The harrowing story of Henry Bilkert’s tragic end serves as a stark reminder of the perils faced by those navigating the tumultuous landscapes of the Middle East in the late 1920s.
In 1921, at Bahrain’s Mason Memorial Hospital (now known as American Mission Hospital), where the couple Anna and Henry Bilkert were working, their son Monteith Richard Bilkert was born. They all later moved to Basra.
Mr Bilkert, then employed by the Arabian Mission, found himself thrust into a deadly confrontation on January 21, 1929, during a cross-desert journey from Basra to Kuwait. Accompanied by the notable Chicago millionaire and former US Ambassador to China, Charles R Crane, Bilkert’s fateful expedition took a dire turn when they were ambushed by bandits, believed to be composed of warring tribal factions.
On that ill-fated day, both Mr Bilkert and Mr Crane, along with others, were travelling in two cars. As they ventured halfway to Kuwait, they encountered a violent assault by tribesmen. Despite the cars speeding up, the assailants relentlessly pursued, firing upon the vehicles and each other. If any single stray bullet had hit any one of those two cars’ tyres, the outcome could have been even more tragic.
Somehow, the cars managed to successfully outrace the pursuers. However, it was only after reaching a safe distance that Bilkert disclosed the severity of his injuries to his fellow passengers and driver. In agonising pain, he uttered, “It is in my shoulder. I am paralysed.”
Sadly, he did not survive, passing away within an hour of being shot.
The loss reverberated through the community, as evidenced by the sombre public funeral held in Basra the following day, January 22, 1929. Attended by hundreds, the procession from Ashar to Wakinah comprised 122 cars, according to documented reports.
The incident, fraught with diplomatic implications, garnered widespread attention and scrutiny, prompting a thorough analysis by The New York Times in the early months of 1929. Until his death, for many years, Mr Bilkert had been editing Neglected Arabia, the quarterly newsletters of the Arabian Mission.
Meanwhile, their son, Monteith Richard, carried on his father’s spirit of resilience, bravely serving in the US Navy during the Second World War and emerging as a dedicated veteran.
In the aftermath of his passing, Bilkert’s widow, Anna, forged a new path alongside Dr Paul Harrison, embarking on a decades-long journey of service at Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital. A few years after Mr Bilkert’s death in 1929, Anna married Dr Paul Harrison (who had also been widowed, following his wife Nurse Regina’s death). Later, Dr Paul and Anna served in Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital for more than 20 years.
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