'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎262v] (527/862)

ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC LIFE
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country, the general shortage of men fit to handle and maintain
modern mechanical equipment. But Iraq appears to have the most
formidable army among the Arab states of the Middle East.
Royal Iraqi Air Force. This is administered by the Ministry of
Defence and advised by R.A.F. members of the military mission. It
came into being in April 1931 when it was equipped with five D.H.
Gipsy Moth aircraft. More modern aircraft were gradually adopted
and the size of the force was built up to seven squadrons, including
army co-operation, bomber, fighter, and transport units, with an
establishment of 153 officers and 1,175 other ranks. Officers are
drawn from the pick of the young officers and cadets of the army.
The force suffers like the army from the great shortage of skilled
personnel, and also from a similar weakness of supply organization.
The R.I.A.F. had modern aerodromes of its own (in 1940) only at
Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, and Diwaniya. There is a small Flying
Training School at Baghdad.
Levies. These provided the internal security force during the man
datory period when the Iraqi army was being formed, and were in
part absorbed into the army. The remainder were to have been dis
banded in 1930 and replaced by Special Guards in the service of the
R.A.F., but the constitution of the Special Guards was never decided
and the Levies continued to exist. Their number was reduced by
1932 to 1,250 and remained at that figure until the outbreak of war in
1939. They consisted of 8 companies, of which 4 were manned by
Assyrians, 1 by Kurds, and 3 by Arabs. The number of the Levies
then increased by stages until it reached 7,000 officers and men.
Kurds, Assyrians, Arabs, and Yezidis are now all represented. The
Levies are administered by the British Air Ministry.
Justice
There are four kinds of Courts of Justice: Civil, Criminal, Reli
gious, and Tribal.
Civil Courts. These deal with lawsuits. There is a Court of Cassa
tion and Appeal at Baghdad under a British president which deals with
appeals and exercises wide powers of revision. Below it are 5 principal
Courts of First Instance with a bench of judges (3 of them under
British presidents), 9 Courts of First Instance each with a single
judge, and 47 Peace Courts. The distinction between these courts
depends upon the amount of the sum involved. Peace Courts, which
resemble English County Courts, deal generally with cases involving
not more than 56 dinars (Rs. 750), and not concerned with land titles.