Little-known campaigns in Persia 1916 to 1921 (forum archive)

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Posted by Harry Fecitt » 03 Apr 2009, 10:27

Harry Fecitt Private Registered user Posts: 3

Here is an article I wrote that appeared in the Friends of The Border Regiment Museum Newsletter: DISTANT DRUMBEATS Introducing some little-known campaigns where men of the Border Regiment served. Compiled by Major Harry Fecitt MBE TD, ex-4BORDER No 1: SOUTH PERSIA 1916 - 1921 On the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Tehran Memorial in Iran is an inscription recording the death of Lieutenant DONALD NEVILL CARR MC. The CWGC records state that Donald Carr served in the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment, he was attached to the South Persia Rifles, he was aged 23 when he died on 26th November 1918, and that he was the son of Donald William and Agnes Mary Carr, of the Church Missionary Society, Isfahan, Persia (now named Iran). The First World War Roll Of Honour of Queen's College, Cambridge states that Donald died of pneumonia contracted on active service in Persia. Donald's Medal Card entries at the Public Record Office show that he first served in the Royal Fusiliers, becoming a Serjeant. He was commissioned into that Regiment and then transferred to the Border Regiment, where his last rank was Captain. On page 3839 of the supplement to the London Gazette dated 22 March 1919, Temporary Captain Donald Nevill Carr, Border Regiment, attached South Persia Rifles, India Army, was awarded a Military Cross for Distinguished Service in connection with Military Operations in the Field. So why was there a South Persia Rifles, and what did it do? As The Great War started Persia was a chaotic country. Its ruling family was not popular with the people and avaricious tribal leaders and bandits controlled large swathes of land outside the cities. A Gendarmerie force of around 6,000 men had been created and was officered by Swedes. However the people saw the Gendarmes as being just as bad as the bandits and the British perceived the Swedes as being sympathetic towards Germany.But Persia had oil, and the Royal Navy needed supplies of Persian oil to power the Fleet. Germany had designs on the country and its oilfields and inserted agents into Persia to stir up anti-British feeling, often using religious reasons, with a view to one day occupying Persia with a joint German-Turkish force.In the north of Persia the Russians had come to an agreement with the Ruler, and a Cossack force of 8,000 mounted Iranian tribesmen had been raised. The force was officered by Russians and was well-trained. Morale amongst the Persian Cossacks was high as the unit was paid on time. The Cossacks protected Russian interests in the north and were a deterrent to a Turkish invasion. To the west of Persia in Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq, the British had become involved in a campaign that was not going well. The Turkish enemy was tough and resilient and the British were drawn northwards until they were repulsed at Ctesiphon and then defeated at Kut in April 1916, when a British Division surrendered - the greatest military disaster ever to have befallen the British Army.The British had become seriously worried about the security of south Persia and its oilfields, especially as a German agent named Wassmuss and his team had used the Persian Gendarmes to arrest and expel all the British nationals residing in several Persian towns. A British intervention was mounted in March 1916 by the sending to Bandar Abbas of Major (later Brigadier-General) Percy Molesworth Sykes with three British officers, three Indian officers, twenty Indian NCOs and a cavalry escort of twenty-five Central India Horse.Sykes had spent twenty years in Persia and was well-known to the tribes and their chiefs. With the permission of the Persian Ruler Sykes quickly raised a unit titled the South Persian Rifles. The unit eventually reached a strength of over 10,000 men as 5,000 Gendarmes were absorbed into the ranks. Supporting units arrived from the Indian Army as well as many individual reinforcements of NCOs and officers such as Donald Carr. (It is probable that Donald volunteered to serve in the unit because his parents were residing as missionaries in Persia.) Britain supplied and paid for the South Persian Rifles. Sykes and his unit confronted bandits, demolished their forts and countered the German threat, but the South Persia Rifles never managed to completely control the Bushire to Shiraz road. The Shiraz end of the road was controlled by the Qashqai tribe who are weavers of fine rugs. Sykes used his money chest to induce the Qashqai Chief to side with the British but this caused massive resentment amongst Persian government officials and it also gave Wassmuss an opportunity to successfully stir up feelings against the British again. The Official History 'Operations in Persia 1914-1919'

Posted by JohnFearn » 07 Apr 2009, 10:36	JohnFearn Staff Sergeant Registered user Posts: 129
A very interesting article, and a fascinating insight into the troubled past of a still-troubled region. John