![‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 32. PART II. (From 16th to 31st March 1917.)’ [‎87r] (178/294)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000112.0x0001ff/IOR_L_MIL_17_5_3273_0178.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 32. PART II. (From 16th to 31st March 1917.)’ [‎87r] (178/294)")
‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 32. PART II. (From 16th to 31st March 1917.)’ [87r] (178/294)
The record is made up of 1 volume (143 folios). It was created in 15 Jan 1917-31 Mar 1917. 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.
iater when ifc was seen exactly what the monthly requirements would be. The
types of quarters, for the Army Ordnance Corps personnel at Ma’°il
sergeants’ quarters, warrant officers’ quarters and officers’ mess—were
decided upon. The design was accepted by the Director of Works and passed
to India to supply. r
About the middle of the month foundations for magazine sheds were
completed at Ma’gil.
The question of labour was, during October and November, very serious,
but towards the end of the latter month this improved through the arrival of
Labour Corps from India and the establishment of a Controller of native
labour. The Kurdish Labour Battalion was formed as an Ordnance Labour
Corps, and in addition to this a portion of Nos. 2 and 4 Labour Corps were
told off for Ma’gil and the Clothing Dep6t, respectively. The Department was
employing about 1,000 labourers in JNovember which was afterwards increased
to about 1,500 exclusive of women.
A contract was made with Messrs. Buddruin of Karachi to supply 400
stevedores with the necessary
tindals
Non-European boatswain or head of a group of labourers.
and supervisors. They should have arrived
during the first week in November but have not done so by the end of the
month.
Towards the end of the month the 300 feet by 30 feet shed at the Ordnance
Dep6t Biver Kront was completed.
It was decided that it would be impossible to reclaim the whole area at
Ma gil Ordnance Depbtto a level above high flood, and that it would have to be
reclaimed to a lower level and a pumping plant constructed to keep the ground
dry. The reclamation began during November and the first area reclaimed
was the ground between the magazine sheds and the shed themselves. The i
average amount brought in was two trains a day, equal to about 20,000 cubic
feet. This was to have been increased to four trains a day.
On the 23rd November the first Ordnance Company (No. Ill Company)
arrived in Mesopotamia from Egypt—a very welcome addition to the establish
ment. The immediate result of this was that most of the Supply and Trans
port personnel were returned.
.
On the 30th November an officer of the Army Ordnance Department
arrived and took over the duties of Assistant Director, Ordnance Stores,
AVIATION.
{Reportfor period 4th — 10th February 1917.)
During the week the enemy has evacuated his last trenches on the east
bank of the Hai and after stiff fighting the British Eorce has advanced and
driven him back north-westwards, a distance of about two miles on the west
bank and captured the Licquorice
Factory
An East India Company trading post.
. The enemy is now being hemmed
in in the Dahra Bend.
The weather has been fine.
Co-operation with artillery has been very successful—
70 targets have been registered.
6 active batteries silenced.
2 guns probably knocked out.
2 direct hits on enemy pontoon bridge, range 9,800 yards in a hig
wind. Bridge seriously damaged.
1 enemy barge sunk.
1 working party dispersed.
Enemy pontoons sunk and damaged.
The following is a translation of a captured document
9-45 a.m. 1st February 1917—
To Officer Commanding, Lake Group
Please tell the Aeroplane Company to remove the debris of the fallen
Fokker. I beg to inform you that the pilot has been killed and
the machine smashed. The pilot’s body is wedged in the debris
and cannot be extracted. It seems probable that it will be
impossible to transport the debris.
Officer Commanding>
3rd Battalion } 43rd Regiment.
About this item
- Content
The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 16 and 31 March 1917. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, tables, and memoranda containing instructions and reports.
The volume mostly relates to:
- Reinforcements and labour requirements of Force D
- Supplies for Force D, including: river craft, weapons, ammunition, rations, trains, and railway construction materials
- Lists of sick and wounded soldiers
- Prisoners of war
- Updates from the Tigris line, especially at Baghdad, Samarrah [Samarra], and Bakuba [Baqubah, also rendered in text as Bakubah]
- Updates from the Khanikin [Khanaqin] front, especially at Khanikin, Shahroban [Al Miqdadiyah], and the area around the Dialah [Diyala, also rendered in text as Dialha] river
- Updates from the Euphrates line, especially at Samawah [As Samawah] and Fallujah [Al Fallujah, also rendered in text as Felujah]
- Updates from the Russo-Turkish fronts in the Caucasus region and in Persia [Iran]
- Turkish [Ottoman] forces: movements; intelligence from deserters; reported difficulties with supplies and communication; details of commanders; re-organisation of troops; and distributions on week ending 20 March (ff 39-40) and week ending 27 March (f 120)
- Discussions about co-operating with Russian forces on certain operations
- Discussions about Force D’s priority being the consolidation of their position in Baghdad, including: planned communications with the population; approaches to taking over from the Turkish administration; and the completion of railway connections to the city
- Possibility of advancing along Euphrates to Samawah
- Intelligence provided by the Caucasus Military Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
- Intelligence about German troops
- Reports of the Royal Flying Corps
- Progress of railways construction
- Situation in Persia, particularly discussions around the decision to return the Bushire [Bushehr] force to the command of the Commander-in-Chief in India.
The volume also contains:
- Appreciations [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations summarising the situation in Mesopotamia on 18 March (ff 21-24) and on 25 March (ff 76-77)
- Two diaries of information from 3 March (ff 83-99) and 10 March (ff 100-111), covering: climate and floods; prisoners of war; inland water transport; the Army Ordnance Corps (Basrah [Basra]); aviation; sanitary reports; tribal confederations of the Tigris; customs duties in Iraq; photographs; and railways in Mesopotamia.
A summary and index to the contents of this volume can be found at the start of IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3272.
Whilst the volume contains copies of earlier material dating from 15 January 1917 onwards, the bulk of the material dates from March 1917.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (143 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 145; 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 also present in parallel between ff 3-143; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
Dimensions: 21 x 33cm
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 32. PART II. (From 16th to 31st March 1917.)’ [87r] (178/294), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3273, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100134835014.0x0000b3> [accessed 17 January 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3273
- Title
- ‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 32. PART II. (From 16th to 31st March 1917.)’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:144v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence