The British column consisted about half a dozen vehicles first carried the commander of 7th Gurkhas who provided the escort, and was followed by a lorry from which there fluttered proudly in the sunshine a large Union Jack. In the next car were the brigadier and staff officers, while in one of those immediately behind I travelled with four other newspaper men, the only Press representatives to accompany this force since the inception of operations and to be present at today's histon event.
The Meeting The meeting had about it a touch of the famous Kitchener-Marchand meeting at Fashoda 43 years ago to within only two or three days. As in that instance, neither the British nor the Russian staff who had crossed such unknown terrain knew where and when contact would be made. The important difference was that this time both forces were actuated by the friendliest intentions towards one another.
Our column, which was in every sense a "flying" one in view of the speed at which we travelled, left Kermanshah late on a Saturday evening, and having spent a few of the night hours at Hamadan, set off early next morning eastwards. The distance we had to cover to meet the Russians was some 250 miles, and the journey was a thrilling one.
For in quest of the Russians we traversed the country along roads which bumped both us and our cars almost to pieces, and the diversity of which varied from wild, rugged mountain land to country of rolling plains. Here hay and clover fields were framed by friendly-looking hills, and water ran alongside them under the shelter of plane trees. The Iranians seem to make a speciality of these trees, and you meet "nurseries" of them everywhere.
During our journey we went from the intense heat of the lowlands to the almost Arctic cold of the mountain-tops, over narrow, winding passes some 9,000 feet up, where the wind, whistling almost to gale force, made the sufficiently difficult night driving more perilous.
At last, in the distance, silhouetted against the horizon, we discerned a Russian armoured vehicle standing in the centre plain. It was the only feature on the ground as far as the eye could reach, and it was flying the Soviet flag. As we approached we saw two heads emerge, and when we reached the men a corporal descended, met the brigadier and saluted.
Following a short exchange with the interpreter attached to the British column, the corporal seized a signal pistol and fired three Very lights, a signal to the rear that contact had been established. When the reply was seen the corporal invited us to follow him to the' rendezvous with his commander.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.