Abstract: This volume is
A Handbook of Arabia, Volume II, Routes(Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: May, 1917) and contains details on routes in the Arabian Peninsula, as well as information on transport and lines of communication arranged on a geographical basis. Chapters concerning meteorological information, hygiene and disease, and vocabularies have also been incorporated. The volume was prepared on behalf of the Admiralty and the War Office. The sources from which the routes have been compiled, together with notes on directions and distance, appear at the head of each chapter, while some sections have been compiled on the basis of native information. Authorities cited include: George August Wallin, William Gifford Palgrave, Carlo Claudio Camillo Guarmani, Lady Anne Blunt, Charles Huber, Julius Euting, Gerard Leachman, Gertrude Bell, Anders Christian Barclay Raunkiær, William Henry Irvine Shakespear, and John Gordon Lorimer.The volume includes a note on confidentiality, title page, and a 'Note' on the compilation of the volume. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following sections:Chapter 1: Methods of Transport;Chapter 2: Communications, A. Northern Routes, B. Eastern Routes, C. Central Routes, D. Western Routes, E. South-Western Routes, F. Southern Routes, G. Souther-Eastern Routes;Chapter 3: Routes, A. Northern Routes, B. Eastern Routes, C. Central Routes, D. Western Routes, E. South-Western Routes, F. Southern Routes, G. Souther-Eastern Routes;Chapter 4: Meteorological Observations;Chapter 5: Hygiene and Disease;Chapter 6: Vocabularies;Appendix: Note on the System of Transliteration and Glossary of Topographical and Common Terms;Index;Plates.There is also a 'List of Maps' and a 'Note on the Spelling of Proper Terms'.There is one map contained in this volume: 'Map 5. Key Map of Routes'. In addition, there are nine plates by Douglas Carruthers, Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear, Captain Gerard Leachman, and Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles.Physical description: Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the map which is inserted at the back of the volume, on number 271.
Abstract: This volume is
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Admiralty War Staff Intelligence Division: August 1916). It is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia. The volume includes a note on official use, title page and ''Note''. There is a page of ''Contents'' and includes the following chapters and sections:Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;Chapter 2: Climate;Chapter 3: Minerals;Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;Chapter 5: Hygiene;Chapter 6: History;Chapter 7: Inhabitants;Chapter 8: Religions;Chapter 9: Administration;Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak Iraq;Chapter 11: Agriculture;Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;Chapter 13: Currency, Weights and Measures;Chapter 14: Communication and Transport;Transliteration of Arabic, Persian and Turkish Names;Vocabularies;Index.There is a List of Maps which includes:Map 1: Administrative Divisions and Chief Towns;Map 2: Racial Divisions;Map 3: Area Available for Irrigation.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; 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.
Abstract: This volume is
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Naval Staff, Intelligence Department: November 1918). This is an updated and expanded edition of
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General(Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: August 1916) (IOR/L/MIL17/15/41/1). This is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia, for the most part as they were before the First World War.The volume includes a note on official use, a title page and 'Note'. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following chapters and sections:Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;Chapter 2: Climate;Chapter 3: Minerals;Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;Chapter 5: Hygiene;Chapter 6: History;Chapter 7: Inhabitants;Chapter 8: Religions;Chapter 9: Administration;Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak [Iraq];Chapter 11: Agriculture and Land Tenure;Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;Chapter 13: Currency, Weights, and Measures;Chapter 14: Communications and Transport;Vocabularies;Index.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto of the folio.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This volume is
A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume II, Irak, The Lower Kārūn, and Luristan(Admiralty War Staff Intelligence Division, May, 1917), covering the regions of the Shatt el-‘Arab [Shaṭṭ al-‘Arab], Kārūn, Luristan, and the Tigris and Euphrates up to Baghdad and Fellūjeh [Fallūjah]. The volume was prepared on behalf of the Admiralty and War Office, and appears to be based on official and unofficial publications and maps which are cited in a bibliographical section in the volume.The volume includes a note on confidentiality, a title page, 'Note', 'Abbreviations'. There is a 'Contents' which include the following sections:Introduction;River Routes (Shatt el-‘Arab, The Kārūn, The Tigris, The Euphrates, The Shatt el-Hai);Land Routes (The Region of the Shatt el-‘Arab, The Tigris Valley, The Region of the Lower Kārūn River of Luristan, The Euphrates Valley, Connexions between the Tigris and Euphrates Valley, The Arabian Desert);Railways;Gazetteer of Towns;Bibliographical Note and List of Maps;Transliteration of Names;Glossary;Appendices (A: Notes on Weather on the Tigris, B: The Control of the Tigris Water, C: The Control of the Euphrates Water, D: Oil-Fields of the Mesopotamia and Persian Frontier, E: Note on Mules);Index;Plates;Maps.The volume includes eight plates that illustrate the volume. There are also three maps:'Baghdad';'City Map of Baghdad';'Mesopotamia: Outline Map Showing Routes'.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of the folio.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The file consists of a publication concerning Kurdistan and the Kurds. Produced and published by the General Staff, India, and printed in Mount Carmel, Palestine. It provides an edited collection of information based on the reports of military and political officers Captain C F Woolley, and Major Edward Noel (dated c 1919), and a paper written by Sir Mark Sykes in 1908.It is divided into the following sections:Kurdistan and the Kurds - including boundaries, topography, and its inhabitants;the Kurdish tribes - including their locality, rough numbers, character, prominent families, and allegiances;Kurdish tribes outside Kurdistan - between Erzingan [Erzincan] and Sivas and in the neighbourhood of Marash [Kahramanmaraş], in Anatolia, and in Syria;the Kurdish Movement for independence - history, origins, and causes;additions and corrections.Also includes one map on folio 61: 'KURDISTAN AND THE KURDISH TRIBES'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio, with 61, which is a folded map attached to the outside 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The file contains a collection of twenty telegrams between Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes (Secretary of State for India) and Charles Hardinge (Viceroy of India) during August-September 1914 prior to the outbreak of war with Turkey.It concerns the contribution and use of troops from India, and drafts on the army; considerations of maintaining the safety of India, and the strain put on the Indian defence of the frontier; troop movements and mobilisation - including the despatch of Imperial Service Troops and Cavalry, and the sending of troops to German East Africa, and Europe.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 4; 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.
Abstract: The volume, marked 'Strictly Confidential', is
Collection of journals and reports received from Captain the Hon. G C Napier, Bengal Staff Corps, on special duty in Persia. 1874.It was printed in London by George E Eyre and William Spottiswoode, printers to Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1876.The volume contains ten documents written by George Campbell Napier, and compiled by the Political and Secret Department of the India Office. The documents included are as follows:1. Report of the proceedings in regard to the Khaff [Khvāf] raid (folios 5-9);2. Diary kept during tour in Khorassan [Razavi Khorasan] (folios 10-59);3. Observations on the topography of the Eastern Alburz tract, with notices on a few places of interest on the Persian Border (folios 60-80);4. Memorandum on the condition and external relations of the Turkoman tribes of Merve [Mary] (folios 80-92);5. Reports on events in Herat and Turkistan. Diary for March 1875 (folios 92-97);6. Report on the present situation in Seistan [Sīstān] in relation to late arbitration (folios 97-103);7. Report on the Perso-Afghan border (folios 103-125);8. Notes on the political condition of the population of Eastern Khorassan (folios 125-132);9. Notes on the condition of the districts, chiefships, and tribes of the north-eastern frontier of Persia (folios 133-172);10. Memorandum on the relations of Russia and Persia with the Turkoman tribes of the Attrek Frontier (folios 172-178).At the back of the volume (folio 194) is a fold-out map of the northern frontier of Khorassan, with parts of Irak [Iraq] and Mazandaran [Māzandarān].On the inside front cover and title page are hand-written notes, each reading 'Turkish Dept'.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the inside 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 (except for the front cover where the folio number is on the verso).Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: Reprint of
Collection of journals and reports received from Captain the Hon. G C Napier, Bengal Staff Corps, on special duty in Persia. 1874,with a revised index at pp 348-355 (folios 181-185). A copy of the original index is present at folios 186-200.A letter from the Under Secretary of State for India to the Under Secretary of State for War has been pasted into the front of the volume (folios 2-3), noting that two copies of the revised version have been forwarded for the use of the Intelligence Department.The volume contains ten documents written by George Campbell Napier, and compiled by the Political and Secret Department of the India Office. The documents included are as follows:1. Report of the proceedings in regard to the Khaff [Khvāf] raid;2. Diary kept during tour in Khorassan [Razavi Khorasan];3. Observations on the topography of the Eastern Alburz tract, with notices on a few places of interest on the Persian Border;4. Memorandum on the condition and external relations of the Turkoman tribes of Merve [Mary];5. Reports on events in Herat and Turkistan. Diary for March 1875;6. Report on the present situation in Seistan [Sīstān] in relation to late arbitration;7. Report on the Perso-Afghan border;8. Notes on the political condition of the population of Eastern Khorassan;9. Notes on the condition of the districts, chiefships, and tribes of the north-eastern frontier of Persia;10. Memorandum on the relations of Russia and Persia with the Turkoman tribes of the Attrek Frontier.At the back of the volume (folio 201) is a fold-out map of the northern frontier of Khorassan, with parts of Irak [Iraq] and Mazandaran [Māzandarān].Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 203; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 1 and 15 November 1917. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, letters, reports, and tables.The volume concerns:Military personnel issues, including: recruitment; promotions; appointment of officers; and creation of new units for service in MesopotamiaReinforcements for Force D, including cavalry, field ambulances, veterinary officers, and equipment mulesReturns of sick and woundedSupplies sent to Force DEquipment of newly arrived reinforcements, including troops arriving with unserviceable equipmentCommissioning and construction of ships for military useIntelligence concerning the activities of the Turkish [Ottoman] and German militaries, including: the location of Turkish and German units, the formation of assault battalions in the Turkish Army, changes in the Turkish command structure, and a visit by Enver Pasha [Enver Pāshā] to Turkish troops on the Caucasus frontPotential movement of German aviation units to MesopotamiaBritish aerial bombardments of Turkish camps at Fathah [Al-Fathah]Intelligence regarding number of Turkish aircraft in service in MesopotamiaIntelligence received from German military documents concerning the use of gas bombardmentThe sentencing of twenty-two Indian subjects captured in Baghdad and found guilty of ‘opposing the British or Russian forces in one capacity or another’Matters related to the death of Lieutenant-General Maude, including: Maude’s contraction of cholera; death on 18 November 1917; appointment of Lieutenant-General Marshall as commander of Force D on 21 November 1917Relations between the British and various Arab tribal leaders in MesopotamiaCommentary on the strategic situation across the Middle East, including: suggestions that the Turkish Army will not attempt an offensive in Mesopotamia until spring 1918; speculation on a separate Russian peace with the Central Powers; attempts by the Central Powers to intervene in Persia [Iran]Plans for the construction and staffing of a flour mill at BaghdadProgress of railway construction in MesopotamiaTemporary placement of Russian units under British commandPresence of a Russian ‘partisan’ detachment at Mendali [Mandali, Iraq]Impact of ‘Bolsheviks obtaining control of Railways at Baku’Events in Persia, including: the formation of a new government; escape of German soldiers captured by Persian authorities in Turshiz [Kashmar]; British support for the establishment of ‘a really friendly Government’ in Tehran; and intelligence of the ‘Persian democrat’ Sulieman Mirza [Sulaymān Mīrzā] conducting espionage on behalf of the Germans.The volume also contains:Number of pilots, balloon officers, and aircraft available for service in Mesopotamia as of 15 November 1917 (f 7), 22 November 1917 (f 87), 29 November 1917 (f 200)Strength report for Force D as of 6 October 1917 (ff 18-19), 13 October 1917 (ff 53-55), 20 October 1917 (ff 133-134), 29 September 1917 (ff 179-197)Ration strength of Force D as of 27 October 1917 (ff 19-22), 17 November 1917 (ff 44), 13 October 1917 (ff 77-80), 3 November 1917 (ff 93-95), 24 November 1917 (f 123), 20 October 1917 (ff 134-138), 10 November 1917 (ff 164-166), 27 October 1917 (ff 167-171)Distribution of Force D dated 4 November 1917 (ff 159-163)Distribution of the Turkish Army dated 20 November 1917 (ff 48-50), 27 November 1917 (ff 142-144)Weekly returns of sick and wounded dated 3 November 1917 (ff 43-44), 10 November 1917 (f 92)State of Force D’s supplies measured in days’ consumption on 17 November 1917 (ff 86-87), 24 November 1917 (ff 149-150, ff 198-199).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 203; 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 3-201; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto side of each folio.Dimensions: 21 x 33cm.
Abstract: The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 1 and 31 July 1915. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, letters, tables and memoranda containing instructions and reports.A summary of the contents of this volume can be found at folio 11. The volume’s contents mostly relate to:Military reinforcements and supplies required by Force D, including: personnel; weapons; ammunition; river craft and aircraft, with particular attention paid to the supply and deployment of aeroplanesStaff appointments and promotionsDistributions of Force D throughout July (ff 55-58; f 175; and f 274)Distribution of the Turkish [Ottoman] Army (ff 320-322)Status and progress of the Euphrates line, commanded by General George Frederick Gorringe, including the capture of Nasiriyah on 24 JulyStatus and progress of the Tigris line, especially around Filaifilah [Fulayfilah], Ali-al-Gharbi [‘Ali al Gharbi] and Kumait [Kumayt]Concerns about the impact of the climate on soldiers’ health and the high volume of sick soldiersIntelligence on Russo-Turkish operations in the Caucasus regionProposals to seize Bushire [Bushehr] due to dissatisfaction with the Persian [Iranian] GovernmentDiscussions about the best way to protect the Anglo-Persian Oil Company’s pipelineDiscussions about the loyalties and activities of tribes in southern Mesopotamia and northern Persia, including the question of providing subsidies for the Bavi [Bāvī] tribeProposals to occupy Kut-al-Amarah [Al-Kut, also rendered in text as Kut al ‘Amarah and Kut-al-‘Amarah].The volume also includes:Appreciations [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations summarising the situation in Mesopotamia on: 5 July (ff 62-63); 12 July (ff 115-116); 19 July (f 183); 26 July (ff 271-272)A letter from the General Officer Commanding Force D to the Chief of the General Staff, dated 10 July 1915, which includes a ‘Memorandum on future special requirements’ by Major-General George Vere Kemball (ff 198-201).A summary of contents for the previous volumes can be found at folios 3-10.The volume contains a small number of copies of telegrams from June 1915.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 332; 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 13-330; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto side of each folio.Dimensions: 21 x 33cm.
Abstract: The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 1 and 15 November 1915. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, letters, memoranda, lists and tables.A summary of the contents of this volume can be found at folios 7-8. The volume mostly relates to:Reinforcements and supplies for Force D, including: weapons; land vehicles; river craft; sea craft; and ammunitionDetails of a potential aviation unit in MesopotamiaStaff appointments and movementsPrisoners of war held and exchangedMovements of Turkish [Ottoman] forces from Bitlis to Mosul and the rumoured arrival of Turkish infantry at Dair-az-Zor [Deir ez-Zor]Dispositions of the Turkish forces and intelligence on their potential reinforcementsRusso-Turkish operationsDiscussions about Persia [Iran], including: the potential effects of Persia entering the war; the impact on the oil fields; support from the Shaikh of Muhammareh [Khorramshahr]; the situation on the Arabistan [Khuzestan] frontier; and the attitudes of the Bakhtiari Khans [Bakhtīyārī Khāns]Proposals to construct a railway from Basrah [Basra] to NasiriyahActivities of tribes between Aziziyah [Al ‘Aziziyah] and Kut [Al-Kut, also rendered in text as Kut-al-Amarah]Discussions about the creation of an autonomous ‘Arab state’ and negotiations held between Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry McMahon, High Commissioner of Egypt, and the Sharif of Mecca [Al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, Sharīf of Mecca]Proposed advance to Baghdad, including: discussions about publishing a proclamation about the occupation of Baghdad (draft at ff 47-48); edits to this proclamation suggested by General Nixon, General Officer Commanding Force D (f 108), and the Viceroy of India (ff 113-114); and the decision to alter the proclamation based on McMahon’s promise of the velayets [a province under the Ottoman Empire] of Basrah and Baghdad to ‘the Arab party’Arrival of General Headquarters at Aziziyah from Kut.The volume also includes:Composition of Force D at the end of November 1915 (ff 3-6)Appreciations [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations summarising the situation in Mesopotamia on: 1 November 1915 (ff 15-16); 8 November 1915 (ff 81-82); and 15 November 1915 (ff 153-154)Distribution of Force D for week commencing 17 October 1915 (ff 25-27) and week commencing 24 October 1915 (ff 111-123)A table providing details on ‘Ships for Indian Divisions’ (ff 137-138).The vast majority of material in the volume dates from November 1915, with the exception of a small amount of material which dates from October 1915.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 161; 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 10-159; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto side of each folio.Dimensions: 21 x 33cm
Abstract: The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 1 and 15 February 1916. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, letters, and tables containing instructions and reports.A summary of the contents of this volume can be found at folio 3. The volume mostly relates to:Reinforcements and supplies for Force D, including: river craft, food, weapons, animals, and ammunitionStaff: movements, allowances, casualties, and illnessesInformation obtained from prisoners of warCommunication systems (especially telegraph lines) and proceduresIntelligence on Ottoman and German troops at: Shiraz; Umm-al-Hannah; Shaikh Sa’ad [Shaykh Sa'd]; as well as intended attacks on Bushire [Bushehr] and Basrah [Basra]Distributions of the Turkish [Ottoman] Forces on 1 February (f 16) and in Mesopotamia (ff 158-159)Operations in the Caucasus and in north-west Persia [Iran]Updates on progress at the Tigris line, especially at Kut [Al-Kut]Updates on progress at the Euphrates line, especially at Nasiriyah and ButaniyahComments on the status of relations with numerous tribes throughout Mesopotamia, Persia and ArabiaDecision for War Office to take control of operations in Mesopotamia (ff 121-122).The volume also includes:Appreciations [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations summarising the situation in Mesopotamia on: 31 January (ff 20-21); 7 February (ff 91-92); and 14 February (ff 172-174)Distributions of Force D: on 6 February (ff 70-72); on 30 January (ff 77-79); and above Qurnah [Al-Qurnah] (ff 80-82 and ff 176-178)Composition of Force D (ff 85-88)‘Statement showing the strength of reinforcements for Basrah which embarked at Bombay [Mumbai] and Karachi’ (ff 124-136).Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 190; 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 5-188; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto side of each folio.Dimensions: 21 x 33cm