Sir T. W. White (1888–1957)

This book certainly stands as one of the better memoirs from those officers who withstood the odyssey of being a prisoner-of-war in wartime Turkey in WWI.
White was an early aviation pioneer, who along with some of his comrades were called up for duty to create the "Mesopotamian Half-Flight" as the core aviation element supporting Indian Expeditionary Force "D". White does a great job describing conditions of the early aviation effort in Mesopotamia. LIkewise, he details some harrowing adventures that nearly brought him to an early end. However, his last and most daring mission (to cut telegraph wires connecting Baghdad with the TUrkish rear lines of communication) was cut short after he and his observer were captured shortly after landing their aircraft to conduct hte mission.
The remainder of the book covers his trials and tribulations while in captivity. As an officer, he did receive better treatment than the rank and file, but that is not saying much. A great deal has been written about WWI captivity in Turkish prisoner of war camps, so I wont rehash that here. Suffice to say, these were trying circumstances, and White does a great job in telling his story.
Good references abound, giving credit to others who filled in particular gaps in his story (The Road to En-Dor by Jones, Secrets of Kuttite by Mouseley, and Adventures in Turkey and Russia by Keeling.) Additionally, his encounter with Rafael de Nogales is worthy in and of itself.
WHite's detailed effort to escape is equally noteworthy, but unfortunately, he was only able to pull it off right before the war ended. However, this book provides not only rare valuable insight into the wartime aviation effort in Mesopotamia, but also a great insight into wartime captivity (prior to the fall of the garrison at Kut.)
Highly recommended if you can find this scarce book.… (más)