'Critical Study of the Campaign in Mesopotamia up to April 1917: Part I - Report' [‎154v] (313/424)

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5. The economical use of river transport was insisted on. No boats
were allowed above Sheikh Saad and all troops on Tigris front were suppli
ed by convoy. Prior to that, boats had wandered up to troop camps,
and been leisurely unloaded instead of turned round under authority.
Sheikh Saad was developed into a complete advanced base, with a light
2' G'' line extending behind the fighting front.
6. It was soon found that the Indian Marine could not furnish officers
to control a huge business river service with dockyards, workshops, pilots,
stores, etc., and the War Office sent out a complete set of officers of the
Inland Water Transport, to take over the river and absorb the Indian
Marine Officers, who were given Military Commissions.
7. The secret of the development and control of the line of communi
cation, was the absolute authority of the 1. G. C. working under the orders
of the Q. M. G. over any service from Base to railheads and riverhead,
and the absolute authority of the Section Commanders in their Sections
over everything except through traffic and the defence troops.
(It should be noted that the defence troops lodged as it were in the
Sections and were maintained by the Section Commander, location, etc.,
being arranged between the 0. C. Defence troops and Section Commander.)
8. A system of co-ordination, between I. G. C. "Q" Staff at the base,
the representatives of the transport services, and of the despatching
•departments was organized. The machinery was as follows :—
(a) The I. G. C. informed G. H. Q. of his lifting capacity ex-base
for ensuing decade (it was increasing weekly).
In the case of the lesser lines, viz. } Euphrates and Karun the
local commander sent I. G. C. their actual requirements.
■{6) G. H. Q. (Q. M. G.) told I. G. C. the allotment and the decade
of the I. G. C. preferred total. Say it was 8,000 ton for the
decade. The Q. M. G. would allot perhaps
•Supplies .
Ordnance .
Ex. service stores
Medical
Veterinary
4,000
2,000
1,500
400
100
ic) The Directors of each service at G. H. Q. would then inform
their representatives at Base of the detail to make up the
allotted tonage.
{d) I. G. C. Staff would then have a conference of transport
and departmental representatives and allot to each the
number of barges or trains that they would have put at
their disposal each day.
9. An important step in securing order, discipline and sanitation and
generally improving the serious state of disorganization was the issue of