Jump to content

Mustafa Şekip Birgöl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 141.211.205.231 (talk) at 17:36, 31 August 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mustafa Şekip Birgöl
Born1903
Üsküdar, İstanbul, Ottoman Empire
Died(2008-11-11)11 November 2008 (aged 105)
Haydarpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
Buried
Karacaahmet Cemetery, Istanbul
Allegiance Turkey
Service / branchTurkish Army
Years of service1921–1952
RankColonel
Battles / warsTurkish War of Independence
AwardsMedal of Independence with red ribbon

Mustafa Şekip Birgöl (1903 – 11 November 2008), a retired Turkish colonel, was the last veteran of the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923).

Biography

He was born in 1903 in Üsküdar, a suburb of Istanbul, into a family of naval officers. Mustafa Şekip Birgöl graduated from Işıklar Military Secondary School in Bursa before attending Kuleli High School in Edirne. After finishing the Military Academy in Istanbul, he joined the Kuvayi Milliye under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal to fight against the Allies partitioning the Ottoman Empire after it was defeated in World War I. A second-lieutenant in the 45th regiment of the 15th division, he fought in the western Anatolian region of Afyon and took part in the recapturing of Izmir from Greek troops on 9 September 1922.[1][2]

Following the declaration of the republic in 1923, Birgöl returned to his unit at the Black Sea city of Samsun, where he stayed until 1928. While he was stationed in Sarıkamış, Bayburt and Muğla, he was active in some campaigns against rebellions that took place following the Independence War. Later, he served in Çanakkale, Ezine and Gelibolu. He retired from the army on September 13, 1952 with the rank of colonel.[1][2] Birgöl was awarded in 1927 the Medal of Independence with red ribbon.[2]

He died on 11 November 2008, aged 105, at the GATA Haydarapaşa Military Hospital in Istanbul. As the last veteran of the Independence War, he was honored with a state funeral held on November 13 at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, attended by President Abdullah Gül, Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan, Chief of the General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, leaders of the main opposition parties in the parliament and statesmen, politicians and other high-level officials. His remains were brought to Istanbul and interred on 14 November at Karacaahmet Cemetery following a religious ceremony at Selimiye Mosque next to the Selimiye Barracks.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b DPA
  2. ^ a b c Büyük Taarruzu Yaşayan Son İki Gaziden Biri Kadıköy'de Yaşıyor, milliyet.com, 29 August 2007.(in Turkish)
  3. ^ "Turkey's Last Independence War Vet Laid to Eternal Rest", hurriyet.com, 14 November 2008.
  4. ^ Today's Zaman-Nation Pays Last Respects to the Last Independence War Hero 2008-11-14 Archived 15 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
Flag of TurkeySoldier icon

This biographical article related to the military of Turkey is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mustafa_Şekip_Birgöl&oldid=1107748347"