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WITH THE PERSIAN EXPEDITION
WITH THE PERSIAN EXPEDITION
BY MAJOR M. H. DONOHOE LATE ARMY INTELLIGENCE CORPS ILLUSTRATED LONDON EDWARD ARNOLD 1919 ( All rights reserved ) TO THE MEMORY OF MY COMRADES OF THE IMPERIAL AND DOMINION FORCES WHO, IN THE CONCLUDING YEAR OF THE GREAT WAR, GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE WORLD'S FREEDOM IN PERSIA AND TRANSCAUCASIA....
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PREFACE
PREFACE
No one can be more alive than I am to the fact that of the making of war books there is no end, nor can anyone hear mentally more plainly than I do how, at each fresh appearance of a work dealing with the world tragedy of the past five years, weary reviewers and jaded public alike exclaim, "What? Yet another!" Why, then, have I added this of mine to the already so formidable list? Well, chiefly because in the beginning of 1918 Fate and the War Office sent me into a field of operations almost unk
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CHAPTER I THE START OF THE "HUSH-HUSH" BRIGADE
CHAPTER I THE START OF THE "HUSH-HUSH" BRIGADE
A mystery expedition—Tower of London conference—From Flanders mud to Eastern dust—An Imperial forlorn hope—Some fine fighting types—The amphibious purser—In the submarine zone—Our Japanese escort. Scarcely had dawn tinged the sky of a February day in 1918 when there crept out of the inner harbour of Taranto a big transport bound for Alexandria. It was laden with British and Dominion troops. All were for service overseas. There were units for India and Egypt, a contingent of Nursing Sisters for E
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CHAPTER II EGYPT TO THE PERSIAN GULF
CHAPTER II EGYPT TO THE PERSIAN GULF
Afloat in an insect-house—Captain Kettle in command—Overcrowding and small-pox—The s.s. Tower of Babel —A shark scare—Koweit. Forty-eight hours after disembarking at Alexandria we were steaming down the Gulf of Suez on board a second transport bound for the Persian Gulf. It would be difficult to imagine a greater contrast than that between the vessel which brought us across the Mediterranean and the one that was now carrying us towards the portals of the Middle East. The latter was a decrepit st
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CHAPTER III THE CITY OF SINBAD
CHAPTER III THE CITY OF SINBAD
Arrival at Basra—A city of filth—Transformation by the British—Introducing sport to the natives—The Arabs and the cinema. Basra or Busra, the Bastra of Marco Polo, and for ever linked with the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor, is one of the most important ports of Asiatic Turkey, and sits on the right bank of the Shatt el Arab a short distance below the confluence of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It is built on low-lying marshy land where the malarial mosquito leads an energetic and healthy life.
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CHAPTER IV AT A PERSIAN WEDDING
CHAPTER IV AT A PERSIAN WEDDING
Visit to the Sheikh of Mohammerah—A Persian banquet. A few miles below Basra, on the Persian shore, at the point where the Karun River joins the Shatt el Arab, are the semi-independent dominions of the Sheikh of Mohammerah. His territory is part and parcel of the moribund Persian Empire, but the Sheikh has long held independent sway, and has ruled his little kingdom with Oriental grandeur and benevolent despotism. He is a firm and convinced friend of the British, and even at the darkest hour of
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CHAPTER V UP THE TIGRIS TO KUT
CHAPTER V UP THE TIGRIS TO KUT
Work of the river flotilla—Thames steamboats on the Tigris—The waterway through the desert—The renaissance of Amarah—The river's jazz-step course—The old Kut and the new—In Townshend's old headquarters—Turks' monument to short-lived triumph. Our stay at Ashar barracks was of brief duration. A week after landing in Basra we received orders from General Headquarters to proceed to Bagdad immediately, but steamer accommodation was limited, and it was found impossible to embark the whole of our party
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CHAPTER VI BAGDAD
CHAPTER VI BAGDAD
Arabian nights and motor-cars—The old and the new in Bagdad—"Noah's dinghy"—Bible history illustrated—At a famous tomb-mosque. Who has not heard and read of Bagdad, of its former glory and its greatness? I set foot in it for the first time on March 20th, 1918, the day after the arrival of our little party at Hinaida Transit Camp on the left bank of the Tigris. As I tramped across the dusty Hinaida plain towards the belt of palm groves which veils the city on the east, I had visions of Haroun al
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CHAPTER VII EARLY HISTORY OF DUNSTERVILLE'S FORCE
CHAPTER VII EARLY HISTORY OF DUNSTERVILLE'S FORCE
Jealousy and muddle—The dash for the Caspian—Holding on hundreds of miles from anywhere—A 700-mile raid that failed—The cockpit of the Middle East—Some recent politics in Persia—How our way to the Caspian was barred. Bagdad is not a pleasant place of residence when the Sherki, or south wind, blows, and when at noonday the shade temperature is often 122 degrees Fahr. For Europeans, work is then out of the question, and it is impossible to venture abroad in the scorching air. There is nothing for
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CHAPTER VIII OFF TO PERSIA
CHAPTER VIII OFF TO PERSIA
Au revoir to Bagdad—The forts on the frontier—Customs house for the dead—A land of desolation and death—A city of the past—An underground mess—Methods of rifle thieves. It was not until the beginning of April (1918) that the intermittent rainfall practically ceased, and allowed a contingent of the weatherbound Dunsterville party to turn their faces towards Hamadan, where our General and his small force were said to be in dire straits. The advanced base near Baqubah on the Diala River, north-east
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CHAPTER IX THROUGH MUD TO KIRIND
CHAPTER IX THROUGH MUD TO KIRIND
A city of starving cave-dwellers—An American woman's mission to the wild—A sect of salamanders—Profiteering among the Persians—A callous nation—Wireless orders to sit tight—Awaiting attack—The "mountain tiger." Next day we set out for Kirind, about fifteen miles from Surkhidizeh, where a platoon of the Hants held an advanced post. After passing Sar Mil and its ruined fort, we dipped down into a valley bordered by high hills, where grew dwarf oaks, with a background of mountains whose snow-topped
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CHAPTER X KIRIND TO KARMANSHAH
CHAPTER X KIRIND TO KARMANSHAH
Pillage and famine—A land of mud—The Chikar Zabar Pass—Wandering dervishes—Poor hotel accommodation—A "Hunger Battalion"—A city of the past. From Kirind to Kermanshah, our next stage, is about sixty miles. For the most part it is dreary, barren country, with a few isolated villages astride the line of march. The whole land had been skinned bare of supplies by Turk and Russian, and it was now in the throes of famine. There was a good deal of similarity in the methods of these successive invaders.
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CHAPTER XI A CITY OF FAMINE
CHAPTER XI A CITY OF FAMINE
In ancient Hamadan—With Dunsterville at last—His precarious position—"Patriots" as profiteers—Victims of famine—Driven to cannibalism—Women kill their children for food—Trial and execution—Famine relief schemes—Death blow to the Democrats—"Stalky." Hamadan stands at a height of six thousand feet at the foot of the Alvand range, which is covered with snow for ten months in the year. In summer, when the tender shoots of the growing corn are pushing above the earth, and the trees are blossom-laden,
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CHAPTER XII DUNSTERVILLE STRIKES AFRESH
CHAPTER XII DUNSTERVILLE STRIKES AFRESH
Official hindrances—A fresh blow for the Caucasus—The long road to Tabriz—A strategic centre—A Turkish invasion—Rising of Christian tribes—A local Joan of Arc—The British project. By the middle of May Dunsterville began to feel his feet. Reinforcements were trickling in, officers and N.C.O's., but no fighting men, and always in the petits paquets so beloved by the parsimonious-minded officials who sat at General Headquarters down in Bagdad. Dunsterville's own position was not an enviable one. Hi
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CHAPTER XIII THE RACE FOR TABRIZ
CHAPTER XIII THE RACE FOR TABRIZ
A scratch pack for a great adventure—Wagstaff of Persia—Among the Afshars—Guests of the chief—Capture of Zinjan—Peace and profiteering. On May 21st a small British column left Hamadan for the north-west of Persia. It was anything but a formidable fighting force as far as numerical strength was concerned. It comprised fifteen British officers, one French officer, and about thirty-five British N.C.O's. The whole party was armed with rifles and some also carried swords, infantry or cavalry pattern,
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CHAPTER XIV CAPTURE OF MIANEH
CHAPTER XIV CAPTURE OF MIANEH
Armoured car causes consternation—Reconnoitring the road—Flying column sets out—An easy capture at the gates of Tabriz—Tribesmen raid the armoured car—And have a thin time—Turks get the wind up. Zinjan having thus passed into our hands without the firing of a shot, the Wagstaff column established its headquarters in a garden villa a mile north of the town, near the junction of the road to Mianeh. The Indo-European Telegraph Company had an office in Zinjan, and we were speedily in communication w
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CHAPTER XV LIFE IN MIANEH
CHAPTER XV LIFE IN MIANEH
Training local levies—A city of parasites and rogues—A knave turns philanthropist—Turks getting active—Osborne's comic opera force—Jelus appeal for help—An aeroplane to the rescue—The Democrats impressed—Women worried by aviator's "shorts"—Skirmishes on the Tabriz road—Reinforcements at last. When the Wagstaff Mission finally reached Mianeh from Zinjan it began to collect grain supplies, by purchase, and set to work to raise and train irregulars. Although the Persian hates drill and discipline,
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CHAPTER XVI THE FIGHT AT TIKMADASH
CHAPTER XVI THE FIGHT AT TIKMADASH
Treachery of our irregulars—Turkish machine-gun in the village—Headquarters under fire—Native levies break and bolt—British force withdrawn—Turks proclaim a Holy War—Cochrane's demonstration—In search of the missing force—Natives mutiny—A quick cure for "cholera"—A Turkish patrol captured—Meeting with Cochrane—A forced retreat—Our natives desert—A difficult night march—Arrival at Turkmanchai—Turks encircling us—A fresh retirement. The Turks came against Osborne at Tikmadash on September 5th. For
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CHAPTER XVII EVACUATION OF MIANEH
CHAPTER XVII EVACUATION OF MIANEH
We have a chilly reception—Our popularity wanes—Preparation for further retirement—Back to the Kuflan Kuh Pass—Our defensive position—Turks make a frontal attack—Our line overrun—Gallantry of Hants and Worcesters—Pursuit by Turks—Armoured cars save the situation—Prisoners escape from Turks—Persians as fighters. Mianeh, pampered, spoon-fed Mianeh, which had grown fat on British bread and comparatively wealthy on British money, gave the retreating column a chilly reception. The bazaar looked at us
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CHAPTER XVIII CRUSHING A PLOT
CHAPTER XVIII CRUSHING A PLOT
Anti-British activities—Headquarters at Hamadan—Plans to seize ringleaders—Midnight arrests—How the Governor was entrapped. Back in Hamadan, the fierce political enmity of the Democrats, which had been quiet for some time, broke into fresh activity after the removal of Dunsterville headquarters to Kasvin at the end of May. General Byron, who was in charge at Hamadan, speedily discovered through his Intelligence Officers that the local Democrats were bent on making things merry for the British, i
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CHAPTER XIX THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO BAKU
CHAPTER XIX THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO BAKU
Kuchik Khan bars the road—Turk and Russian movements—Kuchik Khan's force broken up—Bicherakoff reaches Baku—British armoured car crews in Russian uniforms—Fighting around Baku—Baku abandoned—Captain Crossing charges six-inch guns. In a previous chapter I pointed out that Kuchik Khan was in military possession of the Manjil-Resht road, and that the Russians under Bicherakoff were concentrating at Kasvin preparatory to trying conclusions with this amiable bandit—the cat's-paw of Turkish-German int
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CHAPTER XX THE NEW DASH TO BAKU
CHAPTER XX THE NEW DASH TO BAKU
Treachery in the town—Jungalis attack Resht—Armoured cars in street-fighting—Baku tires of Bolshevism—British summoned to the rescue—Dunsterville sets out—Position at Baku on arrival—British officers' advice ignored—Turkish attacks—Pressing through the defences—Baku again evacuated. We were soon to discover that we had not cut the claws of the Jungali tiger, and that he was yet capable of giving us serious trouble. There had been a good deal of unrest amongst the disbanded followers of Kuchik Kh
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CHAPTER XXI THE TURKS AND THE CHRISTIAN TRIBES
CHAPTER XXI THE TURKS AND THE CHRISTIAN TRIBES
Guerrilla warfare—Who the Nestorian and other Christian tribes are—Turkish massacres—Russian withdrawal and its effect—British intervention. The Nestorians, Jelus, and other racially connected Christian groups who, in the region around Lake Urumia, had been carrying on a guerrilla warfare against the Turks, at the beginning of July were reduced to very sore straits indeed by losses in the field, disease, and famine. As already related in a previous chapter, Lieutenant Pennington, a British aviat
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CHAPTER XXII IN KURDISTAN
CHAPTER XXII IN KURDISTAN
The last phase—Dunsterforce ceases to exist—The end of Turkish opposition—Off to Bijar—The Kurdish tribes—Raids on Bijar—Moved on by a policeman—Governor and poet. It was in South-Western Kurdistan that I saw the last phase of the war between the Turks and ourselves. At the end of September, Dunsterforce had ceased to exist, at any rate under that name. Dunsterville himself had gone down to Bagdad to discuss the whole Caucasian and North Persian situation with General Headquarters, and the offic
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CHAPTER XXIII THE END OF HOSTILITIES
CHAPTER XXIII THE END OF HOSTILITIES
Types of Empire defenders—Local feeling—Dealing with Kurdish raiders—An embarrassing offer of marriage—Prestige by aeroplane—Anniversary of Hossain the Martyr—News of the Armistice—Local waverers come down on our side of the fence—Releasing civil prisoners—Farewell of Bijar—Down country to the sea and home. I have often wondered if the British who stayed at home, through force of circumstances rather than any reluctance to participate in the Great War, can have had any conception of the varying
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APPENDIX THE WORK OF THE DUNSTERFORCE ARMOURED CAR BRIGADE
APPENDIX THE WORK OF THE DUNSTERFORCE ARMOURED CAR BRIGADE
I am giving the following account of the work of the Armoured Car Brigade with General Dunsterville's Mission, not only because the Brigade deserves fuller mention than I have been able to give elsewhere in this book, but because some description of their operations will give a better idea of the difficulties of transport, stores, etc., with which the whole force had to deal. For my facts in this instance I have been allowed access to an official report by the men who actually did the work. The
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