"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٨] (٣٩٦/٢٣)

0 PERSIAN GTJLF ADMINISTRATION REPORT
During the second and third weeks in August parties of trihesmen were
very active in making night raids. The first raid was again 3
behind the outpost line used as a signalling station. No w f as , ° h ® t . h '
but this raid occurred before the occupation and P 0 * 11 ^ 8 nminn+inn
raids would probably have been made even if there had been nooccupation.
Between this date and the 20th August several raids were made, the houses
Messrs. Gray Paul, the Bank, Messrs. Dixon, the Assistant Superintendent,
Telegraphs, being amongst those attacked. No Europeans were injured or
captured however, as, at the suggestion of the Officer Comman mg, e ivi
Administrator advised Europeans living in residences scattered about tne
Island to move into Town or sleep in the Telegraph buildings near the
Head-quarters of the Troops. After the raid on the Telegraph bmiding,
in which all the ladies were collected for the night, most of them left Busline.
On the nisrht of the 16th the Russian Consulate was attacked and a te w snots
" fired at the French Consulate, and on the night of the 19th the British Eesi-
dency at Subzabad had its turn.
The party which made the last mentioned attack apparently had some
men wounded and could not get away or was too late to do so, as the next
morning it was found to the hiding in the nullahs near Zangena at the hastern
edge of the Island. An attack was made on these nullahs by portions oi tne
llth Eajputs and 96th Infantry, but the attack failed to dislodge the tribesmen
before nightfall, and they withdrew under cover of darkness.
Brigadier-General H. T. Brooking, G.B,, arrived in Bushire on the 20th
August on inspection duty and assumed charge as General Officer Commanding
on the 24th and as Military Governor on the 26th.
After the arrival of General Brooking a night raid was made in the direc
tion of the Town and another on one of the outposts. This raid was led by
Hais Ali in person and he was killed. Bais Ali was the most active and deter
mined of the hostile Khans and his disappearance from the scene was a great
loss to them and correspondingly fortunate for us.
On the morning of the 9th of September it was discovered that a party of
5 or 6u0 tribesmen had come across and concealed themselves in the nullahs
near Zangena almost exactly where they were on the 20th August. They were
at once attacked and driven out at the point of the bayonet. As they retreated
across the Massilleh they were severely punished by our machine guns and
charged by the Squadron of the 16th Cavalry. In the charge the Squadron
Commander, Major Pennington, and 2nd-Lieatenant Thornton, I.A.E.O., were
both killed. One other British officer. Lieutenant Robinson, I.A.R.O., was
also killed and 2 seamen, 2 Native officers and 25 Indian rank and file.
The enemy must have had well over 100 casualties, over 40 dead were picked
up near Zangena and buried near Imamzadeh village. This affair gave the
tribesmen a severe lesson and they did not give much trouble for some time
after.
Brigadier-General Brooking, C.B., was relieved by Brigadier-General
Edwardes, D.S.O., on the 13th September, and returned to Mesopotamia to take
up command of his brigade there.
General Brooking, as Military Governor, appointed two Assistant Military
Goverjjors, one for Bushire Town and one
Admiuistratioo. for
The Civil Administration of the Town presented no difficulties ; there was
practically no crime. The population of Bushire is very quiet and orderly.
The Customs, Einance, Police, and Postal Departments worked under their
own officials except that the previous Kalantar (head of the Town Administra
tion and Police) Abdur Reza was removed and Haji Yusuf appointed. The
Persian Telegraph Office was closed : in point of fact it was useless in any case
as the Bushire-Borasjun line had been cut by the tribesmen for a long time
before the occupation.
The receipts from the customs and the Finance Department were placed
ir? the Imperial Bank of Persia and a portion expended on financing the
Administration. The balance was utilized to pay one or two outstanding
claims,\and it was understood at the end of the year that the indemnities for