closer. They began firing on us again. This time our gunners replied. However, the fires of the battleships shut our gunners. Therefore, they came just in front of us. They have landed on Helles. They settled there with battleships, boats, and steamers. I though “they can not pass Canakkale.” There were mines under the sea. They have not been seen from the outside, but there they were, I knew...

Their battleships floated through the strait. As they advanced a little more, our gunners have reached them. One of their battleships sunk there. We saw all these events form our trenches. I failed to pass the strait and left.

I have wounded in Helles. We were attacking. Captain Serafettin commanded us to attack. He made a speech on the trenches. He prayed. And said “your mother’s gave life to you for this day! I’ll go first. You are going to follow me. Don’t be scared and draw back. We will defeat the enemy, we will bury them in the sea.”

Our captain was from Istanbul. He ordered “Fix your bayonet. Fill your rifle with cartridge and close.” He gave each of us a bomb and shouted “Common my son, fire!”

We saw the enemy soldiers landing. They had two piers. The ships were embarking soldiers... “Heavy fire!” shouted the captain. We were in our trenches. We were shooting and shooting. The enemy did not see us. However, we were seeing the enemy. They were deployed in Zigindere (Y Beach). Captain said, “we will draw back, otherwise we will be captured.”

I was shot from my legs. I could not have stood up. A bullet flew from my left ear. Something hit on my head; it was like a shrapnel piece. It was small but cleaved my head. Many friends had died that day; I don’t remember their names.

We withdrew. It was so crowded. We have gone down through Kanli Dere (Achibaba Nullah). There were mules in the stream. There were no medical officers. My legs had frozen. Slowly we mounted through Kirte. I have stopped there, I could not have walked anymore. One of the officers of the reinforcements came near me, he said “sit, don’t walk.”

There were no medical officers. There was nobody to take me to hospital. I was alone on the head of the hill. That officer had looked at me. He asked, what had happened. I said that I had been badly injured. He sat by me. He asked, where was the enemy. I told him what I had seen and where the enemy had deployed. Then two of his men came. He ordered them to take to Maydos Hospital. That moment I thanked God. Those soldiers took me to hospital. I did not stayed there for so long. I have been sent to Biga later. I was taken care in Biga hospital for twenty-nine days. I was sent to the front again. I was in 26^th Regiment, 4^th Division, 3^rd Platoon, 3^rd Squad.

In the front, they have examined me and other friends discharged from the hospital. They said, our health did not fit enough for war. They have sent us to the coalmines in the Black Sea strait, six hours far from Istanbul. There were three mines in there. I have worked in the mines for two and a half years. I have returned my village after seven and a half years.