Map of Greek Deportations: Mark Ward's Testimony

deportations ward 

Mark H. Ward was a Near East Relief physician who witnessed the deportation of Greeks during the Greek Genocide. He and other relief workers were expelled by the Kemalists for keeping notes on the deportations. Between May 1921 and February 1922, while working at the American Hospital in Elazığ, Ward witnessed 38 groups of deportees who were sent through the town in the Harput province.

Ward stated in his testimony that out of a total of 20,378 that reached Elazığ, 18,000 or 88% were Ottoman Greeks and the remainder Armenians.  He estimated that 30,000 were sent from Sivas to Elazığ and that 5,000 of those escaped from the convoys while another 5,000 died along the road. During the fall and winter months there were 4,000 deportees in Malatya alone. 2,000 of those at Malatya died of starvation or typhus. During the 7 months he was working in the American Hospital at Elazığ, 25% of the 1,300 refugees he cared for died. Of the 15,000 refugees who were sent south to Diyarbakir only 12,000 arrived safely, the remaining 3,000 died in the snow covered mountains. 2,000 refugees stayed at Diyarbakir during winter and half of them died from starvation, disease or exposure. Of the 30,000 who left Sivas only 10,000 arrived at Bitlis.

Note: Deportation lines on the map are a guide and may differ slightly. Deportations often intersected neighbouring towns and villages before reaching destination. Deportations from regions whose current place names couldn't be verified such as Koppy, Hadign and Endemish are not shown. 

A list of the deportations witnessed by Mark H. Ward.

DATE

NUMBER

FROM

SENT TO

26 May 1921

10 Greeks, 6 Armenians

Konya, Kayseri, Amasya (via Sivas)

Elazig then Diyarbakir and Bitlis

29 May 1921

100 Greeks, 30 Armenians (originally 300)

Bilecik

Elazig

3 Jun 1921

125 Greeks, 187 Armenians

Eskisehir, Kutahya (via Sivrihisar)

Elazig

13 Jun 1921

200 Greeks, 374 Armenians

Eskisehir, Bilecek, Sivrihisar, Kutahya, Afyonkarahisar

Elazig

20 Jun 1921

10 men

Konya

Elazig

27 Jun 1921

50 Greeks, 300 Armenians

Konya (via Malatya and Sivas)

Elazig

4 Jul 1921

170 Greeks, 280 Armenians

Aksehir

Elazig

17 Jul 1921

456 Greeks, 204 Armenians

Konya

Elazig

19 Jul 1921

302 Greeks, 300 Armenians

Afyonkarahisar, Aksehir, Karaman, Eregli, Haymans, Kutahya, Eskisehir, Konya

Elazig

18 Jul 1921

722 Greeks

Ordu, Giresun

Elazig then Bitlis and Van.

25 Jul 1921

496 Greek men

Ordu, Giresun

Elazig

28 Jul 1921

161 Greeks

Giresun

Elazig

4 Aug 1921

64 Greeks

Ordu

Elazig then Bitlis

4 Aug 1921

2000 mostly women and children

Zara (Vilayet of Sivas)

Elazig

21 Aug 1921

22 men

Ordu, Giresun

Elazig

27 Aug 1921

80 people

Tepecik (near Samsun)

Elazig

27 Aug 1921

1230 mostly women and children

Amasya, Havza, Iledig, Merzifon, Torpojuk and villages of Samsun

Elazig then Bitlis or Van

30 Aug 1921

1650 Greeks (women and children)

Merzifon and villages between there and Samsun

Elazig then Bitlis

31 Aug 1921

1284 people

Merzifon, Havza, Amasya, Koppy, Hadign

Elazig the Bitlis

9 Sep 1921

200 people

Eskisehir, Kutahya

Elazig

21 Sep 1921

48 Greeks, 4 Armenians

Konya

Elazig then sent south

24 Sep 1921

169 Greeks

Samsun, Vezirkopru etc

Elazig

26 Sep 1921

385 men and women

Konya

Elazig then sent south

28 Sep 1921

125 men

Konya, Karaman, Eregli, Nigde, Kayseri

Elazig then Bitlis

4 Oct 1921

160 men

Samsun

Elazig then Diyarbakir

4 Oct 1921

136 men

Konya

Elazig

9 Oct 1921

43 men

Ordu

Elazig

16 Oct 1921

600 people

Unknown

Elazig then Diyarbakir

23 Oct 1921

77 people

Unknown

Elazig then Osmaniye

6 Nov 1921

68 men

Konya

Elazig

6 Nov 1921

Group

Gumushacikoy

Elazig then Osmaniye

10 Nov 1921

1700 (originally 2000)

Arabkir road

Elazig then Bitlis

11 Nov 1921

154 men

Eregli, Karaman

Elazig

15 Nov 1921

1500 men, women and children

Unknown

Elazig

18 Nov 1921

850 women and children

Sivas Vilayet

Elazig

18 Nov 1921

30 men

Gumushacikoy

Elazig

19 Nov 1921

350 women and children

Malatya

Elazig then Bitlis

24 Nov 1921

700 women and children

Ordu, Sivas

Elazig then Bitlis

8 Dec 1921

80 men

Osmaniye

Elazig

13 Dec 1921

1400 (originally 2,500 when they left Kayseri)

Ordu, Giresun, Amasya, Isparta, Burdur, Endemish

Elazig. Twice deported to Bitlis

15 Dec 1921

600 Greeks

Sivas

Elazig then Diyarbakir

31 Dec 1921

300 men and women

Konya

Elazig then Bitlis

15 Feb 1922

100 people

Malatya

Elazig then Bitlis

 


Mark H. Ward M.D, The Deportations in Asia Minor, 1921-1922. London 1922.

Further Reading:
The Deportations in Asia Minor, 1921-1922. Mark H. Ward.
Mark H. Ward (Near East Relief)
21 Jun 1922: Nations of World Urged to Declare Turkey an Outlaw, Christian Science Monitor
16 May 1922: Turkish Atrocities Stir Britain to Act, New York Times

 

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