File 3516/1914 Pt 18 'German War: Persia; general situation - 1916' [‎147r] (306/368)

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Enclo. to Serial No. 151.
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No. Cf.-898, dated Busbire, the 2ist November 1915 (Confidential).
From -Major A. P. Trevor, C.I.E. Acting Consul-General,
l* 0 C. M. IM.art.ing, F>-q., C B., C.M.G., Ilis Britannic Majesty^s Envoy Extra-
ordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Tehran.
In amplification of my telegram No. 710-0., dated to-day. J have the
honour to submit further particulars regarding the arrest of His Majesty’s
Consul, Shiraz, and the British Colony there.
It appears that on the morning of the 10th instant the Gendarmerie
suddenly and quietly occupied all the posts of vantage in the Town of Shiraz,
and that at about 9 a m. an Ultimatum, a copy of which I annex, was
presented to Major O’Connor by an anonymous body styling itself “ The
National Committee for the Protection of the Independence of Persia” Major
O’Connor tvas given half an hour to accept the terms of the Ultimatum, and
informed that if he did not do so, the houses of the British Residents would
be bombarded. Subsequently three hours were given to the British subjects
to pack up such things as they could take away. Actually less time * was
given, and in less than three hours the British Consul and Colony were
hurried off.
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On the 17th instant the party arrived at Borasjun ; it consisted of Major
O’Connor, Mr. Perguson, Manager of the Shiraz Branch of the Imperial Bank
of Persia, Mrs. Perguson and two Misses Perguson, Mr. Smith (Assistant
Superintendent of Telegraphs) and Mrs. Smith, Mr. Ayrton, Accountant of
the Imperial Bank of Persia, Mr. Pettigrew, Clerk, Indo-European Telegraph
Department, Mr. Livingstone, a merchant of Shiraz, Mr. Masso, the Cinghalese
Head Clerk of the Bank, and the Consular escort of ten sowars of the 10th
Duke of Cambridge’s Own Lancers (Hodsoa’s Dorse). £
Prom Borasjun the party was taken on towards Ahraedi by an indirect
route halting at a place called Shohak. Prom this point the men were taken
in to Tangistan under a Gendarmerie escort and apparently in charge of one
of Shaikh Hussain’s sons and Wassmuss, while the ladies w r ere sent to
Bushire under escort. The ladies, Mrs. Ferguson and her twn daughters, and
Mrs. Smith, arrived at Bushire safely in the afternoon of the 20th instant.
New r s of the arrest of Major O’Connor was first received in your telegram
No. 451-F. of November 12th, and the next day I heard the news again from
His Excellency the Darya Begi as I reported in my telegram No. 702-C., dated
13th November. These reports were, however, not credited in view of the
improved situation at Tehran. The first authentic news I received of the arrest
and deportation of the British Colony was in a letter sent by Major O’Connor
from Borasjun dated 17th November and received by me on the 18th
November. It did not give me any definite news beyond what I reported
in my telegram No. 705-C. of the 18th November.
Mrs, Perguson brought me a letter from Major O’Connor and informed
me that she had been entrusted by Shaikh Hussain with a message for me. No
letter from Shaikh Hussain or any one else claiming to speak for the National
Committee has yet reached me. In Major O’Connor’s letter was enclosed a
copy of the “ National Committee’s ” Ultimatum and a copy of the terms
proposed by “ the Khans.” The terms proposed by the Khans according to
Major O’Connor’s letter are :—
(1) The return of all Germans and Persians arrested on the neutral soil
of Persia.
(2) The return of certain moneys belonging to Shaikh Hussain and
Ghazanfar-us-Sultaneh attached during the British occupation.
(3) The evacuation of Bushire, i e., the removal of all British troops.
The last two of these terms have apparently been added by the Khans as
the Ultimatum only says that the Consul must agree for himself and the
British Colony to be provisionally arrested and despatched to Porasjun there to