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25. ‘Notes and private telegram from the Viceroy regarding the future settlement of Eastern Turkey in Asia and Arabia.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The papers comprise as follows:A note by Sir (Frederic) Arthur Hirtzel, Secretary, Political and Secret Department, India Office, dated 14 March 1915, indicating factors to be considered in ensuring Basra’s future immunity from Turkish authority, organised under a number of subheadings: geography; ethnology; communications, including roads, railways, and waterways; irrigation; administrative reorganisation; the geographical area to be detached from Turkish authority; the nature of the new administration; protected area; and Persia (folios 77-83);A note by General Sir Edmund George Barrow, Military Secretary, India Office, dated 16 March 1915, on the defence of Mesopotamia [Iraq], written in response to Hirtzel’s note, and considering the military implications of defending Mesopotamia (folios 83-84);Comments on Barrow’s note by Hirtzel, dated 17 March 1915, chiefly concerned with Turkish influence in the Arab world (folios 84-85);A telegram from the Viceroy (Charles Hardinge) to the Marquess of Crewe, Secretary of State for India, dated 15 March 1915, regarding the importance of British administration of the vilayets (administrative regions) of Basra and Bagdad [Baghdad], and ownership of the Baghdad railway (folio 85);A map entitled ‘Eastern Turkey in Asia’, indicating the Baghdad railway (completed and projected sections), the Hejaz railway, Aleppo Mezerib line, and the Turko-Persian frontier (folio 86).Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 77, and terminates at f 86, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 77-86; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.Folio 86 is a fold-out map, extending by more than 3cm beyond the edge of the volume.
26. 'Short memorandum on the inception, difficulties and results of the Mesopotamian Campaign'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file is a printed report consisting of a memorandum on the inception, difficulties and results of the Mesopotamia Campaign, printed by the General Staff, India (Simla, 1916). It gives details about the present situation in Mesopotamia, Indian troops, and difficulties in terms of the political condition, strategy, physical condition, food supply, climate, local feeling, and religious complications. The front cover contains the title, serial number and case number, and is marked 'Secret'.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: The booklet also has an original printed pagination sequence.
27. Papers concerning the Treatment of British Prisoners of War at Kut
- Description:
- Abstract: The papers consist of reports and associated correspondence concerning the treatment of British prisoners of war from the British garrison at Kut [Kut Al-Amarah], following its surrender to Ottoman Turkish forces on 29 April 1916.The papers include a typescript memorandum (folios 3-28), issued by General Headquarters, IEF D [Indian Expeditionary Force D], Basra, entitled 'Information obtained from sick and wounded officers and men of the Kut Garrison who arrived at Basrah [Basra] on September 9th and 14th, 1916', which contains first hand accounts of the treatment of British and Indian troops by Turkish, Arab, and German captors. The memorandum also provides information about the Turkish army; Turkish dispositions, supplies, and armaments at Baghdad and elsewhere; and relations between the Turks and their allies. The memorandum was forwarded by the Director of Military Intelligence, War Office.Also included in the file is a printed memorandum (folios 29-31) entitled 'Turkish Treatment of British Prisoners of War.', which provides similar information from a single eyewitness. The memorandum is undated, but is signed in manuscript 'Lt [Lieutenant] McNeal R.F.A. [Royal Field Artillery]'. The memorandum also gives an account of events and conditions at Baghdad.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 31; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
28. Maps of the First World War Campaign in Mesopotamia
- Description:
- Abstract: Maps as follows:f 1 'Arabia and Middle East'. 'Friendly' and 'Hostile' Confederations with manuscript additions [1916?]f 2 'Lower Mesopotamia between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf'. Created by the War Office, 1916f 3 'Country North of the Persian Gulf'. Created by the War Office, 1916f 4 'Sketch Map showing Enemy's Position Wadi to Kut'. Created by the War Office, 1916f 5 'Map Showing British Position on the Tigris 13th. December, 1916.' Created by the War Office, 1916f 6 'Map Showing British Position on the Tigris 31st. January, 1917.' Created by the War Office, 1917f 7 'Map showing Enemy's Position at east end of Suwaicha Marsh'. Created by the War Office, 1916f 8 Kut to Sheikh Saad [Shaykh Sa'd]. Created by Ordnance Survey, 1916.Physical description: 8 map sheets
29. Letter from Brigadier-General Arthur Wigram Money, General Headquarters, India Expeditionary Force "D", Basrah [Basra] to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department, India Office
- Description:
- Abstract: The confidential letter reports on the tribal situation in Mesopotamia [Iraq], describing the various tribes located in the different listed geographic areas and noting whether they were friendly or hostile to British forces. The sections in the letter include:General - reporting on the check received by the British force at Ctesiphon, 22 November 1915, which had temporarily changed the progress of their advance, but that it had not appeared to have changed the tribes attitudes towards them;Euphrates Line, reporting on the tribes of the Nasirayah [al-Nāsirīyah] neighbourhood and of Ajaimi [al-‘Ajamī] of the Muntafik [al-Muntafiq] who was in the Samawa [al-Samāwah] neighbourhood;Shatt-al-Hai [Shaṭṭ al-Gharrāf], reporting that Khayun-el-Obeid, the Chief of Al Abudah had been stirred up by Turkish officers and had now abandoned his allegiance to Britain, detailing which other chiefs in the area were likely to follow him, and reporting on the Bani Rubiah who were now actively hostile towards them;Tigris Line, reporting that good relations had continued with some of the tribes along river, with the exception of the Zubaid [al-Zubayd] and Shammar Toqah Arabs as there had not been sufficient time to develop British relations with them;Karun [Kārūn], reporting that there were tribes in the area loyal to the Shaikh of Muhammareh (Shaikh Khaz‘al bin Jābir al-Ka‘bī) [Muhammarah, now Khorramshahr] , an ally of the British, and that Germany had attempted to gain influence around the oil-fields in the area, but had not succeeded;Persia, discussing the British-Persian alliance which was under negotiation, and the fact that the British would have sufficient warning should any force move towards Bushire;Arabia, reporting on the conclusion of a treaty with Ibn Saʻūd and relations with the new Shaikh of Kuwait (Jābir bin Mubārak Āl Sabāh).Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 28 and terminates at folio 29, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in the volume; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
30. Letter from Lieutenant-Colonel William George Grey, Indian Army, Political Agent, Kuwait to Sir Arthur Hirtzel, Secretary, Political Department, India Office
- Description:
- Abstract: The letter from Lieutenant-Colonel William George Grey to Sir Frederic Arthur Hirtzel encloses a copy of a letter No. C/8 of 1915 by Grey, as Political Agent in Kuwait, to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, dated 9 June 1915, regarding Arab co-operation with the Turks in the Shatt al-Arab [Shaṭṭ al-‘Arab] country.The letter refers to remarks made by Lord Curzon of Kedleston both in the House of Lords and in relation to an address given by Mr P Landon on Basrah and the Shatt al-Arab at the Society of Arts in April 1915. The remarks are regarding Arab tribes supporting the Turks, and further observations made by the Secretary of State for India on the Battle of Shaiba, at which it was reported that the Turkish troops had been joined by almost 10,000 Arab combatants. The letter also raises the question of why they were now siding with the Turks given their previous relations with Britain.Grey's response to these observations includes a detailed explanation of the composition of the tribes involved as being primarily from Arab communities in Iraq, and the Muntafiq [al-Muntafiq] tribe of the Euphrates and Shatt-ul-Gharaf [Shaṭṭ al-Gharrāf, also known as Shaṭṭ al-Ḥayy] regions. His response also notes that the tribes involved are not those of the Persian Gulf region as had previously been assumed by Lord Curzon.The letter goes on to explain these tribes' relations with the Turks and the reasons for their having sided with them. The letter concludes by providing information on some of the tribes of the Persian Gulf, in particular the Zaffir [al-Zafīr] who had declined Turkish invitations to take up arms; and the Yuarin, Bani Malik [Banī Mālik] and Shammar all of whom had chosen to remain neutral.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 26 and terminates at folio 26, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in the volume; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
31. Note on Indian Immigration into Mesopotamia
- Description:
- Abstract: This printed memorandum is a copy of a letter to the Under Secretary of State offering observations on points raised in a minute by the Secretary of State concerning Indian immigration to Mesopotamia [Iraq]. The memorandum details the role of Indian troops in the Mesopotamian Campaign, relations between India and Mesopotamia, and the subsequent administration of Mesopotamia. Further details are given concerning Indian labour and the problems which Indian immigration could cause.Physical description: The foliation for this memorandum commences at folio 74, and terminates at folio 78, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between folios 7-153; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
32. File 2249/1915 Pt 3 ‘OIL – PERSIA & MESOPOTAMIA; ANGLO-PERSIAN OIL COMPANY'S AFFAIRS; Royalties paid to Persian Govt’
- Description:
- Abstract: The item contains correspondence and other papers relating to: the payment of royalties due to the Persian Government from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC), 1915; a dispute between the British and Persian Governments relating to British troops inside Persian territory, and damage inflicted to APOC oil pipelines close to the Mesopotamia [Iraq]-Persia [Iran] border, in the wake of the British invasion of Mesopotamia in 1914/1915; APOC’s withholding of oil royalties owed to the Persian Government, in compensation for damage inflicted to its pipelines in Persia; and negotiations between APOC and the Persian Government over the terms of a new agreement for royalty payments, 1919.The item’s principal correspondents are: APOC; the Persian Government; HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran, Charles Murray Marling. One note from the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs is written in French (f 329).The item includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: 1 item (86 folios)
33. File 1889/1916 ‘Mesopotamia; Export of dates’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence and other papers relating to the export of dates from Mesopotamia [Iraq] during Britain’s military occupation of Mesopotamia in the First World War. The file includes: correspondence dated 1916 relating to the lifting of a general prohibition on the export of dates from Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] and Basra (as well as from Muscat), in view of Mesopotamia’s status as enemy territory; in 1917, proposals to prohibit the export of dates from Mesopotamia to destinations other than Britain or its wartime allies; in 1917, the supply of dates to British troops in France, including arrangements for purchase and freight by the War Office; a copy of a printed British diplomatic and consular report entitled ‘Turkey. Report for the Year 1913 on the Trade of Basra’, edited at the Foreign Office and Board of Trade (ff 293-303); reports in early 1918 that the demand for dates in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf exceeded supply, leading to the Foreign Office’s initial decision to decline a request from the Government of the USA for the Hills Brothers Company of New York to export dates from Mesopotamia, a decision that was reversed in March 1918; price controls on dates for export, arranged in 1918; correspondence dated 1919 on the future policy of restrictions on dates exported from Mesopotamia.The volume’s principal correspondents are: the Chief Political Officer of the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force, Percy Zachariah Cox; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India; the Foreign Office; the War Office; the Ministry of Food.The volume contains a single item in French, being a note from the French Ambassador in London (f 69).The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 348; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
34. File 3516/1914 Pt 11 'Persia: protection of Anglo-Persian Oil Co's fields etc'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume concerns the situation in Persia during the First World War. The main focus is the protection of Anglo-Persian Oil Company's (APOC) oilfields and pipelines in south-western Persia.The volume covers:Defence of APOC property.Notes on oilfields in Arabistan [Khuzestan].Water supply of the oilfields.Creation of Inter-departmental Committee on the Defence of the Persian Oil Fields and its report (ff 230-235).Despatch of a small force to defend the oilfields in 1917.Acquiring British control over the oilfields.King's Regulation impeding to leave APOC without the consent of the Consul General for Fars, for the period of the war (f 110).Providing a guard for APOC's oilfields at Maidan-i-Neptun.Military training for European APOC employees.The volume’s principal correspondents are: John Nixon, General Officer Commanding, India Expeditionary Force 'D', Basrah; Charles Hardinge, Viceroy of India; Thomas William Holderness and Arthur Hirtzel, India Office; William Graham Greene, Oswyn Murray and Edmond John Warre Slade, Admiralty; Eyre Alexander Barby Wichart Crowe and Maurice de Bunsen, Foreign Office; Austen Chamberlain, Secretary of State for India; Anglo-Persian Oil Company; Charles Marling, British Minister at Tehran; Percy Cox, Political Resident in Persian Gulf.There are three maps within the file, 'Map A' (2 copies) on folios 264 and 271, and 'Part of River Karun' on folio 265.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 273; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 3-272; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
35. File 3516/1914 Pt 13 'German War: Persia; Saulet and Kawain; quarterly adjustment with Foreign Office'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume concerns the situation in south-western Persia during the First World War. The main focus is the alliance with the tribal chiefs Soulet [Soulet-ed-Douleh, Sawlat al-Dawlah] and Kawan [Kawam-ul-Mulk, Quavvam-ul-Mulk, Qavam al-Mulk].The volume covers:Negotiations to give Soulet protection and induce him to collaborate with Kawan.Discussion with Kawan regarding financial assistance.Proposed subvention to Kawan and Soulet for keeping order in Fars, maintaining a garrison at Shiraz, and restoring order on roads.Accounts of monthly payments made to Kawan and Soulet from 1916 to 1918.Funding for an expedition against the Baharlu tribe.Claim for repayment of a moiety of the above mentioned expenditures, incurred by the Foreign Office.The volume’s principal correspondents are: Charles Marling and Herman Norman, British Ministers at Tehran; Maurice de Bunsen, Ronald William Graham, Walter Langley and Lancelot Oliphant, Foreign Office; Percy Cox, Political Resident in Persian Gulf; Arthur Prescott Trevor, Deputy Political Resident in Persian Gulf; Thomas William Holderness, John Evelyn Shuckburgh, Arthur Hirtzel, and Leonard Day Wakely, India Office; Frederick Travers O'Connor, British Consul at Shiraz; Charles Hardinge, Viceroy of India; HM Treasury; Alfred Hamilton Grant, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 200; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
36. File 3104/1915 Pt 1 ‘German War: conquered territory: status: question of trading; looting, etc. of goods by Turks.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence and other papers relating to the status of cargo consignments held at Basra, Mesopotamia, for export to Britain, during the British invasion of Turkish Mesopotamia [Iraq] in November 1914. The file includes: discussion as to whether consignments of cargo that are on their way from Basra to Britain should be considered enemy cargo; reports of the looting and destruction of British goods held at the customs house in Basra by the Turks; enquiries made to the Foreign Office by several companies based in Manchester, England (and their legal representatives), concerning claims for losses incurred in the wake of their cargo at Basra having been destroyed or looted; lists of cargo stored at Basra by various British companies, with descriptions of the good, quantities, and prices.The file’s principal correspondents are: the Foreign Office; the Under Secretary of State for India; and Manchester solicitors Boote, Edgar, Grace & Rylands.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 200; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.