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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [20r] (48/995)
The record is made up of 1 volume (491 folios). It was created in 28 Jun 1920-11 Feb 1921. 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.
I believed that the immediate despatch of a
Column to Kifl might still prevent most of the Hillah
Division from joining in the rising and would save the
Barrage and Musaiyib, There is little doubt that the Bani
Hasan of Hindiyah had by this date made up their minds to
join the rest of their tribe against us; but the other
Hillah tribes were not as yet involved at all. The
Manchester Column left Hillah for Kifl on the evening of
the 23rd July and retired on the evening of the 24th having
got as far as the Rustumiyah Canal. During their retreat
they were attacked by the Fatlah, Tufail and Khaffaja
Tribes. On the same evening Captains Jardine and Cowan
Smith who were at Tuwairij were warned by Shaikh Umran to
leave and did so via the Barrage.
The Bani Hasan and Fatlah took early advantage of
their success to compel all weaker tribes to join them. The
Barrage and Musaiyib had to be evacuated on the 25th July ao&i
and Karbala on the 26th. Mounted messengers were sent by
the Bani Hasan and F a tlah.to raise the tribes in the Hillah
Division, but they were not immd^ately successful in their
object. The tribes on the Right Bank of the Hillah River
did not join in against us till the 27th and those on the
Left not till the 29th, while the small tribe of the Bani
Ajil under Shaikh Umran al Zambur never rose at all. Abdul
Y/ahid is reported to have arrived at Tuwairij on the 27th
and the command of all the Hindiyah Tribes was then made
over to Umran. That same night they attacked Hillah but
were driven back with heavy losses. The railway line was
cut south of Hillah in Jubur territory on the 2toh July and
North of Hillah near Khan Mahawil on the 29th. Hillah was
again attacked on the night of the 31st July/lst August and
on the evening of the 21st August. These v/ere the only -
attacks of any importance though sniping continued till the
1st October when the blockhouses line was extended prepa
ratory to the movement of troops against Kifl and Kufa.
North of Musaiyib the insurrection gained no
ground till the 4th of August, chiefly owing to the loyalty
Of
About this item
- Content
The volume consists of correspondence, memoranda, drafts, and departmental notes relating to rebellion against British mandatory rule in Mesopotamia [approximately corresponding to present-day Iraq], later known as the Iraqi Revolt of 1920.
The volume covers the period from the start of unrest in May 1920 to British imposition of control in October of the same year. The majority of the volume comprises reports from political officers across Mesopotamia on the situation in their respective divisions and districts.
Other matters discussed within the volume include:
- The suspected causes of the uprising, including fears of ‘Bolshevik’ and pro-Turkish influence
- Settlement of the border between Syria and Mesopotamia
- Military strategy and operations, including the need for reinforcements
- The severing of British lines of communication, particularly rail
- The efficacy and principles of the use of armoured cars and air raids as means of control following numerous cases of misidentification and disproportionate force that resulted in the deaths and injuries of innocent people
- Political and civil policy in the region
- Identification and arrest of some of the leaders of the rebellion
- The prominence of events in Mesopotamia in the British press
- The question of disarming the tribes following the suppression of the rebellion.
Principal correspondents include officials at: 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. ; the Office of the Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia (from November 1920, the High Commissioner); the War Office; General Headquarters of the military in Mesopotamia; and the Government of India, Foreign and Political and Army departments.
The volume contains cuttings from several publications, including: The Times , The Statesman , The Observer , The Daily Herald , The Daily Mail , The Baghdad Times , and The Near East .
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence. A second divider is included, for File 4722/1918 Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’. This was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (491 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the rear to the front.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 489; 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 intermittent additional foliation sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly, f 89a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [20r] (48/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x000031> [accessed 12 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/761
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:89v, 89ar:89av, 90r:113r, 114v, 118v:120r, 121v, 127v:169v, 173r:192v, 194r:211v, 213r:223v, 225r:227r, 229r:261v, 262v:263v, 266r:279v, 280ar, 280r:293v, 294v, 295v:317v, 318ar, 318r:333v, 334v:341v, 342v:359v, 360v:400v, 404r:424v, 425ar, 425r:489v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence