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'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM' [51v] (102/1386)
The record is made up of 1 file (687 folios). It was created in 1915-1918. 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.
9
.i v • o,„l Pptcv Cox wlio m-ima facie are in the best position to judge of its
r' X ,U , • ^ivpptlv lu^an agitation in the Press or in commercial circles, it may even
bTurgeYand there is much force in the argument, that it is advisable on political grounds
on account of the world-wide prestige which the occupation of Baghdad would confei.
Cenahdv strong ai-uments can be advanced for its occupation, and the ease with winch the
operation can be carried out will be impressed on us with such cogency and insistence that
t h e -proposal will be difficult to resist. The very glamour attaching to so historic a city is m
A ' , i ic . vl fh extreme reluctance that I advocate a policj of caution,
wWch'wiUcertSy be m.popular, an.l perhaps difficult to justify in the minds of those who
are not intimate with the intricacies of the problem.
“ in mv iudo-nient it will not be wise to go to Baghdad unless ice can in creme the force by a
whole Division of Infantry and one or two Cavalry regiments, and this we know is impracticable
unless the Indian troops are withdrawn from France.
“The conclusion of the whole matter therefore is that we cannot nnderpresentcncum-
stances go to Baghdad without incurring unjustifiable risks. It must be remembered that
duriim the winter the Russians are not likely to be able to make any advance into Armenia
and consequent!v the Turks can very well spare a division or two from the Armenian army at
this season to reinforce the Mesopotamian troops.
*
« We have practically no reserves to depend on and we must play a safe game and husband
our sorely strained military resources.”
“ If we do not stop him, General Nixon will soon be in Baghdad regardless of orders, and
we shall then be faced by the grave alternative of either having to withdraw again or of
making our occupation' effective. Either course involves serious considerations, more
especially in view of the gloomy situation in the near East.
About this item
- Content
This file contains working drafts of confidential prints, correspondence and telegrams from the room of Sir Edmund Barrow, Military Secretary in 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. , collected for the Mesopotamian Commission which was convened to examine the causes of the besieging and surrender of the Indian Expeditionary Force in Kut-el-Amara [Al Kūt].
The papers cover a range of topics and include the following: General Townshend's assessment of the situation after the Battle of Kut-el-Amara; a précis of correspondence relating to the origins and development of the Mesopotamia expedition; and a collection (ff 396-399) of private telegrams between the Secretary of State for India and the Viceroy, prior to the outbreak of war with Turkey.
The file also includes some tables showing the strength of General Townshend's force at Ctesiphon (folio 111) as well as the Indian Expeditionary Force 'D' (In Mesopotamia) Troops of the 6th Poona Division (folio 114).
Correspondents include: General Sir John Nixon; Major-General Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend; the Viceroy of India; officials of the Admiralty; officials of the War Office.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (687 folios)
- Arrangement
The entries are recorded in chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 686; 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. Multiple additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are written in crayon and pencil; where they are written in pencil and circled, they are crossed through.
The file has one foliation anomaly, f 374A.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM' [51v] (102/1386), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/5/768, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100116195928.0x000069> [accessed 3 January 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100116195928.0x000069
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/5/768
- Title
- 'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:5v, 7r:89v, 91r:107v, 109r:130v, 131ar, 131r:134v, 135ar, 135ar, 135r:136v, 137ar, 137r:203v, 204ar, 204r:225r, 225ar, 225v:295v, 296ar, 296r:316v, 317ar, 317r:374v, 374ar:374av, 375r:405v, 406ar, 406r:562r, 562ar, 562v:623v, 624ar, 624r:686v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence