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'Railways and L. of C. [Lines of Communication] Policy Mesopotamia, Vol IV' [130r] (259/270)
The record is made up of 1 file (132 folios). It was created in 4 Oct 1919-9 Dec 1920. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
'
OPERATIONS*
SECRET.
PARAPHRASE.
Despatched 1810 4/10/19#
Received 0830 8/10/19#
4 V*
Prom:- G.H*Q. Egypt.
To:- War Office,
repeated G.0,0.Mesopotamia.
E.A .2723 October 4th.
Your 81510.
1. Have discussed question with Miss Bell who v/ent to Burka
in 1913 - 14 and others who are well acquainted with conditions
in Arabian desert.
2. Conditions as regards railway construction on ll'ne proposed
in Baghdad's X 7 457 for reconnaissance may be summarized as
follows.
(AA. In making line from Hedjaz railway about Amman by Kasr
Azrak towards Burkh and Kuban towards Euphrates there are no
particular.*.engineering difficulties. Country is undulating
but not serious .gradients• numerous wadis which flood in winter
and would require bridging.
- - - * «
(B) . On this route there is no perennial water and any which
might be obtained by boring in
wadi
A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
beds would most probably
be brackish.
(C) .."Harrat or Rad'jil is volcanic and", covered withR'lava rocks
but railway could run from Kasr to Burka without great difficulty.
3. Lawrence will probably be.yable to confirm above.; Is this
sufficient? I do not consider:;that any further information
would be gained by route or aeroplane reconnaissance unless line
of flying levels were taken by a railway surveyor. This would
require at least af’month and an expert whom it would be difficult,
to find. Do you require it to be done?
4. As already pointed out In my telegram E.A.2650 there would be
almost insuperable engineering difficulties In constructing a
railway from vicinity of Amman to Haifa without entering area A*
M.O.X, Copies to :-
A.C. D.M.O. D.DrM.O. M.0.2&A&B.
M.0.3. M.0.4. D.M.I. M.I.2 & B. M.I.R & B. M.I.6.B.
D.S,D. D .0, ,M .G . Q.M.G .6, M • R. 2 . A »X . 1 .
I.;q.(C 3.1 .Pepys). :;F.0.(Mr .Kidston) . P.0. (Sec.I .D.C.E.) .
Lord Curzon. Paris. Versailles.
About this item
- Content
The file, marked secret, contains correspondence, notes, and maps regarding rail transportation in Mesopotamia [Iraq] and the surrounding region after the First World War. The papers cover several matters, including:
- The construction, conversion, maintenance, and expansion of the railways in the region, including regular progress reports from the Director of Railways, Baghdad
- Planning, reconnaissance, and surveying for a proposed direct Baghdad-Haifa ('Trans-Arabian') line
- Costs and expenditure
- Transition from military to civil administration.
Correspondents include: the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Mesopotamia; the Director of Railways, Baghdad; the War Office; the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Egypt; and the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
The file contains two maps, both showing railway lines in the region (folios 132-133). The file also includes a newspaper cutting of an article on the Baghdad-Basra railway, from The Pioneer Mail , dated 5 December 1919 (folio 92).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (132 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order, from the rear to the front.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 134; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are written in coloured crayon.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Railways and L. of C. [Lines of Communication] Policy Mesopotamia, Vol IV' [130r] (259/270), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/5/790, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100094403025.0x00003c> [accessed 12 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/5/790
- Title
- 'Railways and L. of C. [Lines of Communication] Policy Mesopotamia, Vol IV'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:91v, 93r:131v, 134r, 135v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence