'REPORT on the Working of the Line of Communication AND ON THE Withdrawal of the British Military Mission IN EAST PERSIA, 1919-20. GENERAL STAFF INDIA. [‎48v] (103/168)

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those that Lad been long on the march to go into rest and be replaced by
camels that had been resting. The same .system of exchange could also be
applied to the transport of all final garrisons, so as to relieve tired animals.
The Turbat and Jumin final garrisons were provided with camels of the
60th Grantee Camel Corps. Kain final garrison and the Rui-Khaf flank
guard, that afterwards became the rear guard, used up a large part of the
54th Silladar Camel Corps. Detachments of the 60th, 54th and 72nd, rein
forced by some Sunder Dass camels, furnished the transport for the Birjand
final garrison. Sliusp final garrison received two troops of the 72nd Hired Camel
Corps and a large number of Sunder Dass camels. Safedawa received Sunder
Dass camels only and Hurmuk five troops of the 72nd Hired Camel Corps as
their first instalment. The camels required to complete the Hurmuk final
garrison were found from those that could be dropped at Hurmuk by Meshed
columns and other final garrisons. These for the short two days’ march to
Duzdap, could dispense with many of the camels that had been detailed for
carrying seven days’ men’s rations and five days’ forage. The ISistan final
garrison marched with local Sistan camels as far as Hurmuk, where, like the
Hurmuk final garrison, it received camels dropped there by other final
garrisons.
Wherever there was to be a change of transport in the Meshed columns
it was considered desirable to detail an additional 10 per cent, to allow for
casualties that might occur before the change took place, and the transport
allotted to final garrisons was in every case at least 10 per cent, in excess of
the calculated net requirements The reserve thus created was also intended
to allow for the almost insuperable difficulty in estimating accurately the
maundage of the miscellaneous stores that would have to be lifted from the
various posts. This reserve proved of great advantage on this account.
calculating transport requirements, the net camel load after allowing for five
days rations for the camel, was taken at 3^ maunds^ Camel Corps equipment,
in the case of organized camel corps, was included in the useful or net load^
and was therefore not an extra tax upon the camel.
To meet unforeseen demands a central reserve of 1,100 Sunder Dass
camels was established at Birjand. Some of it was eventually used in
replacing the camels referred to above that went astray when detailed from
Birjand for the Shusp final garrison. The rest, if not already used up, was to
be attached to the various columns and final garrisons as they passed through
Birjand. Many of these were eventually employed in carrying the treasure
that accrued from the sale of surplus stores and that could not be accurately
estimated before, and others picked up surplus supplies and miscellaneous
stores at the posts lower down the line, whereas as was only to be expected
these had been somewhat underestimated.
,, The premature termination of certain transport contracts consequent upon
e wi urava, lough strictly a transport matter, has already been referied
to in a previous paragraph under the head of “.terminating contracts ”.
^°a mo ^ P ar ^ Ih® transport movements took place according to
plam A few special escorted convoys were added to relieve congestioS of
X? U whtr t W 0116 0r ? SUC . h vvere Decessar r to transfer surpluses from
been a defieienev SUr ^ U - S t0 P ° StS " ,leie ^ere would otherwise have
dotted lines it tl u more important of such extra convoys are shown by
re Xnsler to WXfdt .. The most difficult problem was to
uarativelv lime nnnnft° ln / )UZ ^ ap a i nt ^ s ' stan and certain other posts a com-
to India had already beXorS ^ 11 nToXX 50 "’ r 6v f uation °f "’to ch
the 1 finds from twi '. Jt .pioved practicable, however, to collect
left Hurmuk on tlm ^ ls * a , n 111 tlme f° r the up connecting convoy that
There was therefore-inK u » u ^ a .^ reac hed Jumin on the 13th September.
Meshedi camels thaler i aS n U ^ S T 3eD ^ rom ^ le & ra Pht to catch the
ssusrti.sz
“v^X „t ''“S 1 troop. ...I thence
L '"“ ““ H tSetierat Mleer