Sarkis Torossian (Turkish: Sarkis Torosyan, also spelled Torosian, 1891 – August 17, 1954) was a decorated Ottoman Armenian captain who fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and according to his memoirs, was the first person to sink a British battleship. After the Armenian Genocide however, when most of his family was massacred, he switched sides and joined the fight against the Ottoman Empire. He later moved to the United States where he wrote and published his memoirs, From Dardanelles to Palestine: a true story of five battle fronts of Turkey. His story has led to censorship in Turkey, where Turkish historians have tried to dispute the authenticity of his memoirs, with some even claiming he never existed. In anticipation of the publication of Torossian's memoirs in Turkey by Ayhan Aktar, Torosian's descendants were discovered by local historian Paul Vartan Sookiasian. From there, Taner Akçam interviewed Torossian's granddaughter who described her grandfather's life in detail.
Born |
1891 Everek (present-day: Develi), Ottoman Empire
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Died |
17 August 1954 (aged 63) Bronx, New York
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