'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM' [‎543r] (1096/1386)

No. 68 .
Tclcyvam from Viceroy to Secretary of State for India,
dated 2$lk March 1916.
Private. Your private telegram of 27th. instant. Yincent-Bingley enquiry. T
w elcome addition of Ridsdale although Vincent could be trusted to give a fearless
and independent decision. Vincent and Bingley are already iirMesopotamia taking
evidence, and 1 do not think it necessary to arrest their proceedings pending
Ridsdale’s arrival unless you desire this done.
No. 69.
Telegram from Secretary of State for India to Viceroy,
dated 28th March 1916.
Private. Your private telegram of to-day. Please add Ridsdale accordingly, but
do not interrupt enquiry.
No. 70.
Tlegram from Viceroy to Secret any of State for India,
. dated 30 /h March 1916.
Private. Your private telegram of the 27th instant. 1 have not yet received your
private letter of the 2nd March, but 1 will reply to paragraph 4 of your letter of the
21 th February and affiliated questions contained in above-mentioned private telegram.
As an enquiry is being made into‘the medical situation in Mesopotamia, it is
unnecessary -for me to say anything. It is true (-omnianaer-in-Ohief lias not visited
Bombay since the outbreak of war, and I venture to submit that it has been quite
impossible for him to do so. The situation on the Frontier and elsewhere has been
far too critical forme to have allowed him to leave Headquarters when rapid and
decisive action might be necessary at any moment. But Wiliingdon is wrong i
slying that no officer o: Headquarters Staff has visited Bombay since the outbreak of
war, since the ' Adjutant-General, Quartermaster-General, Director Supplv and
Transport Corps, and the Director of Medical Services, have all been sent to Bombay
on different dates to inspect and report on the arrangements there.
As regards paragraph 5 of your letter of 24th February, it is not the case that the
hospitals at Bombay! are all maintained out of voluntary funds. There are the
Colaba Station Hospital with accommodation for 40 officers and 450 British soldiers,
and an Indian war hospital of 400 beds ; there are also subsidiary hospitals of which
one accommodates 40 officers and 20 to 30 British soldiers, and a convalescent hospital
in the Byculla Club for 40 officers,, for whom Government pays. All these hospitals
are maintained entirely at Government expense. Of voluntary hospitals there is one
with 400 beds for Indians and another just opened or about to be opened with
400 beds for British troops.. These are maintained by Bombay branch of Imperial
Relief Fund, and so far there has been no question of shortage of funds. At Karachi
there are two Government war hospitals, with 500 beds each.
» As regards your telegram of .the 25th instant, I have no idea of nature of reports
reaching you which indicate absence of proper organisation at Bombay, but 1 think
it would be mere justice to the Commander-in-Chief to specify substance and source
of these repo its. 1 - As for the strength of Bombay staff are you not judging by Army
List? That list does not show posts specially created for war purposes. In addition
to censors, medical officers, Ac., there are on the Bombay staff go less than nine
combatant Staff Officers whose names for the reason given are not shown in the Army
List. It is true that all Staff Officers in Bombay are shown in Army last as temporary.
In this the system in force in England since 4 th August .1914, is ft Bowed, and a
reference to Home Army List will show that in the Department of the Chief of the
Imperial General Staff himself practically every officer is shown as temporary. It is
tmo that none of the Staff Officers have been through the Staff College ; all our j
men being elsewhere, but they have all had six months’ sound training as understudies
before being appointed to vacancies on the Staff. General Knight finds nothing to
complain of in his Staff. I would gladly insist on a full examination, but before doing
so it Kcems to me absolutely essential that something more definite should bo
formulated as to alleged defects and source from which complaints are being made.
As regards last paragraph of your telegram the only ease brought to my knowledge