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File 5655/1918 Pt 2 'Mesopotamia: Refugee Camp at Baqubah (1920 – papers)' [348r] (706/946)
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.
A
(R)
In my be'i egram of Ilarch 30th I.o.3960 I outlined
■projosals fc mid stated forward action was be inf? taken in
anticipation of concurrence of the Government.
I considered this necessary as although proposals uu
forward last year were sanctioned practically as they sto
by His Majesty’s Government, intimation of appr
Majesty’s Government reached us too late for it
practicable to take action and additional expendi
million pounds was thereby involved.
oo d
His
Action taken involves no fresh
beyond those alrea
principle
not
empaasa
3,dy accepted by His Majesty
ise importance on financial.
or commitments
s Government#
and political
I need 11
grounds of effecting repatriation of these refugees as far
as possible while we still have power to do so i.e. before
our troops ip Mosul Vilayet are still further reduced.
6,00^refugee|_ have now left Baqubah and are at, or on
their way •to Akdegffrr, Arrangements are in train for the
despatch of a further 12,000 making a. total of 18,000.
Negotiations with Saiyid Taha are in progress.
-f
7.
Both military/ and civil authorities here sre making every
effort possible effort to complete this movement which present;
great difficulties now but is likely to be impossible 6 months
hence unless my interpretation of political barometer is at
fault. If we stop it no?/ all the money that has been expended
on equipping the refugees for their journey will be waie
wasted; they themselves will give up hope and will be com*
di ff i cul t to co ntro 1.
(come most
I beg that His Majesty’s Government t will view (? my)
action in this matter with indulgence, will grant my request
regarding armament and rely on me to see the matter through,
if by any means possible to a successful conclusion.
Provided the armament asked for in General Baghdad’s
telegram of 17th April, X.8549 (vide my telegram of April 23rd)
I believe that the repatriation will be successfully
accomplished during present summer so far as these 25000 people
are concerned. If so ouy chance of.repatriating the remaining
li'/Arv- Assyrians who total another 7,000 will be greatly improved,
tlhe balance are principally Armenians and I consider that it
[(should be practicable to plane these in some portion of
, ^Mesopotamia as colonists,should their eventual repatriation
prove impracticable, in which case little expenditure will he
11 incurred after end of this financial year. I have not omitted
to take into consideration the reference to religious minorities
in Kurdistan in (corrupt group) test but provisions on the
subject are so vague and hold out so little hope of successful
accomplishment
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)' [348r] (706/946), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/774, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100184391545.0x00002b> [accessed 6 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