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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎135r] (280/995)

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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

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3m
•y*.
-3-
/3S
Gendarme post at Bardin.
On the 25th Jfehe Yuzhashi left gendarmes posts at
Bardin, Batas, and Kani Wutman and returned to Arhil.
On the 28th I visited Makhmur and on returning in
the evening learnt that shaikh Mazo and Nuri with about
sixty Surchi the previous day(27th) had crossed the 2ab
■yy^^h, the assistance of the villages of Khurra and Bardin#
They surrounded the post at Bardin and drove the mddir
and gendarmes out of Batas. They were joined by the Surchi
of the D^sht-i-Harir and, it was said a large party
had left to attack Bawanduz. Captain Littledale left the
following morning with a party of 30 sowars via Kora and
Shaqlawah to reconnoitre and Saiyid Ali Iffendi followed
him up with about seventy piada# Qadir Beg kept on pro
mising Gaptain Littledale assistance and then postponing
matters# captain Littledale attacked Batas on the night
of 30 th/31 st. he was informed there were only 40 men there,
but Shaikh Obaidullah had recently arrived with a further
100, which of course Qadlr Beg knew* The first assault
of the Levies was beaten off^ and qa&ir Beg*s men took
them in the rear* Captain Littledale and Saiyid Ali
managed to get back to Arbil with nearly all the sawars
and some of the piada.
It has since been discovered that Qadir Beg was in
correspondence with Shaikh Obaidullah before the *Id#
He is a man who owes his position and prosperity almost
entirely to the British Government. I think his hand
has been partly forced by his relations*
If the Government makes a show of force he will pro
bably try and afeeK out of his action and keep (juiet*
Otherwise he will threaten Arbil and Koi* I am afraid
Bawanduz must be given up as lost.
The people of Arbil are quiet and the strong portion
of the Dizaih is pro-Government. If however the hill
tribes approach Arbi! they will be joined by Anmed Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
and
v'

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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.

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English in Latin script
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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎135r] (280/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804986.0x000051> [accessed 12 June 2026]

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