CHAPTER 48
‘Where is General Muncerville? And where are the thousands of British soldiers the government here promised,’ asked Arslanian commander of the Armenian army.
‘We did not promise thousands. We have over a thousand well armed and trained British soldiers. These men should be enough, with help from our Bolshevik friends,’ Keyworth inclined his head at Martov, the returned Bolshevik Army commander, sitting silently sprawled across a chair a few empty seats down from the Armenian, ‘to keep the Turks out of the town.’
‘A thousand is not enough. There are three times as many Turks as there are defenders.’ Arslanian said looking at Martov, as if for support, but the Russian sat unmoved.
‘We are fighting a defensive battle.’ Keyworth shifted his gaze between the two men opposite him – they remained expressionless.
‘We do not want to fight for the Imperialist British,’ Martov eventually growled without changing his posture.
Hagopian, the political leader of the Baku Bolsheviks, interjected, ‘Moscow says we must not fight the Turks or Germans and that you should not have brought us back.’
‘You know what will happen if the Turks arrive,’ said Keyworth to both Bolsheviks opposite him. The pair sat still and silent.
Arslanian then turned and shrugged at Keyworth and said without conviction. ’If we were not to oppose them, which we cannot unless we have Bolshevik support, then maybe they’ll leave us alone.’
‘Our sources say many of their soldiers are not Turks but Tartars, Azeris and other Azerbaijani tribes. The Azerbaijanis will remember the Armenian massacre of their people and will want revenge.’ Keyworth replied then switched his attention to the two Bolsheviks. ‘Surely you Comrade Hagopian, as an Armenian, and you Comrade Martov, as a Russian and a co-religionist of the Armenians, will help?’
‘I am a communist as is Comrade Martov. We both believe in Karl Marx. Wars between religions are no concern of ours, are they general?’
‘No,’ Martov replied.
‘You cannot leave without the government here’s approval. Is it not better to fight because to a Tartar you will always be an infidel?’
Martov’s expression remained emotionless, whilst Hagopian merely looked at his hands which he kept clasping and unclasping in his lap. Fernee when he had finished translating raised his eyebrows at the colonel as if to say –“what’s wrong with these people?”
Keyworth fought to keep his temper and said, ‘I think we have done all we can Captain Fernee. Ask if we can go round the front lines so we can position our men to give the maximum support to their troops.’
There followed a long discussion between Arslanian and Martov about whether that was allowed. When Keyworth asked Fernee why the Bolshevik should have any say in the matter when he was banned by Moscow from fighting Fernee could not elicit an answer. Occasionally Fernee would translate in a whisper what was being said. At one stage Keyworth nearly blew his top when he heard that both the Bolos opposite said that they should be saying where the British troops should go, not the British Colonel. Finally the British officers were grudgingly given permission to visit the front.