Iran -- Description and travel; World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Iran
At the end of July the new Government in Baku asked for British
assistance. One section of No. 1 Battery (two cars) and two sections
of the motor machine-gun company embarked at Enzeli, arriving at Baku
August 5th. The remaining section of No. 1 Battery and two sections
of the machine-gun company were withdrawn from Resht on August 6th,
embarking the same evening for Baku, which was reached on August 7th.
Owing to the presence of Bolshevik troops in the town, the armoured
cars and machine-gun company did not proceed to the line. There were
constant threats that the Bolsheviks intended to attempt to turn out
the new Government by a _coup de main_. The armoured cars "stood to"
every night, whilst machine-guns were located in various buildings
commanding the streets leading to the quarter of the town in which
the British troops were billeted.
In order to stiffen and encourage the local forces, British troops
were sent into the line on August 9th. One section of the motor
machine-gun company took up positions at Voltchi Vorota on the left
of the line, co-operating with detachments of the Staffords. Efforts
were also made to organize the Russian machine-guns in this section
of the line, with some success. (The organization of the Russian
machine-guns was later handed over to Major Vandenberg.)
On the same date two armoured cars and one and {264} a half sections
of the motor machine-gun company were sent to Zabrat, to take part in
operations being carried out against Mashtagi. These two cars were
constantly in action, handling very severely about 100 Turks who were
found sitting and lying about behind a hedge.
The machine-guns took up positions in the Armenian lines. These
machine-guns were taken forward, and then covered the advance of the
Armenians. No serious attack on Mashtagi was, however, at any time
made by the local forces.
One incident in this area is worth recording. At the request of
Headquarters a Brigade Vauxhall Staff car was lent for the purpose of
taking Tartar delegates to the front line, from whence it was
intended that the delegates should make their way behind the Turkish
lines and arrange terms with the local Tartars. Through some error,
the car, also containing in addition to the delegates two sergeants
of the Brigade, was sent on through the lines and captured by the
Turks. Sergeant Miks was captured on this occasion. Russian born,
he was a local linguist, and had gone through some remarkable
adventures, whilst keeping under observation the movements of the
Bolsheviks in Baku.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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