Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎34r] (67/544)

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invested or defeated the South Persia Rifies could not he relied
upon. In the opinion of the consul, Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firmah and the
Kawam, apart from sending reinforcements via Bundar Abbas it
would only be possible to restore the position by the prompt
despatch to Bushire of a force strong enough to march inland;
a raid from Bushire, followed by retirement, would only make
things worse. Sir Percy thought it was possible that Soulet might
be kept busy, for a week or more, parleying, but he asked that a
fo^ce from Bushire should be prepared to start before the week was
over# He regarded the position as critical. The whole problem
of our policy in South Persia demanded an immediate decision as
things had reached a point when we could only restore the situation
in Pars by immediately applying sufficient force inland from Bushire
to draw away Soulet’s army before the latter had been able to closely
invest the Indian troops at Shiraz (E.C.-463.)
The Chairman said that the Committee had so far given
authority that two battalions should be sent to reinforce Sir P. Sykes
from India via Bundar Abbas, as although the Shiraz-Bundar Abbas
route was much longer than the road from Bushire, it was also much
safer. We had hoped that Sykes would be able to hold his own
until these reinforcements could reach him ; it appeared, however,
that the situation had suddenly become critical, and Sykes was
asking for help to be sent through Bushire by means of a force
sufficiently strong to march inland and entice Soulet away. What
exactly did this mean ? The reinforcements would land at Bushire,
which was a friendly town in the occupation of British troops ; it
would have 50 miles to march over the plains. 1 he Kashgais in the
winter came down to the plains, but in summer they were up in the
hills, which rose in some cases to a height of 6,000 or 7,000 feet.
The road from the foot of the hills to Shiraz ran over 60 miles
through appalling country with four dangerous passes to cross.
W ere these reinforcements intended by Sir P. Sykes to fight the
Kashgais in this impossible terrain, or were they to remain in the
plains in the hope of enticing Soulet from the hills? If the latter
was the intention, it was extremely improbable that the Kashgais
would be induced to play the part allotted to them.
Mr. Montagu said that, moreover, these reinforcements were
expected to start from Bushire in a week.
Colonel Gribbon said that the War Office did not wish to send
any force to Bushire, but that these operations were now under the
Commander-in-Chief India’s orders and that he should be consulted.
General Smuts referred to the Commander-in-Chief India’s
telegram of the 29th May (E.( ’.—461) in whichhe said that his present
action had been to order half a battalion to Bundar Abbas and two
battalions to Bushire. Sir Charles Munro hoped that Sykes would
be able to hold out in Shiraz until October, in which case he proposed,
if necessary, to despatch a column of one brigade, one battery, and
one company of sappers and miners, to Kazerun from Bushire.
Again, the following day, the Commander-in-Chief, India, had wired
(E.C.—462) as follows :—
“ You will see from Sykes’s own telegram that he proposed
two lines of operations, via Bushire and Bundar Abbas, but in
neither case could reinforcements reach him in less than two
months from the date of departure from India, for which
period Sykes must be prepared to maintain his position in
Shiraz.”
The Chairman said that in the Commander-in-Chiefs view no
considerable operations could take place until October. It appeared
rather remarkable that the Commander-in-Chief had sent on
Sir P. Sykes’s latest telegram without any comment, and he also had
said nothing about our telegram regarding the two battalions to
Bundar Abbas.
General Smuts said that the operations had now been placed in
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