Coll 30/5(1) 'Persian Gulf Diaries: Bushire Residency (Persian) Jany. [sic] 1941.' [‎426r] (852/938)

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quarters even hoped, that it would be followed by an early
landing by the British.
17. The military garrison under the command of Lieut.-Colonel
Malik Nasiri had some days before posted detachments of troops
at intervals along the coast stretching from Hillelah to
Bushire,(three of these posts were quartered in villages
surrounding the Sabzabad Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ), but since no
instructions indicating the manner in which they were to treat
British subjects were received until 36 hours after our troops
had first entered Iran they took no steps to interfere with
their movements. British subjects were however informed that
if they wished to do so they could tske shelter in the Consulate.
None availed themselves of this offer, and though, in view
of the close proximity of military detachments to the
Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , special steps were taken to provide for the security
of official documents, the situation did not then or subsequent
ly appear to call for their concentration and business was
carried on in the normal manner, a close watch being maintained
to ensure the earliest possible information should anyone be
molested.
The instructions finally received by the local authorities
were to the effect that affairs were to take their normal course
and the fact that an endeavour to preserve such conditions
had already been made eased considerably the feeling ot tension
which had earlier been caused through the expectancy of a
British landing at Bushire. Only on one night, when it was
rumoured that four British warships were lying off Bushire, did
this feeling of tension approach alarm. On this occasion
the garrison took up pre-arranged positions ready to resist a
landing and a night, passed in the thought tnat they might
possibly be brought under fire from British guns, resulted in
a temporary but definite hardening of feeling against the
British. Once it was learnt that resistance had ceased,
/ however