With the Persian Expedition

by Martin Henry Donohoe

Lieutenant E. W. Wallace also received the 4th Class of the Order of St Vladimir, and several St. George's Crosses were awarded to the men.

OPERATIONS AT BAKU.

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 The remaining section of No. 1 Battery and two sections of the machine-gun company were withdrawn from Resht on August 6th, embarking the same evening for Baku, which was reached on August 7th.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 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.

On August 14th one section of guns took up a position in the line at the foot of Griazni Vulkan, to the north-east of Baladjari Station. The next few days were fully occupied in the construction of machine-gun emplacements. Two armoured cars and a half-section of the motor machine-gun company were retained in Baku in reserve to maintain order in the town. On August 24th one of these armoured cars proceeded to Griazni Vulkan, where it remained in support of the line.