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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [21r] (50/995)
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.
of Shaikh Rashid of the Jennahiyin and Shaikh Ah dull ah al
/
Aziz* On this date an attempt was made to burn the railway
bridge near Khan Azad and the telegraphic wires near
Mahmudiyah and Khan Azad were destroyed. On the 5th Shaikh
Faisal af the Juhaish who had been won over to the insur
gents by his appointment as 1 Qaid-al-Jaish-al-Jazirah* sent
a note to the A.F.O-, Musaiyib, who was then at Mahmudiyah
ordering him to surrender f and the same night heavy fire
was opened on the posts from close range. On the nijght of
the 9th/l0th August Mahmudiyah was again vigorously
attacked; but the insurgents made no impression and must
have had severe losses. There were no further attacks on
this post and very little sniping.
'
In the meantime the garrison in Hillah had been
considerably augmented by the arrival, on the 9th August,
of General Conningham with the 34th Brigade from Diwaniyah.
Shortly after the arrival of this Column the troops in
Hillah took the offensive and a Column under General Walker
reoccopied Musaiyib and the Barrage on the 13th August.
Simultaneously a Column under Col. Scott covered the
construction of blockhouses up to Khan Mahawil. Both these
Columns afterwards undertook punitive operations against
the Muamarah and Juhaish, burning villages in the hostile
areas through which they passed. As a result of these
operations Shaikh Faisal al Mughir fled on the 17th August
leaving his Lieutenant Alwan al Shallal, wha^organ!sed Tel
Dair as a point of resistance, in charge of operations.
On the 19th August railway communication with
Baghdad was restored and telegraphic communication on the
23rd. The Columns returned from the neighbourhood of
Musaiyib and on the 23rd punitive measures were undertaken
against the Albu Sultan and a detachment of J&rboiy&h was
withdrawn. The effect of these measures was good but
evanescent, owing to the fact that the troops returned to
Hillah almost immediately. Shaikh Addai of the Albu Sultan
who on account of his loyalty to us naa been &ept & prisoner
in
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' [21r] (50/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x000033> [accessed 9 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