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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎320r] (652/995)

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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. .

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5
A.E.B.
fe'vMfa
p,jT
S-Q ? I—£LE J B I h ft t?
1338.
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m
From
Dat«d Bagdad. 18. 8. 20.
Becaived 9.a.m., UtB.
OiTil Oommissionar, Bagdad, to S. of S.
X
B » Simal. My telegram of 13th August.
Segret to haye to report further unfavourable developments. Befugees
camp at Baqubah has been attacked. Baqubah itself has been sacked
I by riff raff of town assisted by (? tribesmen) (? full stop) Shahrabaa
and Qizil Bobat has (aifi) been sacked and a P.0, and officer captured
or killed. At Kaniqin Government Offices and house of a P.0, has (sic)
been burnt, ani a P.0, with his wife and family .have been forced to take
refuge at railhead. A P.0, at Mantx Miutuwab is in his house, but no
longer in authority. Our detachments at Qarsa and at Quragha (the
latter being the junction of Kifri line with main line from Bagdad to
the & Persian)- Frontier are surrounded, and various bridges have been
burnt. Our (? detachments) at (? Kifri) and (? Kirkuk) are thus (? att)
^ will not be) possible to (cornel group) r»tricate(them ?)
for some considerable time to come. Our detachments at Bsmadi and
Fallajah are cut off from Bagdad. Situation is obscure owing to absence
of telegraph(?ie) communication by land wire or wireless, but there is
little (? doubt) that division is in an uproar. (? The) evacuation <f
Mosul Yilayet may in my opinion shortly be forced upon us. Withdrawal
froia that place is a most difficult operation, but it may not
be inqiossible of accomplishment without serious (? losses) if insuffic
ient forces can be (? made) (corrupt group) capable of protecting
I? the line) from Bagdad to Shargat, either from fresh troops now
arriving or by withdrawals from Bamadi and possibly Kirkuk. If we
(? withdraw from) Kirkuk the whole of Kurdistan will of course relapse
i SMrchy* Bevolutionary movement has for some time past ceased to
We any political aspect and has become entirely (? anarchic)* 2k No
°ne appears more anxious (to) than leading Mujtahids and many of the
leading people of (? Bagdad) to put an end to disturbances which they
r*

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.

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English in Latin script
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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎320r] (652/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804988.0x000035> [accessed 28 June 2026]

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