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File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [442v] (895/946)
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.
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CHAPTER IV.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE REFUGEES FROM AUGUST 1918
TO 1st OCTOBER, 1919.
GENERAL.
It is perhaps one of the most wonderful feats on record, the way in which these Refugees
comparatively only partially civilized, adapted themselves to strict British discipline and adminis-
tiation, in an amazingly short space of time. The vast majority of them are illiterate, ignorant folk
w lose occupation prior to the war wjs the care of the land and vineyards and the tending of cattle
anc sheep, which sufficed their wants. The Ashirat Assyrians from Kurdistan were quite indepen
dent^ lecoginzing no other head than their Maliks or tribal chieftains and their Patriarch, Mar
Slnm un. And yet these people, who are still under the tribal system, retaining many primitive
C iaractenstl cs, more so than all the other refugees in the camp, within a few months of coming
under a highly civilized system of Government, had assimilated so many Western ideas, that would
lave taken them in their normal life, some centuries to acquire: and proceeded to settle down
comfortably with the minimum of trouble.
ARRANGEMENT BY TRIBES.
f Wh ^ n the Refugees first arrived here it was impossible to divide and separate them into their
tubes and divisions immediately. Accordingly for the first month or so, the people were all mixed
up, Armenians and Assyrians together. But as they became more settled a census was held and
“ A ” e A P C thrOUgh ° ut the . Sections according to their tribal divisions and affiliations.’ ' In
. . A th6 Armenians were located, in B ” Area the majority of the Mountaineer Assyrians
and m C ” Area, the remainder of the latter and the Urumieh Assyrians ^
Section the Patriarch, The Patriarchal family, the learned men and some of the chief Maliks of the
berforih^An^e^faS Adrians 01 ' 6 SeCti ° n ^ ^ apart lor ““ wealth y and aristocratic mem-
LABOUR.
nn thl n p/ ieV10 T US chap J e r ie f ere n ce was made to tha enrolment of refugees for labour on the roads
f aWe-bodied refuses are now employed on labour in some
pages 28 and 29.) statistics of men enrolled and employed, in Table 4, Appendix C, also
resent being'separated'fromthek ^ ^ POO ‘‘ " eed -Pervision and
especially during last whfter 1658 and nece5sit a‘ed constant supervision and hard work.
EDUCATION.
About Christmas, 1918, a school was opened in the Ari storm Hr qrrHm me c i
Thf f 16 hundred and se venty boys could be accommodated owing to the shortage oftenta^
This school was organized and run by one of the wealthy English speaking ^
taught and extraordinary good progress was made by the children P who eagerlv nishS
their benefactors, language. About the same time the American Vrs an R^hef Cmf T”
were given permission to reside in the camp and help wTh
accommodated many hundreds of children. Schools were opened in the’ orphanage heW ^
d ned ’ and wer e administered by refugee teachers. But it was not until July 1919 ^that ^ H 1611 '
‘he children “doubly eager to S^lhe , a a „ r S U '4^ reCiated r by “’f refUgeeS ’
m 6 ' ^, 2 1I ^ " m T nt t ^ e 1,16 947 ^ d - attendf^Ci
a,so “‘‘ending the American Mission SchooHn the Camp 0 " ’ K ° m 0rphana «e. About 800 are
RELIGION.
- “r issr ns si
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
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File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [442v] (895/946), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/774, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100184391545.0x00001b> [accessed 8 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/774
- Title
- File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:6v, 9r:19v, 24r:35v, 36ar, 36r:70v, 72r:78v, 80r:88v, 90r:122v, 123ar, 123r:133v, 136r:153v, 154ar, 155r:158v, 160r:177v, 181r:183v, 185r:187v, 192r:192v, 194r:197v, 199r:203v, 204ar, 204r:231v, 234r:242v, 244r:271v, 277r:278v, 279ar, 279r:282v, 284r:293v, 294ar, 294r:310v, 312r:332v, 334r:349v, 353r:364v, 367r:383v, 389r:389v, 391r:397v, 399r:408v, 418r:465v, 467r:467v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence