One of the women militia of the National Struggle (B. ?, Seydiler / Kastamonu– D. December 1921, Seydiler / Kastamonu). During the National Struggle, old men and women had also ceaseless efforts in the transportation of weaponry and ammunition, which was brought to İnebolu by sea, to Ankara over Kastamonu when every man that was able to hold a weapon was in the front lines. One of these people of ours who made history is Şerife Bacı, who was from Seydiler and froze to death and died a martyr while carrying ammunition from İnebolu to Kastamonu. In the difficult days of winter in December 1921, while carrying ammunition with her oxcart, to protect the ammunition and her child, Şerife Bacı froze to death in front of Kastamonu Barracks with her child on her back.
Şerife Bacı was a
countrywoman that was married off when she was sixteen years old and she was at
her early 20s when she died. Her husband was recruited into army upon the
breakout of the First World War two months after their wedding. Six months
later the news of her husband’s death arrived. Elders of the village who said “It would be improper if she stays alone at
this early age” married her with one of the war veterans, Topal Yusuf.
Three years later Şerife
Gelin (T. N. Bride Şerife) gave birth to a daughter from Topal Yusuf. They
called the little girl “Elif”. Elif suckled on her mother and Şerife Gelin’s
milk increased as she suckled on. The neighbors, who took advantage of this,
brought every children, who lost his/her mother due to plagues of those days
and who was left an orphan or who could not suck milk, to Şerife Gelin and she
wet-nursed all the orphans of the village. Maybe these were the reflections of
her days of suffering which she went through. Eventually, all the orphans of
this village became milk siblings and she became wet-nurse to all orphans…
Aside from the works
within the house, Şerife Gelin also carried out the works outside the house
such as bringing wood from the mountain with a donkey, reaping with the hook
and threshing. Her husband Topal Yusuf
was in all but name. His left leg was severed in the war and a bomb that
exploded near him blinded one of his eyes. His hearing decreased day by day. In
this condition it was not possible for him to work. Şerife Gelin performed his
daily works and service…
One day in nightfall the
village crier cried: “O people! Hear ye!
Hear ye! An oxcart from every house will go to İnebolu on Friday to carry
cargo…”
In that evening the
Village Headman made this announcement in the village chamber: “The new Council and government established
in Ankara has been preparing throughout the winter to deal the final blow to
the Greek soldiers, who attacked Anatolia. I hope his ears are burning, M. Âkif Bey, who came to our village
around two months ago, preached in our mosque: ‘If a duty falls to you
regarding this nation’s right to live and its survival, never hesitate over
fulfilling it. If need be in order for us to embrace our homeland, we must be
up for embracing the arms of the earth in death, so we can say that this land
is ours.’ Neighbors, you see, all surrounding villages are tasked with carrying
the ammunition and shells that were brought to İnebolu by sea. Call it imece (T.
N. collective work in villages), or salma (T. N. the money that is collected by
each house in the village by the decision of council for certain works in the
village to be performed) or something else if you will but this cargo task
shall certainly be performed.”
Village Headman finished
his speech with the list he prepared. Everyone looked at each other’s face as
if to ask “Who is not here?” Eight people were not in the meeting. Either women
or young teens would go in place of them. That evening, the village watchman
visited the houses of eight people and informed them of how and when they would
set off. Şerife Gelin was among these people.
In December 1921, the
roads were blocked by the sudden snowfall. Ammunitions were loaded in order.
Loaded oxcarts were hitting the road. Şerife Gelin took her baby, Elif, along
with herself because she did not have anybody in the village to look after her.
Ammunitions were loaded to her oxcart and she hit the road. Şerife Gelin halted
her oxcart at the exit of Inebolu. She arranged a place between the shells for
her daughter Elif, whom she carried on her back until that point. She laid her
wool quilt, which was her only protection from the cold, over the shells and
over her daughter to protect them from the snowfall. Then she got in front to
lead the oxcart and by saying “Bismillah”
she started to pull the oxcart. After making way like this for a while the oxcart
suddenly came to a halt. Şerife Gelin’s heart was wounded; yes, the ox was not
moving. Şerife Gelin pulled on the rope of the ox but no, it was not coming.
The ominous ox moved a little and then stopped again. The snow that fell an
hour ago came to a stop but the weather started to get colder… Şerife Gelin; “For God’s sake kara tosun (the ox), do not
dismay me. My cart is full of shells; I have to rush it off to the front. I beg
you, please, move. Please…” The ox had moved a little and bowed its neck and
then it slumped down on the spot.
Şerife Gelin forgot how
many times the ominous ox rested and how many times she pulled the cart
herself. She did not know how much way she made. Şerife Gelin was hungry, for
some reason she felt drowsy as well. Her dear Elif came to her mind. Naturally
she was starving too. She said “If I
could just breastfeed my Elif a little”. But Elif was sleeping and even if
she was awake she could not feed her in this cold weather. She said to herself “If I could reach Kastamonu at least before Elif wakes up”. At that
very moment, Şerife Gelin realized that she was freezing. After flounderingly
getting up from the snow that she fell into she barely managed to get on the
oxcart. She didn’t know how many times she fell to the ground while trying to
get on to the cart because her hands and feet were almost frozen. While Elif
was crying at the top of her lungs, Şerife Gelin’s arms stopped moving. Like a
loose cannon, the oxcart came near Kastamonu barracks outside the city and
stopped there!
Today on İnebolu coast,
where the Kastamonu road begins, Şerife Bacı Monument stands tall in a park
with cobblestone pavement. On the plaque of the monument it says that this
monument was erected in 2001 in remembrance of Şerife Bacı. In Seydiler district
of Kastamonu and in İnebolu, the name Şehit Şerife Bacı (Martyr Şerife Bacı)
symbolizes the heroines of the War of Independence.
Seydiler Municipality
had her relief built in front of the municipality building in 1973, in the 50th
anniversary of the Republic of Turkey and many institutions were named after
Şerife Bacı. Some of these institutions are: Şehit Şerife Bacı Primary School,
Şerife Bacı Teacher’s Lodge, Kastamonu Şerife Bacı State Hospital, Kastamonu
Şerife Bacı Hospital of Obstetrics and Pediatrics and Istanbul Metropolis Şehit
Şerife Bacı High School.
