"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎١‎٨‎١] (٥٦٦/٣٦٧)

316
OPERATIONS IN PERSIA
Action of About 2.15 p.m. Colonel Orton received a message from Major
Shaikh; Stewart sa ying that he could see Major Bruce’s detachment in
:Sth i 9 i a 8 y the valley to the south ; and half an hour later a messenger
he had sent to Sangar Hill returned reporting all well there.
Colonel Orton had felt apprehensive lest enemy reinforcements
should arrive from the Khan-i-Zinian direction.
The advance from Gardan-i-Sagari started at about 3 p.m.
At 3.30 p.m. a few of the enemy on the main, range, to the east
of and above B.M.R. Ridge, attempted to outflank the party
with Colonel Orton, but were driven back by Lewis gun fire, and
Colonel Orton then ordered up the baggage column to Gardan-
i-Sagari, both to obtain better cover and to show the enemy’s
flankers’on the main ridge that we were advancing, i.e., winning
the day. In the meantime the main advance had made good
pj-Qgness and the enemy could be seen retreating south-east
ward. Colonel Orton consequently at 4 p.m. sent a message
to Major Stewart to work his way south-eastward half-way down
the Kuh-i-Phan, and he himself left for the Gardan-i-Sagari
with the party from B.M.R. Ridge so as to follow the main
attack with the baggage column and its escort.
The day’s action closed at about 7.30 p.m., by which time
Colonel Holbrooke’s infantry had driven the enemy across the
Qara Aghach river, near which the British made their camp.
The rear guard arrived at 8.15 p.m., but Major Stewart’s
company, which had been out of signalling communication wit
Colonel Orton since leaving the summit of Kuh-i-Phan, did not
march in till 9.50 p.m., after picking up and collecting many
exhausted men left behind by the main attack. The mount 0
troops under Captain De Brath had lost their way and a
made for Deh Shaikh post. But, again missing their road m
the darkness, they reached Chenar-i-Rahdar about midnig
and moved back to Deh Shaikh next morning. , ,,
It was calculated that the enemy strength in action ha 00
about 4,500 Qashqais and 300 Khamseh men of the batiarn
tribe, of whom nearly half had been mounted on poni 0
extremely nimble in getting about even on, the highes 1 ■
They had been well armed with two machine guns, n es
plenty of ammunition; and they had fought bravely, P re5 ^_
in quickly to attack or outflank wherever they saw an opp
tunity. They were estimated to have sustained between
and 700 casualties. „„ , ; *
The British casualties totalled 1 8 killed and 33 won
— — ~ ~Z T • tj r Dobbs,
* In addition to Major S. M. Bruce, 15th Lancers, Captai
3/124th Baluchis, was killed.