‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 58. (From 1st to 31st May 1919.)’

Content

The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 1 and 31 May 1919. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, memoranda, and tables.

An index to the contents of this volume can be found at folios 3-8. The volume concerns:

• Military personnel issues, including the granting of leave, demobilisation of troops, and transfer of units from Mesopotamia to India
• Supply of animals to Force D
• Dispatch of water tanks from Mesopotamia to India
• A report on the performance of Kachin recruits in the 85th Burma Rifles (ff 32-33)
• Dispatch of units from Force D to respond to ‘disturbances’ in India and on the North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan.
• Spread of the ‘Ikhwan movement’ in Bahrein [Bahrain], Kowait [Kuwait], and Mesopotamia
• Intelligence concerning public opinion in Mesopotamia, including: opposition to the British occupation; the preference of ‘leading men’ for direct British administration; and hostility towards the involvement of Sheikh Faisul [Shaikh Fayṣal bin Al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] in the post-war Government
• The number of troops required to occupy Mesopotamia
• Railway construction in Mesopotamia
• Reports of ‘serious disorders’ at Sulaimaniyah [Sulaymaniyah] and a ‘serious rising’ in southern Kurdistan led by Sheikh Mahmud [Shaikh Maḥmūd Barzanjī]
• Matters relating to the administration of Mesopotamia, including: arrangements for the financial management of British administration; conditions of employment for Army officers hired to work in the civil administration; and the creation of administrative provinces, including an ‘Arab province of Mosul’ and a ‘fringe of autonomous Kurdish States … with British political advisers’
• Maintenance of waterways in Mesopotamia
• Discussion of the creation of a daily train service between Baghdad and Basrah [Basra] carrying mail and passengers.

The volume also contains:

• Weekly return of sick and wounded dated 29 March 1919 (ff 10-11), 5 April 1919 (ff 64-65), 12 April 1919 (ff 108-109), 19 April 1919 (ff 112-114), 26 April 1919 (ff 129-130)
• Distribution and composition of Force D, including details of lines of communication and general organisation, 19 April 1919 (ff 24-38), 1 May 1919 (ff 78-89)
• State of supplies on 30 April 1919 (ff 66-67)
• Strength return of Force D on 12 April 1919 (f 120).

Extent and format

1 volume (145 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 147; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right hand 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 3-145; these numbers are printed and are located in the bottom centre of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Dimensions: 21 x 33cm

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3322

Former external reference(s)

Volume 58.

History of this record

Date(s)

29 Mar 1919-31 May 1919 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Public opinionColonial administrationRailway constructionMilitary logistics

Places

MesopotamiaKurdistan

People & organisations

Political Resident, Persian GulfMesopotamia Expeditionary ForceChief of the General Staff, IndiaWar OfficeMaḥmūd Barzanjī

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Cite this record in your research

‘WAR DIARY. ARMY HEADQUARTERS, INDIA. […] I.E.F. “D”. Volume 58. (From 1st to 31st May 1919.)’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3322, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/node/9554> [accessed 24 April 2024]

Link to this record

https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000112.0x000230

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