'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political Residency for the Years 1915-1919' [‎23r] (52/396)

VI )
A -v'
FOR* THE YEAH 1915. 35
chapter vii.
ADMINISTRATION REPORT FOR THE AHWAZ VICE-CONSULATE
EOR THE YEAR 1915.
Captain J. G. L. Ranking held charge from the beginning of the year till
p ersormeL relieved by Captain E. Noel, in March
1915. The latter, however, remained at
Basrah as Assistant Political Officer, and did not take up his duties till June
8rd.
Agha Mirza Muhammad Rahim continued as Head Mirza, while Mr. K. E.
Mirz a, B.A., was replaced as Dragoman, in July, by Mr. Nadir Shah from
Bandar Abbas.
Sub-Assistant Surgeon Fazal Illahi, in charge of the Consulate Dispensary,
was invalided to India in October. Dr. Moir of the Anglo-Persian Oil Com
pany very kindly agreed to look after the dispensary till the arrival of Sub-
Assistant Surgeon Atta Muhammad from India. The total number of new
patients treated was 12,065 and 380 major and minor operations were per
formed.
The district of Ahwaz was first definitely affected by the war in January
General 1915. No doubt Turkish emissaries and
jehad propaganda had been at work some
time previously, but the first visible response was the appearance of Saiyid
Essa in Hawizeh in early January, which resulted in the local Arabs taking
up arms and in sending contingents to join the Turks at Amara, and Ghazban
on the Karkeh. About the same time, fatwas for jehad began to make their
appearance in the bazaars of Ahwaz.
The jehad movement once started grew apace. The Shaikh of Moham-
merah mobilised the Bawi for the protection of Ahwaz but, by the end of the
month, a raid on the town was considered so imminent that a general exodus
of British subjects was decided on. The latter left for Mohammerah on the
28th of January by the S S. " Shushan, " which, .as a matter of precaution,
had been taken down the rapids a few days previously. In the meanwhile it
was decided to send troops to protect Ahwaz and by the 31st, the 7th Rajputs
and two gun-boats had arrived. A position was occupied on the right bank
below Aminiyeh.
By this time, the feeling in Ahwaz itself had become strongly anti-British.
On the 1st of Eebruary, Gunner Smith of the " Comet " while walking through
the town was shot dead by one of Shaikh Chasib's ghulams. This was an act
of pure fanaticism. In the course of the next few days, the loyalty of the
Bawis, which had always been a doubtful quantity, went by the board. By
the 6th, the pipe line and telephone line had been cut and destroyed for a con
siderable distance, and the oil-fields were thus isolated. The Bawis then
collected for an attack on Ahwaz but were defeated on the 9th of February by
a force of about 2,000 local Arabs under Shaikh Handzal.
Shaikh Ghazban and the Turks were gradually concentrating at Ghadir,
12 miles west of Aminiyeh. On the 3rd of March, our force at Aminiyeh
moved out at 2 a,m ., to attack them, but finding itself heavily Out-numbered
was forced to fight a difficult and costly rearguard action back to camp.
As a result of this reverse, the tribal situation round Ahwaz was somewhat
aggravated and the Turkish and Arab force on the right bank took up a posi
tion of investment round our camp at Aminiyeh,
Owing to the unsettled condition of the district, British subjects in Ahwaz,
who had returned in February, had to evacuate the station for a second time,
on the 8th of March, with the exception of the Manager of the Anglo-Persian
Oil Company—Mr. Gillespie—who remained in his house in Naseri throughout.
He was given a guard of 50 Sepoys Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. .
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