North Persia Force

Active| 1918–1920
Country|  British Empire
Allegiance| Allies
Type| Infantry
Role| Detachment
Size| Brigade
Engagements| Anzali Operation
Commanders
Notable
commanders| William Montgomery Thomson
Hugh Bateman-Champain

Military unit

The North Persia Force (Norper force) was a British military force that operated in Northern Persia from 1918 to 1920. Following the British abandonment of Baku on the night of 14 September 1918, Major General Lionel Dunsterville evacuated the forces under his command, known as the Dunsterforce, in the dead of night, arriving in Bandar-e Anzali the following day. Two days later he was relieved of command, that position being taken by Major General W. M. Thomson.[1]

## Composition

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The force was a large brigade which consisted of:[2]

* 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers
* 1st Battalion, 42nd Deoli Regiment
* 122nd Rajputana Infantry
* 1st Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles
* Guides Cavalry
* A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery
* No. 30 Squadron RAF
* 15th Light Armoured Motor Battery
* 31st Indian Pack Battery
* 48th Divisional Signal Company
* 19th Company 3rd Sappers and Miners
* Reinforcements sent from Mesopotamia:
* 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment
* 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
* 2 platoons of the 1st Battalion, 67th Punjabis were based at Tabriz

The force was commanded by Brigadier General Hugh Bateman-Champain who was based at Kasvin.

## Citations

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1. ^ Minez, Roland P. Minez (2018). At the Limit of Complexity: British Military Operations in North Persia and the Caucasus 1918. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Army University Press.
2. ^ Moberly 1987, pp. 480–481.

## General and cited references

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* Moberly, F. J. (1987) [1929]. Operations in Persia 1914–1919. History of the Great War based on Official Documents by Direction of the Committee of Imperial Defence (Imperial War Museum facsimile of the confidential 1929 printing ed.). London: HMSO. ISBN 0-11-290453-X - via Qatar Digital Library.

## Further reading

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* Haldane, J. A. L. (2005). The Insurrection in Mesopotamia, 1920. London: The Imperial War Museum in association with The Battery Press. ISBN 978-1-904897-16-3. OCLC 60688896. OL 22727753M. Retrieved 24 May 2020.

## External links

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* Miscellaneous Units Serving Overseas on The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918 by P. B. Chappell at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2012)