CHAPTER 68
With the shortage of officers Fernee was appointed to a fighting role as well as his intelligence role. The soldiers he commanded consisted of Indians, Turkmen and Russians. Fernee was told that the troops he commanded were the least martial of the men available to Fishlock and therefore they were to act only as a reserve. Fernee split his group into an Indian force under their Subedar, whilst he led the Turkmen and Russians. His ability to communicate with his Russian troops was fine but to the Turkmen it was non-existent. There was no fighting on that first day of Fernee’s new command - for which he actually thanked God.
It was on his second day at the Kaaka front, about an hour after sunrise, just as Fernee began to drink a welcome cup of tea when one of the Russian officers under his command shouted that he could see enemy troops through his binoculars. Fernee who had no field glasses was forced to listen to a running commentary by Russian that the Bolos’ infantry and cavalry were outflanking the FTU and British forces.
Fernee realised that the Bolos were seeking to capture Kaakha village and its railway from the rear; this was confirmed when a short time later heavy rifle and machine gun fire broke out from beyond the station and its surrounding gardens. Like it or not Fernee decided he had to act. He sent the Subedar and his Indians to the left of the station whilst he led his group to the station’s right. Slowly Fernee worked his way past the station and through the gardens towards the noise of the battle. As they progressed they came upon no enemies or much sign of them except for one abandoned machine-gun.
As Fernee progressed through the gardens beyond the station various FTU soldiers, not from his command, were sheltering there. These soldiers were coerced to join Fernee’s force at gunpoint. Eventually the gardens gave way to a wide open space beyond which lay an old ruined fort pre-dating the Russian conquest. The Russians soldiers joined Fernee as he moved into the open area but the Turkmen held themselves back in the shelter of the gardens. When Fernee saw that the Turkmen were not following him he was just about to return to get them when he saw some of them pointing to the fort. Fernee turned and saw that men had appeared and were standing on the fort walls looking at them. When the Subedar and his Indian soldiers joined Fernee a few minutes later the former identified the men on the fort walls as Bolos. Fernee then ordered all his men to take cover, which basically consisted of them lying down and making themselves as small as possible.
It seemed to Fernee that the men standing on the walls were looking to surrender because they were doing nothing. After what seemed an age two emissaries appeared from the fort and walked to within shouting range of Fernee’s troops. The emissaries shouted that the Bolos did not wish to fight fellow Turkmen and Russians so all those who were now fighting against them should surrender. A Russian FTU officer appeared from somewhere behind Fernee’s group and went and had words with the two Bolos. After a conversation of several minutes the Russian Officer took out his pistol and led one of the emissaries past Fernee. As the Russian passed Fernee he told him he was taking the Bolo to see the Commander-In-Chief; the Bolo complained that he had come as a missionary of peace and should not have been subjected to an armed seizure. The second emissary after watching his comrade being led past Fernee’s position returned to the fort whereupon all the men who had been standing on the walls disappeared behind them.
As if by some unseen signal, both sides opened fire at the same moment. Fernee told his men to stop firing as they could not see the enemy. Then as Fernee raised his head to look at the fort a bullet whistled past his ear – it had come from the rear. The Subedar raised his head and he too was nearly shot. Being shot at by the enemy was unpleasant by your own side doubly so. Fernee again raised his head to tell the Turkmen not to fire at their own side and a second bullet thumped into the ground a few inches away. A furious Fernee sent a Russian to order the Turkmen not to fire on their own side.
As the enemy fire died away without causing casualties Fernee ordered an advance on the fort. As he took his first step forward, a searing pain in his thigh forced Fernee to drop to the ground – he had been shot. There was a lot of blood but the bullet had passed through his thigh without hitting a bone or artery. As he began to dress the leg with a handkerchief he realised that he’d been shot from behind. Furious Fernee lay on his side and shouted at one of the Russian officers to get the men forward. As the enemy were not firing he heard the officer encouraging the men to advance. Fernee watched his men get up in a higgledy-piggldey fashion and advance in short dashes towards the fort; still there was no firing. Once his men had passed him he turned and began to crawl towards the safety of the gardens. Just short of the gardens Fernee saw slightly to his right an Indian soldier with a wounded arm clearly trying to comfort, what appeared to be by his uniform, a British Officer.
Mawle gave a faint smile when he saw who it was had crawled to see him. ‘Some bloody, careless bugger shot me from behind,’ Mawle gasped in great pain before bursting into a coughing fit that threw up blood.
Fernee and the wounded sepoy exchanged glances that said this wound was bad. ‘Me too,’ said Fernee.
It was obviously too painful for Mawle to speak so the three wounded men sat in silence listening to the battle until picked by stretcher bearers. The bearers took the three men to the station where a railway carriage was acting as a hospital and where a British army doctor was in charge.
‘How is it doctor?’ asked Fernee, ‘what about Mawle?’
The doctor smiled sadly. ‘You are lucky. Unless you have somehow picked up some germs, it is a clean wound and will be fine in a couple of weeks. It is not a Blighty wound so no home-leave for you. However, you will go back with the rest of the wounded by train to Ashkhabad,’ he looked at his watch ‘in about two hours.’ The doctor’s voice changed timbre. ‘Your friend will go with you but I have little hope for him I am afraid.’
Fernee for the next three days was in and out of consciousness not because of the pain in his leg but he’d picked up a fever. Mawle occupied the bed beside Fernee in the Ashkhabad railway hospital and was clearly in great pain. Whenever he was conscious Fernee tried to cheer his friend up and he was impressed by Mawle’s stoicism. On the third day when Fernee’s fever had finally broken a new patient was in Mawle’s bed.
‘Where’s Mawle, where’s Mawle?’ demanded Fernee.
Fernee knew as soon as he saw the doctor sit on his bed. ‘I am afraid he has gone. I am sorry that his place here for the last few days was so hard for him - I could do nothing. He was a brave man.’