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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [81r] (170/995)
The record is made up of 1 volume (491 folios). It was created in 28 Jun 1920-11 Feb 1921. It was written in English. 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.
©
7*
R-
strong silent man - not well-educated, and despises intrigue. It is
doubtful if the keener-witted. i*brahim Agha would have been so firm in
his loyalty in such a crisis. Khurshid Agha brought three thousand tribe
men into the tov/n and kept them there for a week without any excesses
be^ng committed; his wavering relations he soundly abused, and by making
it known he would fight whatever happened he persuaded the -Khushnao
Chiefs to make thier dakhalat and disperse their forces and compelled
the Surchi to withdraw rather than fape his hostility. His attitude also
forced the secretly hostile chiefs Jamil Agha of the Girdi(Habital Arbil-
/vfcut
Howanzud^district) and Ahmed
pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
and Hajji Pir paud Agha of the Dizaih
to come into Arbil and range themselves on Government side,while the
seditious ashraf of Arbil Kajji Hashid Agha and Ali
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
could not stir
hand or foot*
Mulla EffendJL,the leading religious authority ti-saiLpraved: the
district, let it be known that he thoroughly disapproved of any attempt
d
to expel the Government,therefore the disturbances never in any way assume
a religious character.
Basul Agha, the fourth of the Dizaih cl:4efs was also w r ith Khurshid
Agha on the side of. the Government.
There was never any popular movement against the Government in the
arbil District* The people of Arbil only desired peace and quiet,while
the mass of the Dizail came in to protect us. It was only certain of the
ashraf of Arbil and some of the Dizaih aghawat who desired for their
private ends to throw the district into disorder*
Khurshid Agha arrived in Arbil on September 2nd and at once took
charge of the situation. On the 5th rumours that the Surchi and Khushnao
intended attacking .the town became very persistent and Khurshid Agha
sent out word for the tribesmen to collect.
On the 6th the tribesmen poured into the town* Captain Littledale
amd myself moved into the barracks with the Town Police and a handful of
Levies. All Levies and District Police who wished were allowed to hand
in their rifles and go, and the majority of them did so. All these days
we were evacuating personnel and kit hard. The driver of the touring car
was away , but Captain Dickinson took his place and did splendid ?;ork
Y
driving to quisair (L.B.Z«A«3. upstream of junction with Tigris)
Mi
I i
About this item
- Content
The volume consists of correspondence, memoranda, drafts, and departmental notes relating to rebellion against British mandatory rule in Mesopotamia [approximately corresponding to present-day Iraq], later known as the Iraqi Revolt of 1920.
The volume covers the period from the start of unrest in May 1920 to British imposition of control in October of the same year. The majority of the volume comprises reports from political officers across Mesopotamia on the situation in their respective divisions and districts.
Other matters discussed within the volume include:
- The suspected causes of the uprising, including fears of ‘Bolshevik’ and pro-Turkish influence
- Settlement of the border between Syria and Mesopotamia
- Military strategy and operations, including the need for reinforcements
- The severing of British lines of communication, particularly rail
- The efficacy and principles of the use of armoured cars and air raids as means of control following numerous cases of misidentification and disproportionate force that resulted in the deaths and injuries of innocent people
- Political and civil policy in the region
- Identification and arrest of some of the leaders of the rebellion
- The prominence of events in Mesopotamia in the British press
- The question of disarming the tribes following the suppression of the rebellion.
Principal correspondents include officials at: the 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. ; the Office of the Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia (from November 1920, the High Commissioner); the War Office; General Headquarters of the military in Mesopotamia; and the Government of India, Foreign and Political and Army departments.
The volume contains cuttings from several publications, including: The Times , The Statesman , The Observer , The Daily Herald , The Daily Mail , The Baghdad Times , and The Near East .
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. A second divider is included, for File 4722/1918 Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’. This was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (491 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the rear to the front.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 489; 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. Multiple intermittent additional foliation sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly, f 89a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [81r] (170/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x0000ab> [accessed 21 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/761
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:89v, 89ar:89av, 90r:113r, 114v, 118v:120r, 121v, 127v:169v, 173r:192v, 194r:211v, 213r:223v, 225r:227r, 229r:261v, 262v:263v, 266r:279v, 280ar, 280r:293v, 294v, 295v:317v, 318ar, 318r:333v, 334v:341v, 342v:359v, 360v:400v, 404r:424v, 425ar, 425r:489v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence