File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [303r] (617/995)
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.
is to the effect provided on the tribes by the activities
o. .] irza uh lha, the followingkemarks made by the
Assistant Political Officer, Per ala-Hin'nyfh District, nay
be of inters ft:-
um uxie i... D i.-tiy last i o oecame quite evident to me
tricvt strong propaganda rork being carried out amongst the
dindiyah tribes; it became noticiable in attempts to evade'
u• h. 0 ’ s orders (see ai so report subrnitted to ?.0. Hi 11 an re.
treatment oi tne Circle Officer) the leading Shaikh Umran
a! Hadji b a adun first reported these activities and strongly
aavised chat accion siiould be taken against the ringleaders
at Karbala; u:ie niatt er was reported to P.O. Hill ah Division.
In the meantime it has openly said that the British were to
ue driven out of the country and that no action was being
oaken be cause - ier ""ere no troops in the coun try. At the
ia-ul- iibr all tne .Kindiyah Shaikhs were collected to Karbala
and called upon to sign a madhbata to the effect that they
snouia unanimously desired purely Arab G-overnment, with no
a or sign interference. This was a complete volte face from
the madhbata submitted in 1918 asking for British assistance,
xn one ia,ce of pressure applied and also probably owing to
no acoion having been taken men like Umran felt that it might
De as ” el1 to bhrow in their lot with the Karbala party which
r
g as in fact what they did; the minor Shaikhs followed his
example. When.the troops marched from Tuerij to Karbala the'
m a ah oat. a was brought to me by Umr an and torn up by him. He
said no one would have signed if it had not been through the
machinations of ' irza ’uhammad Ridha, and his party and -chat
their extreme views were certainly not shared by the tribe sma
who only desired to continue as before.
file chief townspeople in Tuerij also expressed this
view. 7!very thing points to the. fact that unless the
aiiests had been made serious consequences would have resultei
u, sijjiiar sitaaoion will again arise if any of the prison'
ers especially Ifirza Iluhammad Ridha are allowed to return.”
HpAe b y Civil Commissioner .
I'.iiza , unsjnmao. Kiza was mentioned by name in public
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' [303r] (617/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804988.0x000012> [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
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