Skip to item: of 946
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [‎327r] (664/946)

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. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

J
PERSIAN LEGATION,
j May 15th, 1920
Dear Mr. Oliphant,
Following your suggestion on the telephone, I herewith
enclose a summary translation of the Persian Government tele
gram and the supplementary Communication of His Highness the
Persian Foreign Minister. I earnestly trust that His Britan
nic Majesty’s Government would consider the question in the
spirit of great sympathy with the Persian Government.
If the problem of finding a place of settlement for these
troublesome people, has governed the decision of the British
Authorities in Mesopotamia, for sending them to Persia, a most
natural and the best way of solving the problem would be to send
them to Armenia, a country so largely augmented with waste
territories, that the Armenians do not know how to populate it
with their scanty population. Anyhow the question is of mom
entous and far reaching character for the Persian Government
and in order to discuss all aspects of the question and to come
to a definite and satisfactory arrangement, I shall be glad if
you would give me an opportunity of meeting you as soon as
convenient for you.
Yours very sincerely
(Signed) Ghaffar.
Lancelot Oliphant,
etc., etc., etc.

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
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [‎327r] (664/946), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/774, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100184391543.0x0000b9> [accessed 9 June 2026]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100184391543.0x0000b9">File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [&lrm;327r] (664/946)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100184391543.0x0000b9">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00029c/IOR_L_PS_10_774_0664.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x00029c/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image