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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [240r] (490/995)
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.
Copy of a Memorandum ]>To.Hil dated 13-7-1920 from the
Political Officer,Shattrah to the Political Officer Muntafik
Divi sion,ljTasir iyah.
I have to-day returned from touring district
having visited in order Khafajah,Suwaij,Ban| Zaid Pacha,Bani
able have
Zaid Bani Sa’id (Dawaiyah). It is regrettsi/to/report that
the temper of the tribes is not what it was a year ago*The
one grouse is over taxation- the idea of any feeling about
Eome Rule is out of the question,there is no demand for it,
or interest in it* Jk agree with Captain Berkeley that the
tribe most likely to give trouble is Bani SaUd* As an
instance of what one is faced with there I would like to
tell you of an indident which took place of the 12th* I was
at Dawaiyah. 5,000
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
koda tax was outstanding as well
as a murder case which took place in the late days of v^apt*
Mead* Nail al Mashai was the instigator of the crime. A
nephew of his was killed by another nephew,the latter than
seizing the lahdiof the former. I imposed a fine of 1,000
Rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
,Pasl 500 and told Half he must accompany me to
Shatrah to settle the land question* He took fright at the
latter idea but on assuring him I would not imprison him he
agreed. On debouching from Pawaiyah 21 armed men appeared
on our left flank about a mile away* I thought discretion
was the better part of valour so turned without hesitation
into their rear and went back to Pawaiyah. No attempt was
made at rescue or escape and no shot fired.Naif came round
in the evening and ma^te his ’Sakhala* and disclaimed all
responsibility. I again used wisdom rather^than courage and
told him it was not necessary for him to come with me to
Shatrah on the morrow some time later would do,and I gave
him the assurance before a r Mejlis f that he would not be
imprisoned there and that *inshallah f I should hereafter
be ’radhi 1 with him. However I could not have the law
defied before my eyes so ordered the confiscation of the
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' [240r] (490/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804987.0x00005b> [accessed 11 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