British Indian Army general whose 1918–1919 mission backed the Transcaspian Government against the Bolsheviks
Commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1886, he transferred to the Indian Army in 1904 and worked in intelligence. In July 1918 he took over the British military mission based at Mashhad, meant to block German and Ottoman moves towards India and Afghanistan, and on 19 August concluded an agreement with the Transcaspian Government and sent in British Indian troops. They fought at Bairam Ali and Kaakha and on 14 October defeated the Bolsheviks at Dushak. In January 1919 the government was replaced by a committee chosen by a British officer, and in the spring he withdrew his troops. Soviet historians held him responsible for the execution of the 26 Baku Commissars, which he denied.
Activities and affiliations
-
1886–1920
United Kingdom state institutionsMain
Military command
Career Timeline
- 1886–1904Royal Artillery officer
- 1904–1914Intelligence at Indian Army headquarters
- 1914–1916Inspector general of communications, brigade and division commands in British East Africa
- 1918–1919Head of the British military mission in Transcaspia
- 1919Third Anglo-Afghan War
- 1920Retired