Page 358 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

6 PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORT

Paring the second and third weeks in August parties of tribesmen were
very aolivo in making night raids. The first raid was against a houso just
behind the outpost lino used as a signalling station. No aamago was done here,
but this raid-occurred before the occupation and points to tho fact that the
raids would probably have been made evou if there had been no occupation.
Betweon this date and the 20th August several raids wore made, the houses of
Messrs. Gray Paul, tho 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 Commanding, the Civil
Administrator advised Europeans living in residences scattered about the
Island to movo into Town or sleep in tho Telegraph buildings near the
Head-quarters of tho Troops. After tho raid on the Telegraph building,
in which all the ladies were collected for the night, most of them left Bushire.
On the night of the 16th the Russian Consulate was attacked and a few shots
fired at the French Consulate, and on the night of tho 19th the British Resi­
dency at Subzabad had its turn.
The party which made the last mentioned attack apparently had some
men wounded aud could not get away or was too late to do so, as tho next
morning it was found to the hiding in the nullahs near Zangena at the Eastern
edge of the Island. An attack was made on these nullahs by portions of the
11th Rajputs aud 9Gth Infantry, but tho attack failed to dislodgo 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 2Jjth and as Military Governor on the 26th.
After the arrival of General Brooking a night raid was made in the direc­
tion of tho Town and another on ono of the outposts. This raid was led by
Rais Ali in person and be was killed. Rais 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 'he morning of the 9th cf September it was discovered that a party of
5 or CUU tribesmen had come across and concealed themselves in the nullahs
near Zangena almost exactly where they were on tho 20th August. They were
at once attacked and driven out at the point of the bayonet As they retreated
across the Massilleh they were severoly punished by our machine guns and
charged by the Squadron of the 16th Cavalry. In the chargo the Squadron
Commander, Major Pennington, and 2nd-Licutenant Thornton, I.A.R.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
Governors, one for Bushire Town and one
Administration.
for outside.
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, Finance, Police, and Postal Departments worked under their
own officials except that the previous Kalantar (head of the Town Admmistra-
tion and Police) Abdur Rcza was removed and Haji Yusuf appointed, loe
Persian Telegraph Office was closed: in point of fact it was useless in any case
as the Bushire-Borasjun line had been cut by tho tribesmen for a long time
before the occupation.
The receipts from the customs and the Finance Department were pkj
in the Imperial Bank of Persia and a portion expended on financing
Administration. The balance was utilized to pay one or two outstan ng
pl^ims, and it was understood at tho end of the year that the indemniti