'File 26/185 V (F 96) Shaikh of Mohammerah' [‎57r] (119/472)

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affoi^ Military support. 1 attach a translation in English
of the letter 1 asked the Governor to send me in
confirmation. His latest information he had obtained by
telephone enquiry himself from the Customs post, where he
said the only occupantj a customs farraj&s» declared he had
just seen the ^rabs and was about to run away himself.
1 accordingly passed on this report and
request to the officer Comnanding Military and ^aval officer
in charge i«aval .aase, stating that i- would try to verify the
information and discover exactly where the Arab force was, 1
^ave it as my opinion that though i- could not vouch for
numbers it certainly seemed that something really ^as happen
ing, and it might be well to taxe precautions whilst it was
yet daylight, it seemed possible that Arabs might be
collecting in the vicinity with the intention of carrying
out a raid after dark.
Xhe Officer Commanding decided to send across
one Company of ^umaon Hifles from Abadan to supplement the
platoon of Hyderabad otate forces which it had already been
arranged, in conjunction with the i*avy, should come to
^horramshahr from sunset to sunrise since the incident of
the 12th. A decond company of Kumaonis and another platoon of
Hyderabads followed later. The first company arrived just
as darkness set in and took up positions covering the
European residential quarter and the town, shortly after the
Chief of ^innieh returned, having posted him men in the -ustoms
-ost, with the report that he could find no trace of ^ny party
of Arabs. It was thought possible they might have moved
northbf the Customs post and lain up somewhere, i-he night,
however, passed ofi without incident, except for four
isolated shots at various intervals from the Iraq side of
the ^hatt-al -Arab, and ^hich have not yet been explained as
far as 1 am aware.
in the morning, a reconnaisance by air and a
motor patrol of a detachment of some 40 Gurkhas from Basra
was undertaken, it was decided not to patrol from this are3,
to avoid possibility of confusion, until the evening when die
Mimaonis carried out a motor patrol in front oi -^horramshahr
to the frontier.
x^o traces of Arab gatherings or unusual
numbers were discovered. i<or any persons carrying ar as.
During the morning of the ICth i^-ajor ue^cock,
Area liaison Officer,^huaistan, and myself carried out
exhaustive enquiries into the origin of the reports, i had
arranged the night before with the Governor that the -nj ci oi
Amnieh, with four of his men, the shaikh and the taxi-driversj
who had brought news and whom the Governor had said were in
police custody pending investigations, should meet us ana go
in cars to the place where the ^rabs had been sighted.
intantion was to inspect the ground and if no tracks ^
found to demand their explanation tor their lalse reports.
Accordingly at 6-30 a .m. kajor Jeacock and ^i
waited at the rendezvous but no party materialised. At 6-4^
a.ou i sent round to the ^mnieh ^nd was ooii that the Chief
had gone out on inspection. Thereupon i telephoned the
Governor and he assured me that four n^jiieh with the Shaikh
were on their way and would be there within ten minutes.
lifter