File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎182r] (361/450)

Jemal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and his chief of staff, Fuad Bey, who, it appears, had done their best
either to prevent him going on to Arabia or to hinder him there. This is the best
evidence we have had yet of the continued variance between Enver and Jemal ; of the
precarious position of Germans in the Arab area; and of the unlikelihood of their being
allowed to be in the region of the Holy Cities.
^Accompanied by two German soldiers (mechanics or orderlies), an Indian servant
(Haji Mohammed) and a Moghrabi (probably the secret police-agent told off by Jemal
to watch him), Yot Stotzingen left Damascus at last on the 2 nd May, and went down
the Hejaz railway to El-Ala, where he arrived late on the 4th May. There he
encountered an old acquaintance whom he calls H.N. (the first initial being possibly K
not H), an apostate to Islam. This man had taken to himself a Kurdish wife only
18 years of age, and was accompanied by her. He had, apparently, gone to Arabia in
concert with, but earlier than, Yon Stotzingen, and failed in an attempt to get
through to Yemen. He was impecunious and had used for private expenses the funds
given him for his mission. He had recently obtained permission to make a second attempt
to get to Yemen, and his fluency in Arabic made him a desirable companion for
Yon Stotingen.
There can be little doubt that this man was H[err] or K[arl] N[eufeld], once a
notorious captive of the Khalifa at Omdurarm, and known by us to have been in
Arabia last spring. The indications given in Yon Stotzingen’s statement fit him
admirably.
The party had to wait four days at least at El-Ala for an escort and camels, the
latter provided by the Billi. The escort when it arrived seems to have brought with it
a (wireless?) telegraphic apparatus and other telegraphic plant for Yon Stotzingen’s use.
Then the party went down to El-Wejh, expecting to embark for a southern port.
But it must have been disagreeably surprised to find that, since the 1 st May, a stricter
naval patrol of the coast had been instituted by us, and that the long-sea route was
out of the question. Yon Stotzingen, therefore, determined to continue the journey
by land. He proceeded on Billi camels to Umlejh, which was reached in the latter part
of May, and thence on Juheinah camels to Yambo. Before the end of this month
Yon Stotzingen, Neufeld, the latter’s wife, the two German soldiers, Haji Mohammed,
and the Moghrabi were guests of the commandant of Yambo, being lodged at first in
the quarantine station and later in the “ serai.”
The Sherifs revolt broke out at Medina on the 5th June.'and was imminent m
the south. Yon Stotzingen seems to have realised that his further progress was
barred on both land and sea. The Arabs were displeased by the presence of Europeans
in Yarnbo, and were further incensed by the efforts of their Sheikh (Ah Ibn Abdullah
of the Juheinah?), who had just returned from Suakin in his sambuk. The upshot
was that the commandant arranged for the flight northwards of Yon Stotzmgen, the
lady and one other German (no doubt, Neufeld) ; but apparently he dared_ not send
a laro-er party through the tribes. The three got safely to Umlejh again by the
11 th June and Baron von Stotzingen sent a pencilled note back to Haji Mohammed,
the Indian servant. He sajs that they met with _ molestation from bedouins 10 kilom.
from Umlejh, and it appears they had to drop their baggage.
The others, four in number, who had been left behind at i am bo, succeeded, with
the commandant’s help, in chartering a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. from three Juheinah Sheikhs, Ahmed
el Hassani and another of the Ahmadi sub-tribe, and Makbul of the babra, who
guaranteed their transport to El-Wejh in safety. They put to sea, but were pursued
from Yambo and overtaken. The two Germans (mechanics or orderlies) were killed
either by drowning or otherwise ; but the Moghrabi and the Indian were spared. Ihe
naners of the party were taken and some of these have eventually reached us via
the Sudan They include Turkish staff-maps.pf the south Red Sea coast (Asjr and
Yemen) • two copies of the Vienna staff’s “ Ubersichtskarte von Vorderasien ^ ; the
documents made use of in this account; some books of travel, geography and anti-
British propaganda (not yet tp hand) ; a photograph of a German soldier with h,s two
little boh and a cut from ad illustrated paper showing a group of Pathan soldiers
n the company of Turks, with a legend written beneath m four Indian scripts, setting
“orth thahkisE “A photograph of those Indian soldiers
British army on the Suez Canal, joined the Turkish forces. The Ottoman government
has treated with great respect and honour these patriotic soldiers.
This last document was probably taken from Haji Mohammed, the Indian servant
as were other papers of his master. It is possible this Indian was himself one of the
Llrters from the Canal. It is difficult to see how Von Stotzmgen could have come
otherwise by a servant of that nationality.