Şehzadebaşı raid

The Allies began to occupy Ottoman territory soon after the Armistice of Mudros; 13 days later, a French brigade entered Constantinople, on November 12, 1918. The first British troops entered the city on the following day. Early in December 1918, Allied troops occupied sections of Constantinople and set up an Allied military administration.

On 16 March 1920, around 05:45 British soldiers in 2 trucks came to the street in which the Mızıka watchhouse was located.[3] One of the trucks went to Saraçhane and inspected people passing by while the other one parked in front of Mızıka watchhouse.[4] A group of 50 to 60 British soldiers attacked 2 guards waiting in front of the door of the watchhouse, injuring one of them from the head.[5] British soldiers captured all the weapons in the watchhouse since they all were in the room at the entrance.[6] After the capture of all weapons, one of the British officers in the group went upstairs to the second room of the watchhouse and ordered his troops to open fire on everyone there even though they didn't show any resistance.[1]

There were 61 Turkish soldiers in the watchhouse before the raid.[7] During the raid, 5 of them were killed, 10 of them were wounded and 1 of them went missing.[8] One of the wounded soldiers later died from his wounds. It is unknown if any of the other wounded soldiers died from their wounds or not.[9]

Four soldiers who died during the raid and one soldier who later died of wounds were identified as;[10]

• Veli son of Mehmed, Corporal (Reşadiye)
• Çavuş son of İbiş, Sergeant (Zile)
• Ahmed son of Nasuh (Balıkesir)
• Kadir son of Ömer Osman (Şarkışla)
• Halil son of Osman, died from wounds later

Three of the killed Turkish soldiers were buried in Eyüp without any ceremony. Their gravestones were built after the end of Turkish War of Independence and in 1947, their bodies were transferred to Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery. It is unknown where Halil son of Osman and Kadir son of Ömer Osman are buried in.[1]