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13. ‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 17. PART II. (From 16thto 31stDecember 1915.)’
- Description:
- 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 16 and 31 December 1915. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, memoranda, letters, lists and tables.The volume mostly relates to:Reinforcements and supplies for Force D, including: troops and staff from France and Egypt; river craft; machinery; weapons; ammunition; aeroplanes; and animalsStaff appointments, movements, and pay risesSick and wounded soldiersPrisoners of war numbers, movements and exchangesReports from the: Tigris line (around Kut [Al-Kut, also rendered in text as Kut-al-Amarah]); Euphrates line (especially around Nasiriyah and Ctesiphon); Karun line (especially around Pusht-i-Kuh); and the Caucasus FrontIntelligence on German and Turkish [Ottoman] troops, especially with regards to their plans for Persia [Iran], Baghdad, and EgyptRussian operations in Persia and wishes of the Grand Duke [Nicholas Nikolaevich, Commander-in-Chief and Viceroy in the Caucasus for Russia] to co-operate with Force D on the Caucasus Front and in northern PersiaAgreements with the Il-Khani [I̅l-Khānī, also rendered in text as Ilkhani] and the Il-Begi [I̅l-Begī] of the Bakhtīyārī tribe to safeguard the Persian Oil Company’s interestsViews of the ‘Arab Committee’ in Cairo with regards to plans for an ‘independent Arab State or Confederation’ and their political aspirations in Mesopotamia (folio 83)Reports on Turkish dispositions in North Syria, the Caucasus, and BaghdadPlans to provide relief for troops at Kut and BaghdadIntelligence with regards to Bin Sa’ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Āl Sa’ūd], Bin Rashid [Saʿūd bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Rashīd], and the Sharif of Mecca [Al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, Sharīf of Mecca]Conclusion of a treaty between Bin Sa’ud and Sir Percy Cox, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, on 26 December 1915Discussions relating to procedures for reporting information.The volume also includes:Table showing strength of units in Force D on 1 October 1915 (ff 50-56) and on 1 November 1915 (ff 148-154)Distribution of troops of Force D week commencing 12 December 1915 (ff 195-196)Table showing distribution of the Turkish Army (ff 70-74)Appreciation [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations on the situation in Mesopotamia on 20 December 1915 (ff 93-95) and 27 December 1915 (ff 208-209)Table showing supply personnel required for the two divisions en route from Force A to Force D (f 156)Table showing ‘...progress of transports carrying the Lahore and Meerut Divisions and other reinforcements to Mesopotamia’ (ff 266-269)A statement showing the ‘...strength of reinforcements and details for Basra which embarked at Bombay [Mumbai] and Karachi.’ (ff 270-279).The vast majority of material in the volume dates from December 1915, with the exception of a small amount of material which dates from October 1915.A summary of the contents of this volume can be found at the start of IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3242.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 281; 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 3-279; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto side of each folio.Dimensions: 21 x 33cm
14. Political No. 198 of 1873, Forwarding Copies of a Letter from Sir Bartle Frere to Earl Granville, Regarding Consulate Arrangements in Jedda and Proposals to Establish Consulates for 'Somali Land' and Ports of the Red Sea
- Description:
- Abstract: This item consists of copies of a Political Despatch from the Government of India Foreign Department to the Secretary of State for India, dated 29 October 1873 and received via Brindisi on 24 November, forwarding copies of a letter from Sir Henry Bartle Frere to Earl Granville, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dated 28 May 1873. The enclosure comprises a report by Frere who argues the case for additional consulates or agencies for 'Somali land' and the ports of the Red Sea, both for watching the 'slave-trade' which, Frere alleges, is increasingly carried on through all the Red Sea ports, and to report on proceedings of the Turkish and Egyptian officials on the coast of the Rea Sea. The Despatch covering letter refers to Political No. 57 of 16 June 1873 in which the Government of India had stated that it did not consider that the cost for the establishments proposed by Frere for Somali land and the ports of the Red Sea should be charged to the revenues of India, 'unless the Imperial Governement are prepared to undertake half the expenses of Aden' but that in the case of Jedda [Jeddah] the Government of India Foreign Department have no objection to continue the present contribution of £200 annually towards the maintenance of a Consulate and Agency there, or to raise the sum to £300.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 81, and terminates at f 89, 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. The sequence contains three foliation insertion anomalies: f 81a, f 84a, and f 87a.
15. Intelligence Forwarded by Sir Alexander Burnes Relating to Progress of the British Invasion of Afghanistan (First Anglo-Afghan War, 1839-1842)
- Description:
- Abstract: Copies of intelligence despatches from Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alexander Burnes, Envoy to Kelat [Kalat, also spelled Khelat in this volume], to William Hay Macnaghten, Envoy and Minister at Shah Shoojah’s Camp [Shah Shuja ul-Mulk], (copied to John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay [Mumbai]).The intelligence chiefly covers:Burnes’s negotiations with the Khan of Kelat, with regard to the latter facilitating the progress of the British Army of the Indus and its protection through his territory into Afghanistan, notably through the Bolan Pass; the Khan’s attitude towards Shah Shoojah; conditions of his agreement to co-operate with the British; and the subsidy to be paid to him by the BritishThe situation in Candahar [Kandahar] and the overtures and veiled threats sent by Burnes to Sirdar Ruhm Dil Khan [Ruhim Dil Khan], the moollahs [mullahs] and authorities in Candahar, advising them to support the British advance into Afghanistan and Shah ShoojahOvertures and veiled threats sent by Burnes to the tribal leaders and inhabitants of Pisheen [Pishin] advising them to support the British advanceThe likelihood of Persia [Iran] and Russia aiding Dost Mohammed [Dōst Moḥammad Khān, Bārakzay] against Shah Shoojah and the BritishThe difficult terrain and problems with the supply of grain, forage and water for the Army of the Indus.The item also includes a copy of the ‘News letter’ 12 April 1839, conveying intelligence on affairs in Lahore, Peshawur [Peshawar], Scinde [Sindh], Candahar, Khelat, Herat, Ava, the Army of the Indus, Nipal [Nepal], and Bushire [Būshehr] (ff 137-142).Physical description: The papers are not in chronological order.
16. Intelligence from Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Sheil Concerning Affairs in Persia [Iran]
- Description:
- Abstract: The letters convey intelligence of the movements of the Shah of Persia [Iran]; the Shah’s purported aggressive intentions regarding Afghanistan or ‘Khorassan’ (chiefly Herat), and Turkey [Ottoman Empire] (chiefly Bagdad [Baghdad] and Azerbijan [Azerbaijan]); conditions in Herat since the ending of the Persian siege; Anglo-Persian diplomatic relations notably in context of the Shah’s connections with Russia.The intelligence is provided to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Secret Committee, by Sheil, Chargé d’Affaires, British Mission Erzeroom [Erzurum, Anatolia], incorporating information from his Persian contacts and Edward William Bonham.There is a note before the papers commence stating: ‘Enclosures in Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Letter No. 61, dated 15th May 1839, are missing from this collection’.Physical description: The papers are not in chronological order.
17. Persian Affairs
- Description:
- Abstract: This part of the volume consists of copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 93 of 1848, dated 1 November 1848. The enclosures are numbered 3-4 and are dated 29 September and 3 October 1848.The enclosures consist of two letters from the Resident in the Persian Gulf (Major Samuel Hennell) to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay (Arthur Malet). These letters include translated copies of letters from the Acting Agent at Shiraz, Mirza Mahmoud (also spelled Mirza Mahomed) to Hennell. The first letter from Hennell (No. 3) reports the receipt of intelligence that Shiraz and Ispahan [Isfahan] were in a disturbed state due to a generally believed rumour that the Shah of Persia [Iran] [Mohammad Qajar] was dead. The second letter from Hennell (No. 4) reports the death of the Shah and the crowning of the heir apparent [Naser al-Din Shah Qajar].Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-4, on folio 49. These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure.
18. Affairs in Afghanistan and the Punjab
- Description:
- Abstract: Enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 28 of 1840, dated 13 April 1840. The enclosures are dated [1 October 1839-2 March 1840] and contain correspondence relating to:Concerns of the East India Company (EIC) for the provisions, bhoosa [provender], uniforms, and funding of the Bombay Army’s mission to Afghanistan; its passage via Shekarpore [Shikarpur, also written in the item as Shikarpore and Shikarpoor] to Quetta; the passage of a military kafilla [qāfilah] carrying provisions via Ferozepore [Firozpur] to Cabool [Kabul, also written as Caubool in the item]; and compensation for horses of a ‘lost’ regimentDescriptions of the security, troops, and household of the Durrani Ruler, Shah Shoojah Ool Moolk [Shāh Shujāʿ al-Mulk]; resignations among the ranks of military leaders; and descriptions of the household and courtiers of the Durrani prince, Shahzadah Tymoor or Tymour [Shāhzādah Tīmūr bin Shāh Shujāʿ al-Mulk]Costs for the British mission to the Sikh Court [Court of the Sikh Khāliṣah] at Lahour [Lahore] covered by the EIC cantonment at Loodhiana [Ludhiana]; perceptions of hostility from the Sikh Court; abstracts of translated intelligence reports or ukhbar [akhbār] on the Sikh Court compiled at Lahore, and for the Punjab compiled at Amritsur [Amritsar]EIC requests for the supply of camels; schedules of payment for the hire of camels; the additional cost of camels procured from Gwalior via Delhie [Delhi]; the decision of the EIC to cover the costs of compensation for the loss of leased camels; and the substitution of camels with bullocks at Peshawur [Peshawar, also written this way in the item]The decision of the EIC to honour bills for the security of Afghan political allies; the treatment of state prisoners and maintenance for their households, including ‘enslaved’ persons; the release of prisoners from Cabool; the suppression of groups involved in plunder; and the cleaning of wells and sanitation.The correspondents listed in the abstract of contents (folios 438-443) are the Governor General, Calcutta [Kolkata]; Secretary with the Governor General, Calcutta; Her Majesty’s Envoy and Minister at the Court of Shah Shoojah Ool Moolk, Cabool; Office of the Collector at Delhie; Accountant of the North West Provinces; Envoy of Kelat [Kalat]; Political Agent, Loodhiana; Officiating Political Agent, Loodhiana; Commander-in-Chief of the Indus Army; Political Agent, Candahar [Kandahar]; Accountant General; Resident in Sinde [Sindh]; Assistant Resident in Sinde; Financial Department; Military Department; Political Agent, Shekarpore; Officiating Political Agent, Shekarpore; and the Deputy Assistant Commissary General, Ferozepore.Physical description: 1 item (431 folios)
19. Affairs in Persia
- Description:
- Abstract: Enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 39 of 1846, dated 15 April 1846. The enclosures are dated and contain correspondence relating to affairs in Qajar [Qājār] Persia [Iran]. Contents relate to: the deprivation of property and imprisonment of a Frenchman in Afghanistan and his enforced return to Persia, due to questions over his nationality; the reception of Prince Dolgorouki [Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov] at the Court of Persia, relieving Count Alexander von Médem from his post as the Russian Minister; the appointment of a former Professor of Oriental Studies at the College Heileybury [East India Company College, Haileybury] as tutor for English to the Prince Royal; a proposal for a joint Russian-Toorkoman [Turkman] attack on the Khanate of Khiva; and Persian intelligence regarding Russian infrastructure on the Island of Ashoor Ada [Ashuradih]. This item commences with an abstract of contents (folio 474). Correspondence from Her Majesty’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Persia addressed to Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.Physical description: 1 item (27 folios)
20. Supplying the Bombay Division of the Army of the Indus During the British-led Invasion of Afghanistan
- Description:
- Abstract: Copies of correspondence and other papers, chiefly comprising communications between Henry Pottinger, Resident in Sinde [Sindh, also spelled Scinde in this volume], and the Government of India, Bombay [Mumbai], regarding his arrangements for obtaining and transporting stores and supplies for the Bombay division of the Army of the Indus advancing from Kurrachee [Karachi] under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir John Keane.The papers notably cover:Obtaining boats, camels, horses and bullocksLogistics of moving stores down the line by land and river towards Bukker [Bukkur]Reports on the route from Kurrachee to Tatta [Thatta], by Lieutenant Buckle, Indian Navy, and Lieutenant Macleod, Bombay Engineers, and use of the Garrah [Gharo] Creek near the port of Kurrachee, including compass sketches of the route to the Creek (catalogued as sub-items IOR/L/PS/5/375, ff 632 and 633)Payment of the Jam of Garrah for British use of the Garrah CreekCost estimate for repairing the Manora Fort [also spelled Munnara, Munara, and Moonarat in this volume] for damage sustained during the bombardment by HMS Wellesley, including drawing of fort (catalogued as sub-item IOR/L/PS/5/375, f 599)An account of a potential route from Sonmeanee [Somiani, also spelled Someena and Somanee in this volume] in Beloochistan [Balochistan] via Kelat [Kalat] to the city of Candahar [Kandahar] as described by a horse merchant of Affghanistan [Afghanistan] to Captain W C Harris, Field Engineer with the Sinde Reserve Force, 5 April 1839 (ff 601-613), including a list of places en route and remarks on each oneRates and payment of allowances for members of the Poona [Pune] Auxiliary Horse sent and attached to the Resident in Sinde to escort suppliesUrgent request by Captain William Joseph Eastwick, Officiating Political Agent, Upper Sinde, for the assignment of two assistants by the Bombay GovernmentIntelligence, with orders, replies and observations, from Lahore, Peshawur [Peshawar], Cabool [Kabul], Shikarpore [Shikarpur], the Army of the Indus, Nipal [Nepal], Ava, and general intelligence (ff 625-631).The principal correspondents are: Pottinger; and John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Government, Bombay.Physical description: The papers are not in chronological order.
21. Reports from Afghanistan
- Description:
- Abstract: A copy of an anonymous letter in French forwarding reports from Afghanistan, copied by Harford Jones and dated Bagdad [Baghdad], 18 December 1801.The letter reports widespread alienation from Chah Mahmood [Mahmūd Shāh Durrānī], divisions amongst Chah Mahmood’s troops in Kaboul [Kabul], and large-scale desertions to the side of Shugia ul Mulk [Shujā’ al-Mulk Durrānī]. The author expects Chah Mahmood to abandon Kaboul before the autumn and take refuge in Candahar [Kandahar].Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
22. Reports from the Caucasus. Letters to Harford Jones from Samuel Manesty and Robert Rickards
- Description:
- Abstract: This item contains copies of four letters:1. Translations of two anonymous letters to Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], with dates in cypher. The letters concern Russian activity in the Caucasus, including an attack on Erivan [Yerevan] by Prince Daoud [David] of Georgia with Russian support to demand tribute, the movements of Russian troops and ships, and supposed Russian designs on Erivan and the Caspian ports.2. A letter from Samuel Manesty. Resident in Bussora [Basra], to Harford Jones, sent from Bussora and dated 8 January 1802. The letter concerns a consignment of military supplies sent from India for the Basha [Büyük Sulaymān Pāshā, Governor of Baghdad].3. A letter from Robert Rickards, Secretary to the Government of Bombay, to Harford Jones, sent from Bombay Castle [Mumbai] and dated 1 November 1801. The letter states that, in the interest of appearances, Jones is free to decide on the clothing worn by employees of the Bagdad Residency subject to economy.Physical description: 1 item (4 folios)
23. Reports from Persia
- Description:
- Abstract: This item contains translated extracts of two letters from Persia [Iran] received by Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad], on 11 May 1802:1. A letter from Meerza Bozurg [Mīrzā ‘Īsá Khān Farāhānī, Vizier to the Crown Prince of Persia]. The letter implores Jones to leave Bagdad for his own safety and travel to Persia [Iran]. Meerza Bozurg also reports a rumour that a French traveller is heading for the Persian Court, asking Jones for information.2. A letter from a Christian merchant in Tahran [Tehran] named Manooch. The letter reports the presence of a large army in Tahran, negotiations with a chief from Khorrasan [Khorasan], the Persian Government’s relaxed attitude to the presence of Russian forces in Tiflis [Tblisi], and the arrival of the King’s [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] brother Hossein Kooli Khan [Ḥusyan Qulī Khān Qājār] in Tahran.Attached is a verbal report from the messenger who brought the above letters, describing the presence of a large army in Tahran and the King’s wary attitude towards Hossein Kooli Khan.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)
24. Report on the Kingdom of the Agvans [Afghanistan]
- Description:
- Abstract: A report written in French and dated Bagdad [Baghdad], 23 April 1802, relaying information received from a messenger from Tahran [Tehran] concerning the Kingdom of the Agvans [Afghanistan].The report describes a siege of Herat led by Chah Zadé Kaisser [Shāhzādeh Qaiṣar] and rumours of attacks on Candahar [Kandahar] and Cabul [Kabul] by the Ghelgies [Ghilzaī tribe]. The author also speculates on the activities of Chugia al Mulk [Shujā’ al-Mulk Durrānī] and Fataly Chah [Fatḥ-‘Alī Shāh Qājār, Shāh of Persia] and the future of the country.Physical description: 1 item (2 folios)