Memories of the days of the national struggle that began on May 19, 1919 and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

May 19, 1919, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set foot in Samsun to start the national struggle, is also the day called “My Birthday”. Since Atatürk considered this great day on which the foundations of our republic were laid as a turning point for the Turkish nation and the beginning of the national struggle, he dedicated it to his youth, who trusted and believed in him.

We wanted to remember and understand Atatürk Commemoration, Youth and Sports Day with the memories of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk going to Samsun and the days he spent there. happy vacation…

1. They go as they come

Mustafa Kemal, who arrived in Istanbul on November 13, 1918, the day the enemy fleets arrived in Istanbul waters and landed after signing the Mudros Armistice, lit a cigarette on the deck as it passed through the giant enemy. Barges to Sirkeci, aboard the small Eagle Steamboat at 3pm. Taking a few puffs on his cigarette and looking toward the horizon over the piles of steel lining his throat, he said confidently, as the next Cevat Abbas Bey could hear, “Don’t worry! They go as they come!” he says. Mustafa spent the entire time from this date until May 16, 1919, when he was appointed inspector of the Ninth Army and set out for Samsun, thinking and searching for ways of salvation. In those days, the Armenians occupied Kars and Ardahan, the enemy settled on the coasts of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, and finally, on May 15, the Greek soldiers occupied Izmir.

2. Passage to Anatolia without any title or authority

While Mustafa Kemal dreams of crossing to Anatolia in order to liberate the homeland, he also maintains his contacts in Istanbul. to Colonel Ismet Bey, whom he met at his house in Sisli in those days; “What is the most appropriate area to awaken the nation there and seek remedies for salvation, and what is the easiest way to take me to that area?” Asked. Ismet Bey, who is in charge of the Ministry of War, receives the answer, “There are many roads and many areas.”

3. Getting rid of Mustafa Kemal by sending him from Istanbul

In the words of the great leader. The plausible cause sought by the Government of Istanbul, which thinks it will “relieve itself of a heavy burden by sending it from Istanbul,” is soon presented to it as a dossier filled with the reports of the officers of the occupying forces. Alleging that there had been attacks on Greek villages on the shores of the Black Sea in those days, the leaders of the occupying forces gave a memorandum to the government in April 1919, declaring that the attacks must be prevented, or else the region will be occupied. While the government was wary of this note, the calculated preparations of Mustafa Kemal and his friends included his appointment in the region as Inspector of the Ninth Army by the Sultan and Ferit Pasha.

4. Yes, I will do something, with or without these materials

Mustafa Kemal received the notification about his new mission from the Minister of War, Shakir Pasha, and organizes his duties with the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Kazem Pasha. Mustafa Kemal asked his friend Kazim Pasha to add, “Starting with Samsun, the commander of the forces in all the eastern provinces and the authority to issue orders to the governors of the provinces in which these forces are present, and to the military and administrative authorities with whom you have any contact with the region,” “Will you do something?” Kazem Pasha asked: “Yes, I will do something. I will do it whether or not these elements exist.” Kazem Pasha laughed. He says: “This is our duty, we will work.”

5. I was like a bird preparing to fly by flapping its wings

In those days when he lost hope of everything and decided to “go to Anatolia no matter what,” Mustafa Kemal, who opened his way to Anatolia with a protective and broad authority, describes his excitement at that moment with the following words: “Fortune has prepared such favorable conditions for me, nor I can describe how happy I was when I felt myself in their arms. I remember biting my lips with excitement as I left the prison. The cage was opened, and a vast world was in front of me. I was like a bird preparing to flap its wings to take flight.”

6. Pasha, you can save the state

In Yildiz Palace, where he went to see him off, the sultan showed Mustafa Kemal the history book in his hand and said, “Pasha, Pasha, you have served the state many times. All these are now included in this book. Do not forget these. The service you will render now may be the most important of all.” Pasha, you can save the country.

7. No, we’re not going back, boy

Mustafa Kemal, who spent his last night in his house in Sisli with his mother and sister, says to Mustafa Kemal before setting out on the road to Samsun: “I am glad to be your aide-de-camp for your company, Your Excellency Pasha!” Pasha laughed a little. “Come on, start preparing, we’re on our way in a few days,” he says. “Will you stay long, Pasha, or will you come back after the search?” Pasha’s answer to his adjutant was as follows: “No, we will not return, child! Say goodbye to your ruler and brothers. We will not return!

8. He set sail immediately and at full speed

Mustafa Kemal set sail with 19 people on May 16, 1919. The sea is stormy and the compass of the Bandirma ferry is broken. Captain Ismail Hakki Dursun, who sailed to the Black Sea for the first time, does not know these waters. Before leaving the ferry, Raouf Bey informed Mustafa Kemal that he should not set off and that he would be followed and besieged by a torpedo belonging to the occupation forces. But his order to the captain is to “Put to sea at once and at full speed”. When the Bandirma ferry, which has a maximum speed of only 7 miles, takes off, the storm at sea makes everyone sick except Mustafa Kemal. At the end of sleepless nights on the stormy sea, we pass through Inbolu and reach the port of Sinop.

9. There is no road, no vehicle

Mustafa Kemal told his friends that because of bad weather conditions, ways are being looked for to go from Sinop to Samsun by land, but when the answer is “no escape, no way”. “Guys, there’s another night of danger. We can get through it too,” he says, continuing on the ferry. The next day, May 19, 1919, at dawn, the Bandirma ferry entered the port of Samsun with the army command painted on its mast.

10. Either we die or the country is saved

Mustafa Kemal, who set foot in Samsun on May 19, 1919, went to the city post office after working for a while. The post officer on duty describes that day as follows: “The weather was rainy and electric. Since there was no lightning rod system at that time, the wires were buried. As the clock approached midnight, the watchman at the door came running and gave word that Mustafa Kemal Pasha was coming.” At that time, Mustafa Kemal Pasha entered the telegraph office, which consisted of one room. I stood up and said, “Here you are, Pasha.” “I want to talk to Hava and Amasya right away,” he said. “The air is electric, we have buried the wires, I can’t see you And in response to my saying: This is the salvation of the country, I will definitely meet you, either we die or the country is saved.

11. He was a true patriot

He took a silk handkerchief from his jacket pocket and put it on the handkerchief. I have nothing left to do but run the wires. “If I die, I will die too.” He said. He didn’t mind my insistent words until he let go of my hand, and he didn’t let go of my hand for a long time. I contacted the estate first. The answer came instantly. The guard said that Kemal Pasha’s men were waiting for orders. He gave Pasha a coded note, which I wrote. He looked at the coded reply without letting go of my hand. He quickly wrote something in code on a piece of paper. He told me to pass it on to Catalyst. Then he made the speech he wanted with Amasya; “Oh God, thank God, now the fatherland will be saved.” He said and went out with his entourage. I suddenly became dumb. I couldn’t get up from my seat. Mustafa Kemal Pasha was the one who revealed his life. He can’t come to grab an ax or get a position. He was a true patriot, this is how my admiration for Ataturk began on a rainy night …

12. I will never be hopeless. They don’t want to kill us, they want to bury us alive

Mustafa Kemal, who came to Samsun sick and exhausted, stayed in the city for a week without showing the slightest weakness, then went to Hafza on May 26, while Damat Ferit announced his plan to place Turkey under the mandate of the Great Powers in Istanbul. It is for the people of the estate. “I will never be hopeless. They don’t want to kill us, they want to bury us alive. We are now at the edge of the pit. One last one might dare to save us. There’s no way back anyway!” he says.

13. May their souls rest in peace…

Mustafa Kemal, who began his great speech with his departure to Samsun, also began the period in which he directed the fate of his nation and the flow of the times in Samsun. After Mustafa Kemal set foot on the lands of Anatolia on May 19, 1919, he laid the foundations of the Turkish Republic by throwing the occupation forces into the sea in Izmir on September 9, 1922, a few years later, with a great struggle hand in hand. with his nation. And we pay tribute to all the patriots who served this country, especially our leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who sacrificed their lives and blood, with respect, love and mercy. May their souls rest in peace…

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