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Letter from Brigadier-General Arthur Wigram Money, General Headquarters, India Expeditionary Force "D", Basrah [Basra] to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department, India Office [‎28r] (1/4)

The record is made up of 1 file (2 folios). It was created in 22 Jan 1916. 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. .

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CONFIDENTIAL.
iier-General A. \\ , Money, General Hea<lqnart<M*s, Indian
Expeditionary Force D," to India OHice.
No. Ig. 1983. Basrah,
^ ir ' 22nd January 191(5.
In continuation of my letter No. Ig. 105(5, dated 19th November 191^,
1 furnish a further re])ort on the tribal situation ;—
(JeueraL
I. 1 he check received by our lorce at Ctesiphou on 22nd November
temporarily changed what had up to that time been our uninterrupted
policy ol steady advance into Mesopotamia into an SO mile withdrawal on
our main line of operations.
1 his might reasonably have been expected to have produced a marked
elFect throughout the whole theatre of operations. Such has not, however,
proved to be the case. With one notable exception (that of Khayun-el-
' H)ei(l at Shattra, to whom reference will be made later) the tribes have
retained their former attitude which may be roughly summarised as
upstream ol us, hostile ; downstream, friendly.
• Euphrates Line.
2. 1 ribes in neighbourhood ol Nasiriyah are friendly. Ajaimi of the
Muntafik is in neighbourhood of Samawa, with but a small following; he is
the first actively hostile element upstream of us on the Euphrates.
Desert tribes between Zobiur and Nasiriyah are not of much account.
\\ e have strong allies at each end—Sheikh Ibrahim of Zobeir and Sheikh
Hamad at Khamsieh.
Shatt-al-Hn i.
Stirred up by the exertions of a Turkish oflieer (Mizher Bey) at
Shattra, the AI Abudah Chief Khayun-el-Obeid (of Shattra) together
with a portion of the Kaffajah tribe immediately south of that place) have
abandoned the attitude oi allegiance to the British, which had been won for
us by our victory at Kut-al-Amarah in September last, and showed their
active hostility by an attack ou a reconnaissance which went out from the
British camp at Butaniyah ^between Nasiriyah and Shattra) on Uth
January.
4. this Khayun-el-Obeid is an ill-conditioned chieftain who constantly
proved a thorn in the Hesh to the Turks and on more than one occasion
defeated Turkish expeditions despatched against him.
Upstream of him again, along the Shatt-al-Hai, the Qaraqul, Beni
Uichab, and Shawelat are now doubtless influenced by his new example
though we have no positive proof thereof.
fj. Finally, at the head of the waterway, are the actively hostile Beni
Rubiah who extend up river as far as Baghialah, actively friendly to us
alter September, but now entirely turned round since our retirement and
tlie Turkish advance from Ctesiphon.

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The confidential letter reports on the tribal situation in Mesopotamia [Iraq], describing the various tribes located in the different listed geographic areas and noting whether they were friendly or hostile to British forces. The sections in the letter include:

  • General - reporting on the check received by the British force at Ctesiphon, 22 November 1915, which had temporarily changed the progress of their advance, but that it had not appeared to have changed the tribes attitudes towards them;
  • Euphrates Line, reporting on the tribes of the Nasirayah [al-Nāsirīyah] neighbourhood and of Ajaimi [al-‘Ajamī] of the Muntafik [al-Muntafiq] who was in the Samawa [al-Samāwah] neighbourhood;
  • Shatt-al-Hai [Shaṭṭ al-Gharrāf], reporting that Khayun-el-Obeid, the Chief of Al Abudah had been stirred up by Turkish officers and had now abandoned his allegiance to Britain, detailing which other chiefs in the area were likely to follow him, and reporting on the Bani Rubiah who were now actively hostile towards them;
  • Tigris Line, reporting that good relations had continued with some of the tribes along river, with the exception of the Zubaid [al-Zubayd] and Shammar Toqah Arabs as there had not been sufficient time to develop British relations with them;
  • Karun [Kārūn], reporting that there were tribes in the area loyal to the Shaikh of Muhammareh (Shaikh Khaz‘al bin Jābir al-Ka‘bī) [Muhammarah, now Khorramshahr] , an ally of the British, and that Germany had attempted to gain influence around the oil-fields in the area, but had not succeeded;
  • Persia, discussing the British-Persian alliance which was under negotiation, and the fact that the British would have sufficient warning should any force move towards Bushire;
  • Arabia, reporting on the conclusion of a treaty with Ibn Saʻūd and relations with the new Shaikh of Kuwait (Jābir bin Mubārak Āl Sabāh).
Extent and format
1 file (2 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 28 and terminates at folio 29, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 also present in the volume; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

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Letter from Brigadier-General Arthur Wigram Money, General Headquarters, India Expeditionary Force "D", Basrah [Basra] to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department, India Office [‎28r] (1/4), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B226, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023608697.0x000002> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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