‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 23 PART II (From 16thto 30thJune 1916)’ [‎35r] (74/274)

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I would strongly urge that immediate action be taken with regard to the
recommendations made in paragraph 8 of the report. Trained assistants to
Captain Beeson should be sent out to be attached to the various Sanitary
Sections. Their duties will be carried out under the Sanitary Officers of the
Division or Administrative Area to which they are posted.
Seven of these men if available are required now, to be distributed as
follows :—
Tigris Corps
A snarah
Nasiriyah
Basrah
It is suggested that they should be given military rank relative to the rates
of pay at which they are at present employed.
Working copy to D.M.S.
APPEDIX 280 .
(Diary No. 60405)
Telegram No. 828-2 (818-2 ?-L. C.,) dated i8ih June 1916.
(Despatched 6 p.m„ received 8 A.M., 19th June 1916.)
F rom The Inspector General of Communications, Basrah.
To— The Commander-in-Chief, Simla.
Your 59819 of 16th June and your 59454 °^ 1 4 1 ^ 1 J une *
Now that I have taken over the shipping please wipe out previous .corres
pondence and start afresh. At present we have many more store ships in har
bour more than we can unload and shipping is being wasted. No more y,
bhoosa or wood should be shipped till further notice as whole port is clogged
with nearly three months’ supplies of these commodities It is no use Directors
wiring for stores in excess of the amount we can unload here and m furture
shall co-ordinate this. All ships now loading may sail as convenient but after
that I want no storeship to sail till 1 give notice and 1 will give you 2l days
clear notice of any more ships being required. We shall then get the port
normal and shall be able to work on lines indicated in my 818-3 ot date and
reduce the number of ships on the run to economical numbers. .
My 818-3 (Dy. No. 60406) gives you total number of storeships required.
Buchanan and Brown consider Quida would not help us at all and I concur after
experience at Lemnos. As soon port is normal ships can load at Bombay and
Kiamari with tonnage for each Directorate in sequence of original oraers.
Addressed C. G. S. ( repeated General Kirkpatrick.
Working copy to Q.M.G.
Copy M.S.C., M.S.V., G.S. (M.O. 1, M.O. 2), A.D. (Marine).
APPENDIX 281
(Diary No. 6O406)
Telegram No. 818-3-L.C., dated 18th June 1916.
Despatched u P.M., received 8-15 A.M., 19th June 1916.)
From—The Inspector General of Communications, Basrah.
To—The Chief of the General Staff, Simla.
Reference my 8,8-2 (Dy. No. 60405). The need of this force other than
colliers and railway material will be amply supplied it twelve storeships per
month of average dead weight 3,000 tons of 18 ft. draught are taken up or the
run. Total maintenance of force is 27,000 tons and assuming 30 days round
trip nine ships would suffice and 1 have added three for a margin. vve do
not pet more than nine ships per month we can clear ships much faster. \ 0 u
are best judge of the number of transports required for troops and some can
bring 800 to 1,000 tons cargo also and should be specially used for stores which
have been asked for urgently if this can be done without lowering .aught
beyond 18 ft. When the port is normal as referred to in my 818-2 (Dy. N 0 .
60405), I will ask you to commence shipping in the monthly quantities detail
ed in this telegram. It should be understood that there is no objection here to