Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal arrived in Tekirdag on February 2, 1915, taking with him his adjutant and the squad of Hasan Sergeant from Çerkeş who was under his command. Mustafa Kemal and his aide-de-camp spent their first night in Tekirdağ at the house of Salih Bey from Bahriye on Yunus Bey Street in Ortacami Mahallesi. As long as Atatürk stayed in Tekirdağ, Musava coffeehouses on the way to the military branch were his main haunts. The completion of the 19th Division took until 25 February. Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal suffered a lot in the establishment of the 19th Division.

 

 

Because on the one hand, the Dardanelles war was going on, on the other hand, hundreds of martyrs and veterans were being brought to Tekirdağ every day. Despite this, in the face of the difficult situation in the country, the 57th, 72nd, 77th regiments of 891 people were formed, some of which were recruited from Tekirdağ, Malkara, Çorlu, Hayrabolu and some of them were supplied from the warehouse regiments. During this period, Mustafa Kemal stayed in the wooden house (hotel) on the Corps Street, which was known as the Fitnat Hanım Mansion at that time and which belonged to Salih Zeki Bey. The last owners of the house are Münir and Hüseyin Soyuer. The building, which was later demolished and replaced by a new one, is the Yahya Soyuer apartment.

 

The 19th Division, which was established on February 25, moved to Maydos (Eceabat) with a subsequent order. Mustafa Kemal became the commander of an area that included Ece port, Morto Bay, Arıburnu, Anafartalar and its surroundings, together with the new units given to his command in Eceabat. Once again, we commemorate the 19th Party, which introduced Mustafa Kemal to the world, put him in the pages of history, and prevented the occupation of Istanbul by the allies, with respect and mercy.