File 52/1912 Pt 3 'Persia Diaries' [‎38r] (86/1128)

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INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY FOR THE WEEK ENDING THE 26 TH OCTOBER
1918 , NUMBER 41 a.
Khorasan and North-East Persia.
Light
Cavalry under
35B. British Force— troops of the 28th
Lieutenant Wilson have reached Meshed.
On the 21st instant Lieutenant Straker, 28th Light Cavalry, left for
Askabad with the following reinforcements, 28th Light Cavalry 2 Indian
Officers, I. O. It, 60 horses 77 , 19th Punjabis 1 Indian Officer, I. O. Us. 11
Army Bearer Corps 11 men.
Khaha front. —As a consequence of the recent action at Dushakb, the
Bols v eviks retired to and beyond Tejan which place has been occupied by our
troops. The Bolsheviks w T ere finally located at Kara Bata to the west^ of
Merv. Considerable damage to the railway is reported. With the exception
of a few shells from the enemy armoured train there has been no further
fighting.
854. Provinces. —Little of interest is to hand this w 7 eek. A report from
Sabzwar states that public opinion is changing in favour of the British.
355. Bolshevik Mission.—One Babuchkin, formerly Bolshevik Commissary
for foreign affairs at Tashkent, accompanied by another commissary named
Shalashnikov and several armed Russians and Armenians, arrived at Meshed
yesterday via Kushk and Pul-i-Khatun Babuchkin who brought his wife with
him states that he has been appointed Russian Consul at Meshed by the
Tashkent Authorities. The whole party who arrived armed to the teeth, have
been detained in British Military custody.
356 Refugees— Six of the male Russian refugees from Herat, together
with the widow and 2 daughters of Yon Schultz, the Russian Engineer
who recently died at Herat, and the Russo-German “ Atrab ’ who
was for some time at Herat with V on Gruden reached Meshed yesterday.
Except in the case of the last named no particular suspicion appears to attach
to this party.
357 Prisoners. — Two young Russians and 7 Hungarian prisoners of war,
who deserted from the Bolsheviks from Hushakh at the beginning of the
recent action arrived here 3 days ago. The Russians are in our ^ charge and
the Hungarians in custody of the Governor-General. Erom their interroga
tory all appear to have been employed as workers and not as fighting men.
They had all been recently drafted to the front from Tashkent and other
Turkistan towns. Erom their statements the Bolshevik forces at Hushakh
would appear to have between 2,500 and 3,000 fighting men.
It is understood that the Persian Authorities have succeded in recaptur
ing 4 of the Turkish prisoners who recently escaped from the Ark.
358. Sarakhs. —Owing to disorder in Russian Sarakhs and. an appeal from
some of the inhabitants for assistance, the Governor of Persian Sarakhs pro
ceeded to the former place. Order was apparently quickly restored. Mainly
owin^ to the Bolshevik threat of aggression on Persian Sarakhs and to the
possibility of violation of the Persian frontier a Persian force of 200 to 300
men has proceeded to Sarakhs.
359. Mission. —Lieutenant-Colonel Battine, 21st Cavalry, and Captain
Abdul Samad Shah both attached to the Meshed Military Mission left for
Sarakhs to-day.
Herat and Afghanistan.
360. Germans and adherents. —No fresh activity is reported. Kasim
Beo* has of course done his best to characterize to the Naib/ul-Hukumah the
communiques of Allied successes received by the latter ^sa tissu^ of lies. ,-. . ^ .