'Mesopotamia Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by Act of Parliament to Enquire into the Operations of War in Mesopotamia, together with a Special Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP, and Appendices. London: HMSO, 1917.' [‎98v] (196/248)

yjJ'hj^ 14 rather import^jit; ••jWUt,
ye^^yg.pft.yeur iiupress^on 4 Bo you think there ha»
beqrugi cH-vrigotof feeling as ; regyir.d 8 service in India in the
last few yea^s ?--T)istinotiy ; over since the Boer War.
Nobo4y would go there if they could possibly help it; ho
senior.officer would take a brigade or a division there if
they could possibly get one here in England.
11244. That is quite at variance with your earlier
experience ?—Quite, because, especially a division, in
India was then greatly sought after.
11245. Can you trace it to any particular cause ? : To
two causes: partly that the expenses over there have
gone up, and partly because the general feeling, as I said
just now, is that you are not liberally treated. I have
put down here one case myself, but I could give several
that I myself have suffered under. It is partly that and
partly because a great number of the rising soldiers foresaw
this German war, and did not want to be at the other end
of the world when it came. I think there is a good deal in
that, but the fact remains that you could not get the best
officers to go there.
11246. General Sir N. Li/Uelton. Is it greatly due to the
cost of living and to the fall of the rupee ?—A good deal.
It is not a poor man’s country now, as it was.
11247. That is nothing like my experience of 40 years
back. When l last lived thereat was very different ?—
Yes. . - . cv,
11248. The Chairman. W’ould you say that soldiers
would rather avoid getting on to the Indian Establish
ments ?—Distinctly, and you will find after this war officers
will try to get out of the Indian Service and into the British
Service. I have spoken to half a dozen officers, and they
all say the same.
'A ’ {i 7/ -Ji—
STATEMENT BY MAJOR UTTERSOX.
16107: (U)T do not think that officers of the British
Army are very well treated by the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. . I am still
endeavouring to get a refund of the amount I paid for
rations an 1 forage between November 7th, 1914, and
March 31 st, 1915; also compensation for the loss of my
charger, which was.eaten by the Kut garrison.
(12) 1 applied in India last February for a wound
gratuity; but having no reply, I applied to the War Office—
I think in May—and received a gratuity of £225 in about
a week. Last July I received a notice that the Indian
Government had awarded me £150, but that, of course,
has not been paid, as I had receives! a gratuity from the
War Office.
EXTRACTS FROM THE EVIDENCE OF CAPTAIN
ST. AUBYN KING.
16151. There is. another thing I would like to say.
I do not know whether you would like to hear it. It is
about what we generally think as officers of the Indian
Army. I have spoken to a great many, and we all of
us suffer under rather a sense of injury from the Govern
ment of India. For instance, had 1 been a prisoner of
war I should :. 'w he drawing ver\ much more pay than
I do at the pr -tent moment.
16152. Lord H. Cecil. Why is that ? Because a
prisoner of war draws full pay.
16153. The Earl of Donoughmore. And a wounded
officer does not ?—The wounded officer is allowed to
draw full pay and allowances for three months after
being hit.
16154. Admiral Sir C. Bridge. Irrespective of his
wound ?—Irrespective of his wound.
16155.-Although 'he. may have- p -bullet through his
leg or a wound w r hich necessitates taking off his leg ?—
So long as he is wounded ha gets full pay for three months
aftqr being hit. There is :a : regulation in the Indian
Army by which every officer is entitled to 60 days’
privilege leave a year, during wdiich period he draws
his full pay, and if you have gone 33 months’ continuous
service in India without leave you are allowed to have
90 days’ privilege pay.
16156. General Sir N. Lyttelton. Are you talking of
leave to go to England ?—Just ordinary leave. Every
single one. of Us that was hit was entitled to 60 days'
c privilege -leave - on full pay, but all the Government 'of
India have awarded was one month’s full pay. People
in the British Service draw Tull pay all the time they are
/convalescent.
16157. Admiral Sir C. Bridge. That is Saving money
through the fact of your being wounded ? Quite.
16158. The Chairman. What are you receiving now?
—I am receiving furlough pay.
16159. Lord H. Cecil. What proportion is that?—
After 14 years’ service you get £300 a year. 1 am getting
that.
16160. What proportion is that of your full pay ?—
My full pay is £480 a year—more than that, because J get
allowances.
16161. The Chairman. So what you want to
call attention to is the distinction to the disadvantage
of the Indian wounded officers compared with the British
wounded officers ?—Quite. They draw full pay all the
time and allowances.
16162. General Sir N. Lyttelton. They do not draw
Indian pay when they come home, do they ?—Some of
them may.
16163. But they do not under ordinary circumstances ?
—No, they do not under ordinary circumstances.
EXTRACTS FROM EVIDENCE OF LIEUT.-COLONEL
LEEDS.
16622. (6) The fact that officers of the Indian Army,
who are sent home from Mesopotamia sick and wounded,
are on half-pay after being away from their appointments
in the field for three months, causes dissatisfaction on
account of the heavy pecuniary loss.
Officers of the British Expeditionary Force, France,
are not subject to this rule.
Being sent home on six months’ sick leave means a loss
of £300 to me.
(7) On arrival in Egypt, when coming home sick, I was
given the opportunity of signing the attached document,
or of remaining in hospital in Egypt till a hospital ship
was available to take me home. T was told there wmuld
be no hospital ship for a fortnight at least, and probably
three weeks. I elected to go by transport, so as not to
curtail my leave in England. The conditions in the
document were cancelled in Marseilles, and we were put
to no expense in Marseilles and Boulogne.
(Signed) T. L. Leeds, Lieut.-Col.,
59th Rifles, F.F.
November 24th. 1916.
MOVEMENT ORDER.
Army Form W. 3039.
Dafe
Train No
Warrant No
Leave at own expense,* Marseilles, U.K. via
Boulogne.
Lieut. -Colonel Leeds, 59th Rifles.
(Signed) F. G. Senior, Capt. (for D.A.Q.M.G.),
Officer authorising move.
(Signed) T. L. Leeds, Lieut.-Colonel,
Officer in charge of train. s
(Signed) H. A. Head, Major,
R.T.O. Despatching Station.
I hereby certify that, if passage to England by transport
is granted me .
(1) 1 will pay all expenses incurred en route from
Alexandria (including, if landed at Marseilles, my
fare through to France). ,
(2) 1 am travelling by transport at my own
request and at my own risk.
(3) That I will not in the future prefer any claim
whatever for the payment to me of any expense^
incurred during my journey to England.
* Countersigned in red ink : Free order to A.Q.M.G.—
H.A.H.