Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/239/1 - 1917 - 1918 - Part 4

near here". R. sd "I think
Sir we had better go along
w him to / chief man o /
village (village of Bu —)
H. saluted stiffly; R. came in
cringing. H sd to him "Don't
cringe to him Ramiloff!" (R. ws a British
soldier Intelligence) The chief ws attracted
by Ramiloff & gave them a
splendid feed - he said
I am sorry I cant give you
a a English feed but I
can give you in an hour
/ best Persian meal - & he did so.
The troops were not Turks but Persians, & they took Hogan
for a Russian. The Zinjan pty, when reached
were ^ just off to Mianeh - half way
to Tabriz along a telegraph
line (to India) wh ws erected
by an English Coy.
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At Zinjan / camel drivers

who had bn getting more
frightened every day bolted,
One morning there ws not a
camel or a driver.
At Zinjan ½ the pty
2 offrs & 20 NCOs stayed as
garrison; the rest of / pty
under Starn pushed on over
unknown country S.S.W
(the maps put some places over 30
they were miles out & / latest
news of Bijar, wh they
were making for ws of 1842.
This ws / latest intelligence informatn.
At Bijar many roads met.
There they cd cut off supplies
from / Turks - & / work scheme
began of placing posts along /
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Kurdistan.
It ws a most a
most mountainous trip to
Bijar - no snow. They
didnt know / positn there
but & / spies never
came back.  ^ Hooper rode on to find a camp & The force
finally camped in a strong
positn about ½ mile N.
o / town w a steep mountain
at / back wh they picketed
& a fine field of fire
- / town below on / left.
Another mtn ws abt ½ mile
away in front. They only
had 50 rds per man & abt
20 rds per offr & not one
Lewis gun or m.g. The
bigger pty ws bringing these
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They mustered all / horses
- 4 or 5 - sent word to /
governor tt they were going
to call on him. The Govr sd
he wd be pleased to see them.
They went down - everyone
scattered from them - eyes
looked down from windows
children scurried away.
The Governors hand
ws shaking ^ terribly (a horsed guide
came for them). He gave them
tea & cakes & they made
him take them first. The town
had bn sacked 3 times by the Turks, Russians & Persians
They didnt let him know they
were going to stay there but
just lived on in / Camp. The
water supply at / Camp
ws good & cdnt be poisoned
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They later hired a house -

got a gang to clean it

(17 offrs & 30 N.C.O.s. )in / bldg)
& started road making
& made a landing
ground for planes. A
plane came up at once
& landed there & /
inhabitants (who were now
getting friendly) thought
it ws a God – were in tremendous
awe. The Governor & / Sirdar
asked them to meals.
Starns wd make speeches
w a solemn face. "In / name
of his majesty "- Some o these
courses have bn top hole
some have bn rotten." "That old
fellow at / top o / table I think

The Govern
he'd burst if he had any more"
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our fellows wd laugh &

/ Turks wd laugh -
From here Hooper
took in Turkish prisoners
(deserters ^ starving in rags) &
a political prisoner, to
Hamadan. H. also went
in to get 200,000 krans.
(Hooper had power to buy
anything of any sort for
/ troops. Fortunately some o /
14^th Hussars were going
out from Hamadan on /
day he arrived there, &
he gave some o / money
to them) He guided them, travelling
independently - The 14 H & took some o /
money himself - in
boxes like ammn boxes.
34

Mianeh, Zinjah, Bijar
& Sehna (Cap. of Kurdistan)
were now posts. They
all had pack wireless at
Bijar & Senha (portable sets,
Engl. units).
Dunster force ws
now pushing for Baku
& British troops were
coming from Mespot.
Dunsterville had / promise
at this time of support
from / Armenians & Russians
both of whom failed him.
He had fighting on / way
up w / Ghilbargis - but
an aeroplane or 2 and a few
bombs settled most of this
oppositn. Then D. instead
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of going for Tabriz wh
he cd have done
concentrated on Baku -
His rd from Kazvin to Bagdad
ws now safe w these 4
flank outposts.
Tabriz wd have put
them in touch w / other
route to Tiflis (the rly).
Instead D. went for Baku.
He got to Baku but /
Turks, Georgians & Tartars
attacked. The Russians &
Armenians proved treacherous
& he had to evacuate Baku.
Abt / same time /
Turks had bn pressing /
Christians at Urumiah.
a v. big town in / most fertile
36

district of Persia. Bijar
ws instrd to send a
relief column under Col.
Bridges of 14 Kings Hussars
to press on & meet
Agha Petros (chief man)
at Sauj Bulak to take / British
back w him to Urumiah - fighting / way.
When A.P. left Urumiah
to meet / British a stampede
led by / Armenians & Russians
took place - they
stampeded. towds / British
100 miles away. The Turk
who had bn investing /
city (w a good Division)
for some time promptly got
into Urumiah - massacred
/ remaining Xtians &
harrassed / rear of
37

this pty as it proceeded.
The Urumians set out on
a march for 100s of miles
for.
The Bijar pty ws already
on ¾ rations.
The Urumians drove along
their bullocks & sheep and the
road was eaten out - vines, grass. Every bit

of green gone. This mob descended on Bijar.
Abt 2000 arrived the first day & H. heard tt there
were tens of thousands more to come.  They got all / food
they could for them - The mob went on to Hamadan
& finally to Bakuaba. But out of 90,000 tt left Urumiah
only 40 000 reached Bakuaba.
Abt At least 40 000 must have died during the
march to Bakuaba.  (When the mission
evacuated after / armistice it saw nothing but
skeletons, till the snow covered them up - they
lay huddled in every sort of positn beside / road.
When the Pty under Bridges got
to Saui Bulak - Aga Petros ws not
there there. Bridges ws nervous and brought the Party back.
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