File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [‎441v] (893/946)

CHAPTER II.
THE FLIGHT OF THE CHRISTIANS INTO MESOPOTAMIA.
The evacuation was not completed before the Persian populace were killing women and
children, old men and sick, in the streets of the city, and following along the road to cut the
throats of stragglers without respect to age or sex. Some 10,000 Christians were cut off and never
able to join the exodus, their fate being unknown though it is conjectured most were massacred.
This massacre continued for the greater part of the entire trek of 300 miles; but when a small
British Force was met at Sain Kaleh, the horrors of the journey were somewhat mitigated during
the last 200 miles, by the gallant efforts, day after day, of this small force to keep the pursuing
Moslems at bay, and to cover the retirement of the Refugee hordes.
From Urmieh to Hamadan the road was already in a devastated condition having been laid
waste by the Turks and Russians in turn. Consequently the awful hardships that the refugees
suffered, resulted in thousands of them dying from starvation and exhaustion on the roadside, besides
the enormus number that were killed or died from disease. Others were stripped and many taken
prisoners.
Eventually, the remnants, some 50,000 strong, destitute and broken in spirit and body arrived
at Hamadan in the middle of August, 1918.
To go back a little way in the narrative and explain how the British did their best to relieve
these Christians. At the time of the exodus the British held the Lines of Communication from
Baghdad to the Caspian Sea, passing through Baqubah, Kermanshah, Hamadan, Kazvin and Enzeli
Attempts had been made to get into touch with Urumieh. Early in July, 1918, a British aeroplane
was despatched from Miaweh to Urumieh carrying a letter with the proposal that the Assyrians
should bieak through the Turkish lines at Sujbulak and take over, a convoy of ammunition and
Lewis Guns from the British at Sain Kaleh on a certain date. British Officers were also to accom
pany them back to Urumieh and take over from the Russian Officers the training of the Assyrian
Force. The Assyrians agreed to this. But no sooner had they left Urumieh for Sain Kaleh than
Turks, Kurds and Persians simultaneously swept down on Urumieh and forced the immediate
evacuation of the Christians. The British convoy had arrived at Sain Kaleh on the prescribed day
to find the non-arrival of the Assyrian force. After waiting three days the convoy was compelled to
retire, on account of the difficulty of getting supplies. Eight days latter on August 2nd, the convoy
returned and met the Assyrians, but it was then too late to save the situation.
On account of the enormous Line of Communication, from Baghdad to the Caspian, that the
British were then holding the question of obtaining and transporting supplies was a very difficult
one. It was, therefore, obvious that a sudden influx of tens of thousands of destitute refugees into
Hamadan would lead to a sudden famine and grave food crisis. It was therefore decided to form
some of the more healthy members of the male Assyrians into an Irregular Force and employ them
m Persia, while others would be formed into labour battalions for work on the roads Those who
remained of the Refugees were to be sent down in batches at regular intervals into the occupied
territory, to some concentration camp, in Mesopotamia, which could be supplied easily from the
mam Supply Depots, Ba quba was chosen as the likeliest spot. Consequently the refugees were sent
down from Hamadan in batches of about 1,000 people, by stages. Food Dumps were formed at these
stages and a British Officer placed in charge who issued rations, produced mostly from local resour
ces, to the starving hordes of men, women and children, receiving them and passing them on to the
+i? Xt ® clown the line - Thus th e Refugees arrived in Mesopotamia under the protection of