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File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [‎225v] (459/946)

The record is made up of 1 volume (464 folios). It was created in 27 Dec 1919-30 Dec 1920. It was written in English and French. 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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at this Office (or, it is gathered, at
Tehran) that the movement of the
Assyrians in pursuance of the scheme
had already commenced* (Sir A* Wilson
mentioned in this telegram that he had j
stated in his telegram of the 30th
March that 'forward action was being
taken in anticipation of concurrence
of Government'; but for some reason at
present unexplained this statement did
as
not appear in the telegram^received
here, nor - as appears from Sir P.
Cox's telegram of the 6th June - in
the telegram as received at ^eheran)*
Mr. Montagu then naturally hoped that
it would be possible to ensure, at any
rate as regards further proceedings,
that a line of policy commanding the
support of all Departments of His
Majesty's Government should be agreed
on, and it was proposed in my letter
No* P.3810 of the 15th May that the
matter should be considered at an
early meeting of the Inter-Departmental
Committee on Middle Eastern Affairs*
It was therefore with great regret that,
after further correspondence which did
not bring into view any decided opinion
on the main issue, Mr* Montagu found
himself left by your letter of the 11th
June to take on his own responsibility
a decision which owing to the pressure
i of events could no longer be delayed.
In dealing with the matter as it
then stood, Mr. Montagu had to consider
the possible alternatives. The altema
tive

About this item

Content

This volume contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and minutes. It mainly covers conversations between British and French officials regarding the Christian (mostly Assyrian and Armenian) refugees in the refugee camp at Baqubah [also written Ba’qubah, Ba’quba and Baquba] in Mesopotamia [approximately corresponding to present-day Iraq], and their possible repatriation.

Related matters of discussion include the following: the health of the refugees; background; labour capacity; expenses and payments of the refugee camp; administration of the camp and its economic challenges; transportation for repatriation. Included in the correspondence are letters from Surma Khanin D’Mar Shimun describing the situation of the camp and asking for changes to the camp, and for the return of the Assyrians and Armenians. In addition, there are some inquiries received by British officials from Christian Assyrians. Also mentioned are the following: the ‘Christian Army of Revenge’, French propaganda among the Assyrians, Assyrio-Chaldean [Assyro-Chaldeans] refugees in Russia, and the American Mission.

In addition, the volume includes the following:

  • Details of the numbers of Armenian refugees in the camp at Baqubah on 7 December 1919 (f 462)
  • Memoranda on the Armenian refugees present in the camp 1919 (ff 436-459)
  • Notes on the Assyrian refugees in the camp, dated July 1920 (ff 199-210)
  • List of the number of Armenians in the camp (ff 104-105)
  • A memorandum on the Assyrian and Armenian refugees in Mesopotamia (ff 95-97)
  • A map showing a ‘Proposed Nestorian Enclave’ (f 466).

The principal correspondents are: Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; British High Commission, Constantinople [Istanbul]; British Embassy in Washington; British Consulate, Tabriz; War Office; Lord Curzon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, British Delegation, Paris; officials at the refugee camp at Baqubah; French Embassy, London; Board of Foreign Mission of the Presbyterian Church in the United States; the Mar Shimun family.

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.

Extent and format
1 volume (464 folios)
Arrangement

The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 5655 (Mesopotamia) consists of 3 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/773-775. The volumes are divided into 4 parts, with part 1 comprising the first volume, part 2 comprising the second volume, and parts 3-4 comprising the third volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 468; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 197-462; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [‎225v] (459/946), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/774, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100184391543.0x00003d> [accessed 6 June 2026]

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