!['AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR HERBERT TODD, C.I.E. 1893-1977' [‎23r] (45/498)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000880.0x0002ef/Mss Eur F226_30_0045.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR HERBERT TODD, C.I.E. 1893-1977' [‎23r] (45/498)")
'AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR HERBERT TODD, C.I.E. 1893-1977' [23r] (45/498)
The record is made up of 1 file (247 folios). It was created in 1976-1978. 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.
21
the wet and dry bulb were almost equal and everyone suffered from prickly
heat, including the horses. It was a great relief to all when we were
ordered to the front in Mesopotamia (now called Iraq) where, in the dry
climate, the prickly heat in man and beast soon cleared up.
XIII. MESOPOTAMIA
On arrival in Mesopotamia in October 1917, we found ourselves detailed
to relieve the 7th Hussars who were manning the lines of communication.
So the 7th Hussars moved up north to rejoin their Brigade at the front line
whilst we, rather disconsolately, had to remain on the L of C manning posts
from Basra up to Baghdad.
However, we were promised that when a fresh regiment arrived in Basra,
they would be posted to take over from us and we would be moved up to the
front line on the right of the British Expeditionary Force, where the main
fighting was expected to take place as the Turks were pushed back from
Baghdad. The Turkish line then extended from RAMADI an the Euphrates
in the west, through Baghdad to SHAHRABAN on the east, near the Persian
frontier.
Incidentally, we, as a regiment, were rather proud of our record whilst
we manned the L of C. The 7th Hussars had lost a number of rifles, stolen
by the Arab tribesmen. Arab tribes did not join the Turks. They pre
ferred to hover about near our depots and L of C posts and steal what they
could. We had experience of thefts of arms from our time on the North
West Frontier of India where the Pathan was an adept thief, so on the L
of C in Mespot our practice was for the sepays to dig a trench in their
tents for the rifles and sleep on them. The
sepoys
Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank.
on guard had their
rifles chained to them so that if an Arab tribesman managed to crawl up
near him at night hoping to stab the sentry and steal his rifle, he found
himself thwarted. But we had considerable trouble from the uncommitted
Arab tribesmen - and tribeswomen - for the latter were prone to hover on
the fringes of a battle and rob and mutilate any wounded soldier lying in
an exposed position.
But to return to my own story. When the Turks pushed back towards
Mosul, our regimental HQrs. with three squadrons were in the front line on
the east flank and I was in independent command of t A* Squadron in KUT-AL-
AMARA on the L of C. I was rather proud of myself that after only 10%
months’ service in the Indian Army I had my own independent command. As
About this item
- Content
Memoirs of Sir Herbert Todd (1893-1985) of the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. , later of the Iraq Petroleum Company. Written during the years 1976-78, the memoirs begin by recounting Todd's childhood on his family's farm in Kent, his education and entrance into the Home Civil Service in 1912, and his entrance into the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. in 1913. Roughly half of the memoirs (ff 10-137) covers Todd's career up to 1947, which can be summarised as follows:
- Posted to the Indian Police, Burma [Myanmar], 1913-17 (ff 10-22)
- Served in the 11th Bengal Lancers (Probyn's Horse), Indian Army, in Mesopotamia [Iraq], 1917-19 (ff 22-24)
- Remained in Baghdad as Assistant Commissioner of Police, Baghdad East Subdivision, 1919-20 (ff 25-31)
- Transferred to Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. , holding positions in Baluchistan, 1921; Gilgit, 1927; Quetta, 1931; Bharatpur, 1936-39 (ff 31-67)
- Served in the Home Guard during extended leave (1939-40), first in Canfield, Essex, and later in Blackheath, London (ff 68-72), followed by a spell as an air warden while awaiting re-posting to India (ff 72-78)
- First attempt at passage to India abandoned when the ship he was travelling on, SS Simla , was torpedoed, September 1940 (ff 79-88)
- Returned to India, holding positions at Udaipur, 1940 (ff 93-97); Baluchistan, 1941 (ff 97-101); Cochin [Kochi] and Travancore, 1943 (ff 101-111); and Calcutta [Kolkata] and the Eastern States, 1944-47 (ff 111-134)
- Returned to London on leave, April 1947; career brought to an abrupt end in June 1947 with the announcement of the handing over of power and Indian independence (ff 135-137).
The last hundred or so folios relate to Todd's employment in the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), 1948-59 (ff 138-227), and his subsequent retirement in Oxted, Surrey, 1959-78 (ff 227-248). As Chief Representative of the IPC, Todd and his wife spent much of their time in Baghdad. The memoirs document Todd's relations with prominent Iraqi politicians, diplomats, and visiting British MPs, as well as Todd's visits to Beirut, Damascus, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Persia [Iran] and the United States. Also included are Todd's thoughts on the Suez Crisis and the 1958 revolution in Iraq (Todd was holidaying in Austria at the time and never returned to Baghdad).
Aside from his career, Todd writes about his hobbies (polo and hunting) and comments on UK and world events, such as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the death of Winston Churchill, and the first moon landing in July 1969; he also mentions in passing meeting Professor Max Mallowan and Agatha Christie at the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud (Iraq) in April 1955.
The text is typewritten with annotations and crossings out in pencil and ink. It includes some offensive terms and language in its descriptions of members of colonised populations.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (247 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 249; 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. The file also contains an original printed foliation sequence. It should be noted that number 13 in the original foliation sequence is missing (in between folios 14 and 15).
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR HERBERT TODD, C.I.E. 1893-1977' [23r] (45/498), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F226/30, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100096527773.0x00002e> [accessed 28 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100096527773.0x00002e
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100096527773.0x00002e">'AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR HERBERT TODD, C.I.E. 1893-1977' [‎23r] (45/498)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100096527773.0x00002e"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000880.0x0002ef/Mss Eur F226_30_0045.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000880.0x0002ef/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F226/30
- Title
- 'AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR HERBERT TODD, C.I.E. 1893-1977'
- Pages
- 2r:248v
- Author
- Todd, Sir Herbert John
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact [email protected] with any information you have regarding this item.