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'Railways Mesopotamia and L of C [Lines of Communications] Policy, Vol. II' [108r] (215/274)
The record is made up of 1 file (135 folios). It was created in 3 Dec 1917-24 Jun 1918. 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.
S E Q R E fr.
CORRECTION OP TELEGRAM.
^ From:- General Freeland.
Decpat died 6,45 c a. m c 21/1/18.
Received 9.a*m. 21/1/18 0
To:- C.I.G.S.
repeated India and Baghdad.
X 6004, Reference instructions contained in your
01/126/561 of October 18th and your 47961 dated Dec.ember 14th,
x iiav ^ established beyond doubt necessity cf through railway
from Rasrah to Xaghdad, if the requirements of force P as forecas
m your Instructions of December 14th are tc be met * The other
such
railway must be aligned and constructed in s^ck a manner as to
be safe from prolonged interruption- by flood or continued
v/a shouts oy rairn^ in shorty must be reliable under all
conditions and must be capable in addition cf constructiom
Oi this standard '-'ithin time available^ that is by September
ca this year« Alter consultation) with railway* authorities^
"- ro ^ 1 have formed following conclusions.
Railway along Tigris cannot be made reliable without raising
whole of the line from Amarafc to Baghdadi (?)oni tan* which for
a considerable portion of its length will reach 8 feet in height
and will probably rec.uirc considerable revetment which work®
even if all labour and revetting material could be made
available could hardly bo carried out in 12 month*. The
necessity cf bridging river at Amarah will either restrict
rlTer traffic- or reduce capacity of railway?. Construction
-material lor arnarah Kut El Amarah link must pass over Basrah
d nap and without endangering supply of existing forcer this
cannot be done. Railway route from Basrah via Nasorlyah Hal and
dun El Amarah to ' aghdad will necessitate bridges at Haslviya>
ic- Kut E- Amarah and on this account is open to came object!or?
as Tigris route. Hai region is little known but frora
Tasariyah to Kut El Amarah must also be carried ora high bank
tc be safe from interruption by flood.
About this item
- Content
The file, marked secret, contains correspondence and notes regarding rail and river transportation in Mesopotamia [Iraq] during 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
- Military operations targeting the Turkish railways in Palestine
- Planning and progress of the Mesopotamia Transport Commission
- Supply of railway materials, rolling stock, and personnel
- Postwar railway policy in India and Mesopotamia
- The question of substituting oil fuel for coal supply in river and rail transport.
Correspondents include: the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Egypt; the Chief of Imperial General Staff; Director of Railways, Baghdad; the War Office; the Commander-in-Chief, Army Headquarters, India; the Major General Sir Henry Francis Edward Freeland, Chairman of the Mesopotamia Transport Commission; the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Mesopotamia; the Chief of the General Staff, India; the Director General of Movements and Railways, War Office; and the Assistant Director of the Inland Water Transport, Mesopotamia.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (135 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 137; 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 Mesopotamia and L of C [Lines of Communications] Policy, Vol. II' [108r] (215/274), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/5/788, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100098484044.0x000010> [accessed 15 July 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/5/788
- Title
- 'Railways Mesopotamia and L of C [Lines of Communications] Policy, Vol. II'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:136v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence