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1. 'A ruler of the desert'
- Description:
- Abstract: This document was written by Gertrude Bell, Liason Officer and Correspondent to Cairo, and briefly details the visit of 'Abd al-' Aziz ibn Sa‘ūd to Basrah on November 27 1916 as part of the Mesopotamian campaign. Bell also describes the following:how Ibn Sa‘ūd came to power and his influence in the Arab world;his relationship with the British;his physical appearance;his character.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 107, and terminates at f 110, 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 present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
2. ‘Camping grounds at Bahrain’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises maps and notes prepared in anticipation of the stopping off at Bahrain of Indian Army regiments that were part of Indian Expeditionary Force D, which travelled from Bombay to Basra in October 1914, and went on to fight in the Mesopotamian campaign of the First World War. The regiments stopped at Bahrain between 23 and 30 October 1914. However, in spite of the preparations made, no troops or livestock left the Expeditionary Force ships which moored off the Bahrain coast.The file contains:three hand drawn maps (one original and two tracings) showing the proposed sites for camps, and planned routes for infantry and animals from the selected disembarkation points in Manama, to the camps (ff 4-5, ff 6-8, ff 9-11);a carbon-copied sketch map of a camp, located one mile south of Manama, with allocated plots within the camp for different regiments, many of which were part of the 6th (Poona) Division (f 3);a general note entitled ‘camping grounds in Bahrain Island’ (f 2);disembarkation notes, identifying the customs jetty, Political Agency jetty, and the Gray Paul & Company jetty, as the three points where disembarkation could take place (ff 12-13);a note on the availability of drinking water in Bahrain, including surface wells, deep wells, sea springs and island springs (ff 14-15);further notes on the two possible camping grounds identified (ff 16-18);a note on supplies, with brief details of fuel and fodder (f 19);notes for the ADMS [Assistant Director of Medical Services] on the climate and sanitary situation at Bahrain (f 20);duties of various people who would be involved in the disembarkation and supply of provisions (f 21).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 22; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
3. 'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains working drafts of confidential prints, correspondence and telegrams from the room of Sir Edmund Barrow, Military Secretary in the India Office, collected for the Mesopotamian Commission which was convened to examine the causes of the besieging and surrender of the Indian Expeditionary Force in Kut-el-Amara [Al Kūt].The papers cover a range of topics and include the following: General Townshend's assessment of the situation after the Battle of Kut-el-Amara; a précis of correspondence relating to the origins and development of the Mesopotamia expedition; and a collection (ff 396-399) of private telegrams between the Secretary of State for India and the Viceroy, prior to the outbreak of war with Turkey.The file also includes some tables showing the strength of General Townshend's force at Ctesiphon (folio 111) as well as the Indian Expeditionary Force 'D' (In Mesopotamia) Troops of the 6th Poona Division (folio 114).Correspondents include: General Sir John Nixon; Major-General Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend; the Viceroy of India; officials of the Admiralty; officials of the War Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 686; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Multiple additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are written in crayon and pencil; where they are written in pencil and circled, they are crossed through.The file has one foliation anomaly, f 374A.
4. ‘Advance to Baghdad – Political Considerations. Note by Political Department, India Office.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Note written by John Evelyn Shuckburgh, Assistant Secretary of the Political Department, India Office, on the political and strategic importance that would be associated with British forces taking Baghdad, and the likely political and strategic injury that the British would incur should they fail to take Baghdad. Following Shuckburgh’s note is a reply, written by the Secretary of the Political Department, Sir (Frederic) Arthur Hirtzel, dated 6 October 1915, concurring with Shuckburgh’s assessment, and commenting on the chances of withdrawal from Kut-el-Amara [Kut al Amara] should sufficient Turco-German troops be fielded in the region.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 119, and terminates at f 119, 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.
5. 'THE WAR WITH TURKEY. Note by the Under Secretary, India Office.'
- Description:
- Abstract: Note written by Sir Thomas William Holderness, Under Secretary of State, India Office, in response to Sir Arthur Hirtzel's memorandum on the war with Turkey (IOR/L/PS/18/B233).The note describes the recommendations of the Inter-Department Committee on Asiatic Turkey, which Sir Thomas Holderness was a member of, and which were based on the assumption by the Committee at the time of its convening that an allied occupation of Constantinople was only weeks away, that Russia would be in possession of the city and surrounding areas and that peace with the Turks would be possible.The committee's responsibility, in light of the assumptions, was as follows:To propose a scheme for Asiatic Turkey that would satisfy Russian, French, Italian and Greek interests in the region and which would suit the needs and requirements of Great Britain; possibilities included the complete partition of the region; the removal of the Ottoman Empire; and decentralisation of Turkey without the need for military intervention.The note goes on to consider potential concerns over German power and influence in Turkey; the dangers of any settlement with Turkey that would not include the ending of the Ottoman Empire; the risks from Germany gaining control of the Balkan States; the danger of pan-Islamism; the possibilities of British interests in the East being achieved if Germany is defeated and Turkey collapses as a military power; and the Mesopotamian Campaign and its development as a serious military operation.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 55 and terminates at folio 57, 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 6-153; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
6. ‘Policy in the Middle East. II. Select Reports and Telegrams from Sir Mark Sykes.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Secret report on British policy in the Middle East, divided into two sections (reports and telegrams) sent by Sir Mark Sykes during 1915, while on his tour of the Middle East, on behalf of the de Bunsen Committee.Report no. 4 (Secret), dated 12 June 1915 from Athens, reporting on an interview held with His Highness Sabah-ed-Din [Sabahaddin] (folio 107);Report no. 14 (Secret), dated 14 July 1915, from the Shepherds Hotel [sic] in Cairo, reporting on interviews held with the Sultan of Egypt [Hussein Kamel], Said Pasha Shucair, Dr Faris Nimr, editor of the Mokattam, M Bartevian, editor of the Houssaper, Mohid Din eh Kurdi of Al Azhar University, and the Pan-Arabist Reshid Rida. At the end of the letter are Sykes’s conclusions and proposals with regard to Syria, based on these interviews (folios 107-10);Report no. 17, dated 2 August 1915, from the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo. An analysis of intellectual currents evident in Islamic thought in the Near East. The report distinguishes between strands of ‘ancient’ and ‘modern’ thought, and further distinguishes different classes within each. The report is addressed at the end of the letter: Major-General EC Callwell, Director of Military Operations, War Office (folios 110-12);Report no. 19 (Secret), dated 10 August 1915, from Aden. Reporting on conversations held with Sa’ad P Zaglool [Saad Zaghloul], Shaykh Shakir, Secretary of the Al Azhar University, and the French-Dominican archaeologist Père [Antonin] Jaussen (folios 112-13);Telegram no. 18, dated 19 November 1915, to the Director of Military Operations, with recommendations on addressing the difficulties associated with a lack of confidence on the part of the Arab world in British power, and making arrangements with the Arab world that would be ‘inoffensive to French susceptibilities’;Telegram no. 19, dated 21 November, to the Director of Military Operations, discussing an interview with Faruki Bey, and proposals for possible Anglo-French territorial arrangements in the Middle East;Telegram no. 20, dated 21 November, to the Director of Military Operations, discussing in more detail the points raised in the previous telegram, on Anglo-French territorial arrangements in the Middle East;Telegram no. 21, undated, to the Director of Military Operations, on the possibility of a Turkish reoccupation of Syria, and the possibility of Germany and the Turkish Committee of Union and Progress coordinating a massacre of the Christian population in Syria;Telegram no. 22, dated 30 November 1914, to the Director of Military Operations, reporting on interviews held with Baird, Shaykh Mohidin Kurdi of the Azhar University, Faris Nirur, and the Sultan, and reiterating the threat posed by Turkish forces to the Christian population of Syria, should they reoccupy Syria.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 107, and terminates at f 115, 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 107-115; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.
7. ‘Policy in the Middle East. III. The Arab Movement.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Printed copy of a secret memorandum, dated 1915; a report by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, which is an overview of the human, religious and political dimensions of the Arab population in the Middle East. The report is divided into four sections, based on the four groups of Arab people identified by Sykes:The Arabs of Arabia, further subdivided into the Arabs of Hejaz, Nejd [Najd], the Gulf coast, Muscat, Yemen, and Hadhramaut [Ḥaḍramawt];The Arabs of Mesopotamia, further subdivided into five regions along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;The Syrians, with brief explanation of the reasons underlying the complexity of the religious situation in Syria, including the historic interplay between Christians and Muslims, the French railways, Turkish influence;The Arabs of Northern Irak [Iraq] and Jazirah, divided into five main factors: Diarbekir-Urfa [Diyarbakır], North Jazirah, Mosul [Al-Mawṣil], Kerkuk [Kirkūk] and Baghdad.In his conclusion, Sykes lists the chief characteristics of the ‘Arab movement’, and in a final note, he draws attention to the contempt which Indians hold towards Arabs. The original memorandum included a map, with the regions populated by the four Arab groups indicated in green, yellow, red and blue.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 116, and terminates at f 118, 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 116-118; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.
8. ‘Policy in the Middle East. I. Memorandum by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Secret memorandum, prepared by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes. The report is preceded by a letter from Sykes to Major-General Charles Edward Callwell, Director of Military Operations, War Office, London, dated 15 November 1915, which includes Sykes’s opinion on the occupation of Ahwaz, and an assessment of the Turkish forces outside Aden.The memorandum, dated 28 October 1915, is divided into the following sections:(i) military situation in Mesopotamia: the relative weakness of troop numbers in Mesopotamia; implications of taking and holding Baghdad; supply of gunboats and ammunition. The political situation in Mesopotamia: the opinions of the notables of Basra, and of the general population; future policy, particularly in relation to the connection between India and Mesopotamia; colonisation by Indians, and the risks associated with the ‘Indianisation’ of Mesopotamia;(ii) Indian Moslems [Muslims] and the War, including: Sykes’s assessment of the ‘extreme ignorance’ of Indian Muslims of Islamic theological doctrine; sympathy of Indian Muslims with the Turks and the Committee of Union and Progress; British educational policy towards Islam in India;(iii) General situation: the political situation in India, Persia, Egypt and Arabia, and three proposed lines of action in order to defeat the Ottoman Empire. Military situation, identifying the regions and fronts critical to the region. Final observation on ‘certain psychological idiosyncrasies’ of the Ottoman armies.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 100, and terminates at f 106, 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 100-106; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and won't be found in the same position as the main sequence.
9. 'Who's who in Mesopotamia, General Staff, India (Serial No.22)'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is Who's Who in Mesopotamia, General Staff, India. The volume is marked confidential and was printed in Delhi by Superintendent Government Printing, India, in 1916.The volume consists of an alphabetical list of individuals issued by the Intelligence Branch of the Indian Expeditionary Force 'D'. Each entry includes biographical information relevant to the individual which has been taken from the Branch's files.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 138; 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 volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
10. 'Baghdad'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains the text of Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude's proclamation in Baghdad on the occasion of the British occupation in March 1917. This proclamation was issued following the 'Fall of Baghdad', a decisive victory for the British during the Mesopotamian Campaign. Maude largely focuses on the various parties (in particular the Turks [Ottomans]) who have previously been involved with the oppression and division of the area and assures the people of Baghdad that the British Government only seeks to improve their situation.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 122, and terminates at f 122, 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 present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
11. 'Mesopotamia. Commission'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains proofs of official prints required for the statutory commission on the Mesopotamian Expedition [the Mesopotamia Commission, 1916-17]. The papers include transcripts of telegrams and letters (some paraphrased) from the Secretary of State for India, the Viceroy, and the Commander of the Expeditionary Force, 1915-16, General Sir John Eccles Nixon. The file includes papers relating to operations in 1914-15, medical arrangements on the expedition (folios 33-60), press allegations concerning the advance from Kut-el-Amara [Kut Al-Amarah] in 1916 (folios 91-93), and the question of occupying Baghdad (folios 31-32).The papers are enclosed an a folder inscribed on the front cover: 'Military Department. Previous Papers', and labelled '3'. A further label on the front cover is printed 'Mesopotamia Commission, 28 Abingdon Street, Westminster.'Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 127; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: there are five additional printed pagination sequences in parallel between ff 64-90, ff 91-93, ff 94-103, ff 109-177, and ff 120-126.
12. 'Mesopotamia. Local Resources.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains telegrams and memoranda concerning the administration of local resources in Mesopotamia by the British military authorities, 1917-19.The main correspondents are: the War Office; Commander-in-Chief (C in C), India; and General Officer Commanding (GOC), Mesopotamia.Subjects covered include: irrigation; farming and food supply arrangements for the local population; enhancing the navigability of the River Euphrates; the dredging of Hammar lake; local production of agricultural resources for military needs; railways; river transport; shipping; the question of the rank and grading to be accorded to the Director of Local Resources, Mesopotamia; extent of cultivated areas; the formation of the Irrigation Directorate; agricultural machinery; agricultural development; the cost to the Government of India of the economic development of Mesopotamia (folio 36); the creation and staffing of the Directorate of Agriculture; dairies and grass farms; military stores; and the appointment of military engineers.Marked 'Secret' and 'Please return to Room 164 Military Dept. India Office.'.There is only one item of correspondence dated 1916. The papers are mainly dated 1917-19.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 98; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present between ff 2-97; these numbers are written in blue crayon.