"لجنة بلاد الرافدين. تقرير اللجنة المُعينة بموجب قانون البرلمان للتحقيق في عمليات الحرب في بلاد الرافدين، بالإضافة إلى تقرير خاص أعده القائد ج. ويدجوود، الحاصل على وسام الخدمة المتميزة، وعضو البرلمان، وملاحق. لندن: مكتب الأدوات القرطاسية الملكية، ١٩١٧." [و‎‎٣‎٠] (٢٤٨/٥٩)

PART IX.—TRANSPORT.
57
(C 48—176)
H
A. Shortage of River Transport.
tugs to tow native boats called mahailas for removing sick and wounded. These arrange
ments concerned local or short-distance transport only. Sick and wounded were brought
down river on steamers and barges which had taken up troops, animals or supplies. On
August I3th, 1915, a special hospital steanxer is mentioned for the first time. On that
date Surgeon General Hathaway made application to the Inspector-General of Communica
tions at Basra for a steamer to be set apart and fitted for conveyance of sick and wounded,
or alternatively a tug and two mahailas. The steamer and tug were refused on the ground
that all were required for movement of troops and supplies, and Surgeon-General Hathaway
did not carry the matter any further. Except some telegrams offering motor launches
nothing further occurred until November 23rd, when India asked Mesopotamia if evacuation
rom the front was satisfactory, adding :
“ There should be a well equipped fleet of boats or steamers on the lines of a hospital ship to be used
exclusively for the transport of sick. Have you any suggestion to make ? Wire what you require.”
On December 7th Surgeon-General Hathaway replied approving the suggestion. On
December 10 th he telegraphed that local experience favoured steamers wnth independent
paddles, towing a barge on each side. On December 31st India cabled London that four
river hospital steamers would require to be built, and that plans were being sent. On
March 1 st it was finally settled that two should be built in England and two in Calcutta.
Meantime India decided to improvise in addition several hospital steamers, and fit up barges
from amongst those obtainable in India. The first hospital steamer on the river, the stern-
wheel steamer “ Sikkim,” with accommodation for 144 cot cases, arrived at Basra about
the middle of March, 1916—one year and five months after the campaign commenced,
and three to four months after the battle of Ctesiphon, in which there were over 3,500
wounded. Owing, no doubt, to the complaints of what had happened at Ctesiphon, '
which were now spreading, the Indian Government during the first half of 1916, and the
War Office after they took charge of the campaign during the second half, supplemented
the provision largely. There were on March 1 st, 1917, eight hospital steamers in Mesopo
tamia, four on the way, and twenty-nine on order, besides several specially fitted barges.
It is manifest from this bare statement of the present position that the provision of hospital
steamers was taken in hand much too late.
49. The awful sufferings of some of the sick and wounded during 1915 and the earlier
part of 1916 caused by want of river hospital steamers have been referred to at length in
another part of our Report.* Consideration of the evidence as to the causes of this want
leads us to the following conclusions : General Nixon was responsible for advancing without
sufficient river transport to meet all needs, which in turn involved inability to set aside
special steamers to be fitted for hospital use. The outstanding importance of having such
steamers before advancing does not appear to have been sufficiently realised by Surgeon-
General Hathaway, or, if realised, was not impressed by him, as it should have oeen.
upon General Nixon. Surgeon-General Hathaway showed little foresight; even his sman
request of August 13th, 1915, for an improvised Hospital steamer or tug was not urged
persistently or with sufficient emphasis. He never suggested building special hospital
steamers. The suggestion came eventually from India. He failed to grasp the require
ments of the situation. In the matter of river hospital transport the Commander-in-Chief
in India showed solicitude and initiative, although too late. The absence of requests
for hospital steamers from Surgeon-General Hathaway naturally prevented anxiety for
a time.
50. Execution of orders for hospital transport was far from satisfactory. Mesopotamia
had, after much insistence made it plain that steamers with independent paddles, towing a
steel barge abreast on either side were the only vessels entirely suitable for the river. Never- *
theless, stern-wheel steamers were sent which could not manoeuvre with barges coming down
stream at the narrow hair-pin corners. A number of the barges sent were built of wood
and as they crushed in on collision with the banks, had to be replaced. The hospital steamers
ordered in England were twin screw instead of independent paddles, as desired. The onus
of making these deviations rests with the Director of the Royal Indian Marine at
Bombay. It is difficult to find excuse for them, especially as there had been a similar
experience with ordinary river craft a few months before. It always seemed that the
Director thought he knew what was required better than those on the spot. Waste
of money and delay were thus incurred.
* See Part X., paras. 57-63.