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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [97r] (204/995)
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 sent them down the Dola Akho & at Akoyan they fell
into the hands of 50 men of those parts who were apparently only
waiting for Ma7.zo at Kaniothman to make a move. One of them es
caped reporting to me what had happened.
By now the morale of the Levy was weakening despite great
efforts on the part of one or two of their - officers to keep them
cheery.
That afternoon Captain Hutchinson called all the tribal
leaders together & conferred with them on the situation. Here again
one could see in their manners of speech especially that of Muhd,
Amin Beg of DergelXa & the Balikian which at times were in
solent, After the meeting one of the Levy Officers told me that
they wanted paying money for their services otherwise they would
not help Government, On this point I could not have done so far I
only had some Bs,4000/- in hand & this I required in case of emer
gencies, They were being issued with a kilo of wheat per man per
day, barley for their horses and also she ex;*
So instead of the situation improving it only increased
our anxiety, Ogtr last hope then was that Sh, Muhd, Agha* s arrival
would to some extent change all this.
He arrived in Rowandus; that night at 20,00 hours with 30
men, which included his son, Q.adir, Sadiq Agha & Muhd. Amin Agha of
Me.rga (:), He immediately had a conference with Captain Hutchinson,
In the main he stated that our presence was a perilous one and
unless immediate help cane from Arbil or Rania it would be useless
staying. He had also received a letter from Sh,Obeidullah & Mi ran-i-
Q,adir Beg stating that today is the day m&. of the Moslem & that
India too was rising against the British, and asking him to join in
& help to drive the Government out. Also that if he would hand us
over to them they would give him as many Liras ac he liked to ask for
That letter remained unanswered till after our evacuation,Before
coming in to Rowanduz he had communicated with the A,P,0, Rania*Sit
had Captain. Hutchinson but Sh, Muhd, Agha met the messenger on the
road & brought the letter back with him. This 'letter of Sh,Qbeid-
ullah* s was the first news that the Koshnao had joined in, we re-
c eived.
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' [97r] (204/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804986.0x000005> [accessed 10 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