File 334/1916 Pt 1 ‘German War – Persia. Shiraz Prisoners – Major O’Connor’ [‎15v] (35/531)

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, , . j nffqnlc On the morning of the 27th April
On the 23rd he had an i - o hoard that some sort of advance was being
we heard the sound o d e 0 g ^V e were s hut up in
mad e from They told us the Khan ha^.^ cam(; to t Kala l ^
ahouUO-30 m 11 a m., and said that we would have to be shot and they would
off to the hills. He said that Colonel O’Connor would be shot first and the
8 . and then they would go off to the hills. It had always been
t'he idea of the Khlns to take us off to hills if the British troops came as they
knew that they could not resist them. Afterwards we were in our rooms. I
was Kin- on my bed. Pettigrew was lying on his bed reading a book in the
othe room At about 2-30 I was hastily called by the others who said
PettLieThad had another attack. I rushed in and found him already dead.
He undoubtedly died of angina pectoris. Possibly the fright lie had m the
morninf may ’have induced another attack. We buried Pettigrew about
5 o’clock the same day outside the fort. After this nothing much ot interest
happened All the party suffered from diarrhoea and disorder of the bowels
in the spring but afterwards got better. Messrs. Livingstone, Ayrton and Misso
have kept fairly well the whole time. I suffered a good deal trom lever and
nervous excitement. Eventually I had a very sharp attack about the 26th
of June and Zair Khidar Khan thought I was going to die and so he wrote
to Sheikh Hussain suggesting 1 should be released. Sheikh Hussain agreed
and I was released on 28th June. X left the next day under escort for Ali
Changi and came on from there yesterday arriving here last night. When I
left Colonel O’Connor, Messrs. Ferguson, Livingstone, Ayrton and Misso were
quite well, Mr. Smith and Mr. Christmas were not in good health. Mr. Smith
is suffering from weak heart and congestion of the veins. Mr. Christmas is
suffering from progressive atrophy : he is like a skeleton. It would be good
thing to exchange them, but the Khan will not, I think, let them go separately.
The'khan (Zair Khidar) is very friendly indeed just now. He hopes to get an
answer about opening the road and exchange of prisoners. The day I left an
emissary from Saulet-ud-Douleh arrived with the Khadkhuda of Semel to try
and persuade the Khans to give us up. Zair Khidar did not seem likely to
agree and said he would make his owm arrangements with the English. The
Khans seem in a poor way now. Zair Khidar has not more than 50 men.
Between him and Sheikh Hussain I do not think they could muster 100
or 120 men. Wassmuss has had no influence now for about a month or 6
weeks. There is a strong party against him at Ahram : about a month ago
he was attacked in the Balakhana-i-Nao at Ahram and several shots fired at
him one night. The people all round Ahram were quite friendly to the
prisoners. They are heartily sick of the whole business.
Before me,
Btjshire ; 'k A. P. Trevor, Major,
The 1st July 1916, ) Deputy Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
243
No. 241 C., dated Bushire, the Sj^rtCeived 11th) July 1916'(Confidential).
From MAMffe A. C.I.E., Deputy Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in t>he Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
BLE A. H. Grant, C.S.I., C.I.E., Foreign Secretary to the Gov-
/' / eminent of India in the Foreign and Political Department*
In c^htinuaticjjr' ojrmy letter No. 228 C., dated 27th June 1916, and of
telegram Nc*. 1301 of to-day, T have the honour to forward herewith,
— -hf information pf the Government of India, a letter (in original) Irom
one/f the Indian s^itionists in Stfiraz to Mr. Abdulla, 436, Hill Street, San
Pranciseo. / / i
i T*. ^ ie mar k indistinct, hut other letters received by the same mail
n?i , ^ az on J? 116 s0 that this may he taken as the approximate date.
Ihh letter was oonceajeffitra copy of the “ Ghadr ” newspaper.
„ , , 3 ’ doe f , seem ‘o be much of interest in the letter, and I have
t V 1 ra "!r t , e i but 0Dl y maiie extracts of the more interesting parts.
I am sending on the letter in case it may be of use to the Police '^
my
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