"مذكرات الحرب. مقر قيادة الجيش، الهند. [...] قوة المشاة الهندية «د». المجلد ٢٣ الجزء II (من ١٦ إلى ٣٠ يونيو ١٩١٦)" [و‎‎٤‎٦] (٢٧٤/٩٦)

v
-#3
12-pr. anti-aircraft guns 2.
The last ship unloaded was the “ Alnwick Castle.’ 1
Addressed Troopers, and repeated to Egypt and C. G. S., Simla.
Working copy to D.G.O.
Copy to M.S.C., G.S. (M.O. i, M.O. 2).
Telegram P., No. 60655, dated 20th June 1916. APPENDIX 300
(Despatched 3-45 p.m.) (Diary No. 60655)
From
To—
-{
{
1. Chief, India.
2. C. G. S., India.
1. C. I. G. S., London.
2. General, Basrah.
If War Office can supply equipment and you approve, I propose to convert
the 14th and 15th Divisional Signal Companies in Mesopotamia, which are still
on Indian Establishments to the establishments which the Meerut and Lahore
Companies had on arrival from France and in order to adapt to local conditions
to make certain necessary additions to the equipment of all four companies.
Detail of the equipment required has been forwarded to you by post and
includes 25 wagons limbered R, E. and 18 wagons cable R. E. with majority of
technical fittings.
It is unlikely that this conversion will entail any additional drafts of per
sonnel.
Addressed Chief, London ; repeated General, Basrah,
Working copy to G.S. (M.O. 2).
Copy to M.S.C., D.G.O., Q.M.G., A.G., D.G.M.W., G.S, (S.D. 3).
Memorandum No. 1135-93-Q-> dated 2nd June 1916. APPENDIX 301
(Received in War Section, 20th June 1916.) (Diary No. 60662)
From—The General Officer Commanding, Force “D".
To—The Chief of the General Staff, Simla.
With reference to your No. 44745, dated 22nd March, I now submit my
reply.
2. The extracts from D. O. letter from D. R. L M. to Surgeon-General
MacNeece, forwarded with letter No. 10020-28 (D.M.S.-^), dated 15th May
referred to in your telegram No. 54182, dated 15th May, have now reached
me.
3. In view of these extracts, I would ask whether the allegation contained
in your No,. 44745 of 22nd March that “river steamers and craft equipped and
intended for transport of sick and hospitals have been diverted to other
purposes” is still adhered to. If so, I beg leave to point out that the
D. R. I. M.’s letter, where it refers to river steamers as distinct from barges, and
apart from the absurdly erroneous statement that “ there are plenty of big,
steamers and barges on the river,” nowhere states that steamers have been
equipped and intended for transport of sick and hospitals, and sent to Basrah
and 'a fortiori' does not state that river steamers so equipped have been
diverted to other purposes. So the report which your telegram No. 44745
alleged that the D. M.S. had received to this effect is clearly unfounded in this
respect.
4. Turning now to the question of barges, D. R. I, M.’s letter says <c the
eleven composite barges for which I have prepared hospital equipment have
been taken by the S. and T. people with the remark that they are too small. ”
I would point out that the D. R. I. M. does not state that these barges had
actually been equipped for transport of sick and hospitals,—they had not—but
merely that he had “ prepared equipment” for them. It is dated some 6
weeks after the first of the barges had arrived at Basrah and a fortnight before
the equipment arrived there. As a matter of fact these eleven wooden barges
arrived at Basrah without fittings, and, so far as I can ascertain, with nothing