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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [87r] (182/995)
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.
13.
I nave in my raind* s eye Sheikh Iluha^nmad Khalis Beg Talibani, sox;
ot Shaikh Biaa ( a iainor chief of the Talihani Kurds), He was
Qaimaqam of Rania when I arrived at Koi in 1918, and has haa a
great deal of experience in Kurdistan.
The Khushnao have always Been run tribally and I propose
continuing to ruSwthen so provided Qadir Beg comes in and oehaves.
They should however he run direct from Arbil and not from Koi. If
qadir Beg can restore order there I propose putting the Besht-i-
Harir in his charge. The Zarari ( a small tribe who live between
mRk (20 nu N. of Arbil) and Dera (20 m. N* of Arbil) will come
directly under Arbil.
I am of opinion however that it will be necessary for a
military column to visit the Desht-i-Harir when conditions allow,
an! if operations are eventually undertaken against the burchi
loth hanks of the Z,ah should he inducLed in their scope.
Bawanciuz can he left to itself for the present. It is pro
bably that an apportunity for restoring Government influence there
Till present itself without recourse to armed force. When the
Desht-i-Harir is re-occupied the place can he hlackaded. It will no
not he worth while holding it in force until normal conditions are r
restored on the Persian side of the Rentier and trade revives.
The levies hardly cgfcae up to expectation during the distur
bances, hut they were p*i to the test long before they were proper
ly trained. A full account of their behaviour in pawanduz is not
yet to hand, I do not think however it will ever he possible to
consider levies reliable until they have two or three years training
on the lines of a regular regiment.
The District Polifce i.e., the old gendarmes are the curse
of the country. They can be replaced by tribal sawars in certain
areas, but in other parts I can see no alternative.
The town Police stuck well together thanks to the good work
of Mr. H.C.Bobbins. The Town Police can be almost as bad as the
gendarmes'"as "regards tyranny and oppression, but they are more
compact and easier to control.
Another curse of the country is the re-employed ex-Turkish
official - but here too there is no alternative.
■
..... •
K§’
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' [87r] (182/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x0000b7> [accessed 6 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