Captain Stanley George Savige AIF KBE CB DSO MC ED
Captain Stanley Savige Australian Imperial Forces 1918
The D.S.O. is awarded to Captain Stanley Savige.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the retirement of refugees from Sain Keleh to Tikkan Tappah between 26th and 28th July 1918; also at Chalkaman on the 5th and 6th August 1918. He was in command of a small party sent to protect the rear of the column of refugees who being hard pressed by the enemy. By his energy, resource and able dispositions the hostile troops, many of whom were mounted, were kept at a distance, although in greatly superior force. He hung on to position after position until nearly surrounded, but on each occasion extricated his command most skilfully. His cool determination and fine example under fire inspired his men and put heart into the almost panic stricken refugees, thereby averting what might have been a very serious situation.
The D.S.O. is awarded to Captain Stanley Savige.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the retirement of refugees from Sain Keleh to Tikkan Tappah between 26th and 28th July 1918; also at Chalkaman on the 5th and 6th August 1918. He was in command of a small party sent to protect the rear of the column of refugees who being hard pressed by the enemy. By his energy, resource and able dispositions the hostile troops, many of whom were mounted, were kept at a distance, although in greatly superior force. He hung on to position after position until nearly surrounded, but on each occasion extricated his command most skilfully. His cool determination and fine example under fire inspired his men and put heart into the almost panic stricken refugees, thereby averting what might have been a very serious situation.
Webmaster's note to the reader
My name is Gaby Kiwarkis, the story of Captain Savige, or “Savige of Persia” as I like to call him is a fascinating one, I first came across it while researching British troops in Persia [Iran] in 1998, I got the idea from the stories my grandfather told me when I was young, he use to say "we had British officers with us" I wanted to know who they were.
To understand the full story I believe you must understand the background to the story, here I will attempt to prepare the reader for the incredible story of this great man.
I want to make this page the most comprehensive account of his service in Persia, although I have also included information for research purposes. On this page I will include links to his personal notes that are not available anywhere else and contents of his diary, and also full copy of his book Stalkys Forlorn hope.
I must stress the importance of reading the paragraphs below before reading anything else.
My name is Gaby Kiwarkis, the story of Captain Savige, or “Savige of Persia” as I like to call him is a fascinating one, I first came across it while researching British troops in Persia [Iran] in 1998, I got the idea from the stories my grandfather told me when I was young, he use to say "we had British officers with us" I wanted to know who they were.
To understand the full story I believe you must understand the background to the story, here I will attempt to prepare the reader for the incredible story of this great man.
I want to make this page the most comprehensive account of his service in Persia, although I have also included information for research purposes. On this page I will include links to his personal notes that are not available anywhere else and contents of his diary, and also full copy of his book Stalkys Forlorn hope.
I must stress the importance of reading the paragraphs below before reading anything else.
Brief background.
When the Great War began, the Assyrians found themselves solicited in turn by the two warring sides. It was clear the Assyrians in their Hakkiari Mountains occupied a key position, sandwiched between the Turks and the Russians advancing from the east.
Massacres of Assyrians in the surrounding districts by Turkish and Kurdish forces forced the mountain Assyrians to join the Allies. It was not long however before they were forced off the mountains by overwhelming numbers and made their way to Assyrian areas in the lowlands of lake Urmia in Persia. Their closest ally the Russians who were the main source of supplies evacuated the battle fields when they heard the call for revolution in Russia, so in 1917 the Assyrians and Armenians in Persia found themselves having to fight alone for eight months with dwindling supplies before they were contacted by the British, and this is where Savige comes into the picture, he was a member of Dunsterforce, the men of Dunsterforce were handpicked and most held bravery awards from previous battles in France. At the time of his personal contact with the Assyrian army the Turks broke through Assyrian defences and a disorderly panicked retreat began. A disastrous exodus that included women, children and the elderly. When faced with this situation the commanders of Dunsterforce wanted to retreat but a handful of ANZACs commanded by Captain Savige had other ideas, he forced a decision to allow him to stay and help with the retreat and his actions and those of others under his command saved over 60,000 Assyrian and Armenian refugees.
Click picture to read his diary,
what he wrote while on the move.
what he wrote while on the move.
STALKY'S FORLORN HOPE
The account of Dunsterforce written by Captain Savige in 1920 is a fascinating read on its own but if you are a researcher then you must also read his hand-written notes, I have made available on this page, as far as I know they not available anywhere else. I have read book and the hand written notes and I have found many differences, I believe the book has been censored by the editor and perhaps a little pressure from higher places, remember this was 1920. For example, at one point the Assyrians break up and fight as clans instead of an army, in his notes Captain Savige sternly blames his commanding officer for inactivity during a critical time but in the book this is watered down and much of the blame is put on the Assyrians.
Points to take into account that were not known back then.
1/ Intelligence reports prior to WWI were scarce, for Dunsterforce and Captain Savige Persia was the final frontier, it was beyond the furthest outpost of the British empire. Captain Savige having little information regarded the refugees as one group, all eastern Christians, but there were four distinct groups and all had different agendas and only one group’s agenda was the same as Captain Savige’s.
First group was the Highland Assyrians, their agenda was the same, they wanted to defeat the Turks and return to their homes in the Hakkarri mountains.
Second group was the lowland Assyrians and Armenians of Persia, their agenda was to return to Persia they had little interest in defeating the Turks but were willing to fight.
Third group was the Armenians of Lake Van who previously retreated to Persia, these had no interest in the highlands or the lowlands, this group was most troublesome and I believe was the cause of the breakdown in defences that led to the exodus. I say this because it is briefly mentioned in the book but also take note when reading that the first lot of refugees were not Assyrian, in fact it was 24hrs before any Assyrians were seen.
Fourth group was the remnants of the Russian army who feared returning to Russia which was now under Bolshevik control. This group allied with the third group and had the same interest of leaving the area and not returning, this group conspired with the third group to vacate the defences without warning the Assyrians.
2/ The second and very important point to understand is by the time Captain Savige tried to muster the Assyrian fighters, they had already lost all faith in the British force.
The Assyrians: these were hardy men of the highlands who were trained to ride a horse and fire a rifle at a very young age, fighting was part of their life and they pledge to the highland code, “protect the clan at all costs” it was their duty and cowardice was rewarded with a bullet.
When the Assyrian joined the first world war on the side of the Allies they were promised logistical support, they had no means to replenish their ammunition and when the Russian pulled out of the war in 1917 the Assyrians felt they were abandoned, this was the first disappointment. When the whole nation retreated to Urmia in Persia they were promised again by the Allies if they continue to fight they will be supported, this did not happen for eight months and during this time the Assyrians lost many men and felt cheated, this was the second disappointment. When the Assyrians first met with men of Dunsterforce in 1918 they were told only a few British officers will accompany them back, this was their third disappointment and captain savage points out they were extremely upset, Assyrians felt the British had no idea of enemy strength and didn't take the situation seriously so they started distrusting the British. After their meeting, they all rode north to Assyrians lines but were met with refugees on the way who told them the Turks broke through and were massacring the people, at this time for several days the Assyrian highlanders were told to stand down by Major More who commanded the officers of Dunsterforce, this was the fourth and final disappointment, to be told to dismount and sleep for days while their clans were under attack was a shame they could not bare, following the fourth and final disappointment each clan moved out and fought on its own until reaching safety.
The Clans; it’s also important to note the Assyrians were clans and had their own leaders, they elected Agha Petros to lead the nation at time of war because of his extraordinary skills and experience which captain Savige explains in his book, but after the fourth major disappointment they refused to follow him any further and all fought again as clans. This at the time was not known when the book was written.
Captain Savige the man;
He was an extraordinary man, latter held the rank of Lt General and also founded Legacy. In his early years he wanted to become a priest, he had a heart of Gold and was known as the soldiers General. During the exodus, he risked his command many times and was nearly surrounded many times, he almost died not only from enemy fire but also fever. His decision to help the refugees saved nearly 60,000 and eventually 35,000 Assyrians survived, these were the remnants of the highland and lowland Assyrians.
I am a descendant of those refugees.
The account of Dunsterforce written by Captain Savige in 1920 is a fascinating read on its own but if you are a researcher then you must also read his hand-written notes, I have made available on this page, as far as I know they not available anywhere else. I have read book and the hand written notes and I have found many differences, I believe the book has been censored by the editor and perhaps a little pressure from higher places, remember this was 1920. For example, at one point the Assyrians break up and fight as clans instead of an army, in his notes Captain Savige sternly blames his commanding officer for inactivity during a critical time but in the book this is watered down and much of the blame is put on the Assyrians.
Points to take into account that were not known back then.
1/ Intelligence reports prior to WWI were scarce, for Dunsterforce and Captain Savige Persia was the final frontier, it was beyond the furthest outpost of the British empire. Captain Savige having little information regarded the refugees as one group, all eastern Christians, but there were four distinct groups and all had different agendas and only one group’s agenda was the same as Captain Savige’s.
First group was the Highland Assyrians, their agenda was the same, they wanted to defeat the Turks and return to their homes in the Hakkarri mountains.
Second group was the lowland Assyrians and Armenians of Persia, their agenda was to return to Persia they had little interest in defeating the Turks but were willing to fight.
Third group was the Armenians of Lake Van who previously retreated to Persia, these had no interest in the highlands or the lowlands, this group was most troublesome and I believe was the cause of the breakdown in defences that led to the exodus. I say this because it is briefly mentioned in the book but also take note when reading that the first lot of refugees were not Assyrian, in fact it was 24hrs before any Assyrians were seen.
Fourth group was the remnants of the Russian army who feared returning to Russia which was now under Bolshevik control. This group allied with the third group and had the same interest of leaving the area and not returning, this group conspired with the third group to vacate the defences without warning the Assyrians.
2/ The second and very important point to understand is by the time Captain Savige tried to muster the Assyrian fighters, they had already lost all faith in the British force.
The Assyrians: these were hardy men of the highlands who were trained to ride a horse and fire a rifle at a very young age, fighting was part of their life and they pledge to the highland code, “protect the clan at all costs” it was their duty and cowardice was rewarded with a bullet.
When the Assyrian joined the first world war on the side of the Allies they were promised logistical support, they had no means to replenish their ammunition and when the Russian pulled out of the war in 1917 the Assyrians felt they were abandoned, this was the first disappointment. When the whole nation retreated to Urmia in Persia they were promised again by the Allies if they continue to fight they will be supported, this did not happen for eight months and during this time the Assyrians lost many men and felt cheated, this was the second disappointment. When the Assyrians first met with men of Dunsterforce in 1918 they were told only a few British officers will accompany them back, this was their third disappointment and captain savage points out they were extremely upset, Assyrians felt the British had no idea of enemy strength and didn't take the situation seriously so they started distrusting the British. After their meeting, they all rode north to Assyrians lines but were met with refugees on the way who told them the Turks broke through and were massacring the people, at this time for several days the Assyrian highlanders were told to stand down by Major More who commanded the officers of Dunsterforce, this was the fourth and final disappointment, to be told to dismount and sleep for days while their clans were under attack was a shame they could not bare, following the fourth and final disappointment each clan moved out and fought on its own until reaching safety.
The Clans; it’s also important to note the Assyrians were clans and had their own leaders, they elected Agha Petros to lead the nation at time of war because of his extraordinary skills and experience which captain Savige explains in his book, but after the fourth major disappointment they refused to follow him any further and all fought again as clans. This at the time was not known when the book was written.
Captain Savige the man;
He was an extraordinary man, latter held the rank of Lt General and also founded Legacy. In his early years he wanted to become a priest, he had a heart of Gold and was known as the soldiers General. During the exodus, he risked his command many times and was nearly surrounded many times, he almost died not only from enemy fire but also fever. His decision to help the refugees saved nearly 60,000 and eventually 35,000 Assyrians survived, these were the remnants of the highland and lowland Assyrians.
I am a descendant of those refugees.
in 2006 I organised a memorial event for General Savige click bottom link to see photos and read speeches
