Printed papers on the political situation and military policy in Egypt [‎40r] (79/176)

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73. On receipt of this latter information, strong representations were again
made to the Jerusalem Government on the point, on which no decision had been
reached by the end of the year.
19. Armenian Refugees from Cilicia.
74. At the end of November and the beginning of December, as a result of the
publication of the Angora Agreement, and the subsequent exodus of a part of the
Christian population of Cilicia, several ships arrived at Egyptian ports carrying
large numbers of refugees, the majority being Armenians. Some of them had come
on from Syria and Palestine, where they had been refused permission to land, but
a considerable number were in possession of visas for Egypt granted by a Spanish
vice-consul at Mersina, who \vas in charge of British interests there. On receipt of
this information a telegram was immediately despatched to His Britannic Majesty's
consul-general, Beirout, requesting him to ensure that no more of these visas were
to be granted, and instructions were issued at the same time to the local port control
authorities to the effect that no refugees from Cilicia were to be permitted to land.
A few exceptions were subsequently made to this ruling in the case of individuals
having means of support here, and in cases of severe illness.
75. Eventually the ships carrying these refugees left Egyptian waters, two of
them returning to Mersina. An unusual incident, however, occurred on the
steamship “ Pomone,” a French vessel, carrying 350 Armenians, who all claimed to
be in possession of a British visa for Egypt issued by the Spanish vice-consul at
Mersina. The refugees, on hearing that they could not land in Egypt, took possession
of the ship, confining the officers, and capturing as hostages two representatives of
the ship’s agents, who came on board. The refugees declined to allow the ship to
sail for Marseilles, on the ground that they did not trust the French whose real
intention was to return them to Mersina, where they would be massacred.
76. The master of the ship equally refused to sail, maintaining that the
mutinous refugees, disarmed or not, would overpower his crew at sea.
77. This situation was prolonged for a considerable time, the steamship
“ Pomone '' remaining in Alexandria harbour.
78. Eventually, at the request of the French consular authorities, the refugees
were disarmed by a detachment of Egyptian police, a few revolvers and knives being
seized. A picket from a French man-of-war was placed on board, and the “ Pomone ”
sailed for Beirout. She had been in Alexandria harbour for a fortnight.
79. Although it was finally settled bv the intervention of a French detachment,
this episode raised the question of the duties of the British naval authorities, in
cases of this nature arising in ports of countries in which the Capitulations are in
force.
20. Russian Refugees.
80. At the beginning of 1921 the Russian refugees in Egypt were divided
between two camps, situated at Sidi Bishr, on the coast a few miles east of
Alexandria, and at Ismailia respectively. A further camp at Limassol, in Cyprus,
is under the same military administration as the camps in Egypt, and is therefore
dealt with below.
81. The total number of Russian refugees in Egypt and Cyprus in February
1921 was 2,980. During the year there were no important additions to this number,
which, on the other hand, was slowly reduced. In June 1921 the detailed figures were
as follows :—
Egypt—
Sidi Bishr Camp ... ... ... 1,172
Sidi Bishr Hospital ... ... ... 307
Ismailia ... ... ... ... 467
Living at their own expense ... ... 339
Cyprus—
Limassol Camp ... ... .. ... 486
Limassol Hospital ... ... ... 104
Living at their own expense ... ... 72
making a total for Egypt and Cyprus of 2,947, of whom 411 were self-supporting.
In December 1921 the total numbers were 2.822, of whom 710 were self-supporting.
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