E. W. C. Sandes (1880–1973)

This is Sandes second book about his captivity. His first, "In Kut and Captivity with the 6th Indian Division" is the more complete and thorough accounting of the siege of Kut and the travails in captivity. This book, it seems, was to provide a different type of accounting of his time in captivity. In his own words, "it is merely a collection of tales of adventure, intended to describe the strange people of a strange land--the Turks of Anatolia--with a few remarks on the other nationalities found in Turkey."
WHile this was may have been the intended aim, I would say the book is an anecdotal accounting of how the prisoners he was associated with dealt with the Turks, and vice versa.
Sandes discusses at great length how prisoners passed the time, in his case, creating an "orchestra" and what went into that endeavor. By and large, the book presents Sandes' observations on the Turks, Armenians, Germans and Russians he encountered during his stay in the prison camps.
If you are interested in an entirely different version of the same events, see the book mentioned above. Sandes does make reference to E.H. Jones' "Road to En-Dor". Jones was in the same camp as Sandes, and it appears Sandes was an unwitting participant in Jones' scheme to dupe the Turks to facilitate Jones and Hill's escape.
This volume presents an unique view of a prisoner's life in the camps during WWI, and should be a welcome addition to anyone interested in the Mesopotamian Campaign, Turkey in WWI, or prisoner-of-war studies in WWI.… (mehr)