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'Summary of the Hejaz Revolt' [‎80v] (12/30)

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The record is made up of 15 folios. It was created in 31 Aug 1918. 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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10
Thev had been able to improve their situation by running transport convoys across the
break in the railway from Juruf ed Derwish to Maun .
South of Maan railway communication was probably detmitely severed* with tne
north for a very considerable period, if not permanently. This, however, did not
necessarily justify anticipation of the actual fall of Medina, whose garrisonf had by now
usurped the functions of the local inhabitants who had practically all been evicted from
the district, and could probably support itself on local production of gram and dates for
an indefinite period. The Arabs would not attack Medina itself, but it was possible
that all outlying Turkish posts and garrisons would fall into Arab hands.
As regards the political situation, the tension produced by the Khurma affair had
been aggravated by news from Philly who was with Ibn Saud, dated 25th June, that a
large raiding party of Akhwan under Turki, Ibn Sand's son, had left Nejd for Jebel
Shammar at the end of Ramadan. The dispute between the Quraish} ajid Wahabite
factions is historical, and Hussein naturally regarded Saud as the chief opponent to
his personal ascendency and to his scheme of unification of Arabia. His Majesty's
Government saw the necessity for intervention, and a strong message was sent to
both chiefs urging forbearance and conveying His Majesty's Government's policy of
friendship to both parties. This message appears to have succeeded in temporarily
allaying the King's fears, and he . gave assurances that his policy in the Khurma area
would be restricted to the restoration of order locally, and that no hostile action against
Ibn Saud was contemplated, but at the end of July, 1918, he suddenly asked to be
allowed to abdicate and retire with his family from the sphere of Arabian politics. A
reassuring message was sent him by His Majesty s Government and he withdrew Ins
application to abdicate. He promised to write to Ibn Saud in favourable terms, and
as evidence of his good faith offered to pay him a visit and personally discuss the
points at variance.
On the 22nd August it was reported that letters, dated 13th July, had been
written by Sherif Abdullah to two Ateibab chiefs. These letters were unfriendly to
Ibn Saud and proposed a concentration of Ateiba and other tribesmen at Shudhub
wells a day s journey east of Khurma. These letters were written without reference to
King Hussein, who has been urgently requested to instruct Sherif Shakir to commit
no act of aggression east of Khurma, and Abdulla to confine his energy to fighting
Turks.
A report, dated the 8th August, from Mr. Philby, political officer with Ibn Saud,
stated that the intervention of His Majesty's Government had had an excellent effect
on Ibn Saud, who, in a written reply, which covered much recent history, expressed
cordial agreement with the sentiment of His Majesty's Government. He left the
settlement ol all disputed questions to the discretion of the British Government
whether now or hereafter, pending which neither side was to provoke the other by any
hostile act.
* See | aragraph 18 and note.
t Despite the dilliculty of their position the Turks appear to hare maintained their moral and discipline
to some extent. Ihia is chielly owing^ to the energy and capability of their commander in Medina, i' ukhn
asha, a lurk of the old school. In March li)18 when Atif Bey, commander of the 2nd (Jomposite i 1 orc^aL
post for ihe north under somewhat peculiar circumstauces, Kakhri did his best to get him
tried by court raaitial for cowardice. On the occasion of the Mudowere garrison deserting their post
paragraph 22) l akhri had them tried by court martial and heavy sentences were promulgated on the olncers
concerned. In August 1918 a plot was discovered at Maan in* which several officers were implicated m au
en eavour to communicate with Sherif Feisal's forces and the ringleaders have been arrested and sent o
tnai to Damascus. Nor do the Turks appear to have abandoned the idea of re -establishing communication
with A.sir where the 21st Division is isolated. In March 1918 orders appear to have been issued that tba.
dmsum which consists of some 6 battalions with 20 guns should be formed into the XXIII Army Corps
1 here has beyn a good deal of evidence to show that messengers have from time to time been despatches
? lr ; ni - ne ? { the most important of the .-e messengers, Ashraf Bey, was captured by bhen
Abdulla m January 1917, with £T20 ,00U u hile en ronU to the South Uail.
I oee note to Appendix A.

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Content

This printed memorandum is a report prepared by the General Staff, War Office, dated 31 Aug 1918. It is a summary of the Hejaz [al-Ḥijāz] Revolt (commonly referred to as the Arabic Revolt) in the context of the First World War, covering the period June 1916 to December 1918. The memorandum is marked 'Secret' and 'This Document is the Property of H.B.M. Government' (folio 75).

The summary contains an index (folio 76) with the following chronological sections: 'Narrative of events from June 1916 to December 1916'; ''Narrative of events from January 1917 to November 1917'; 'Narrative of events of December 1917 and summary of the situation at the end of 1917'; 'Narrative of events during January and February 1918'; 'Narrative of events during March and April 1918'; 'Narrative of events during April and May 1918'; 'Narrative of events during June 1918'; 'Narrative of events during July 1918'; and 'Narrative of events during August 1918 and summary of the situation up till the end of August 1918'.

There is also a list of appendices on the same folio which includes: 'A: King Hussein' [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī]; 'B: Ibn Saud' [Ābd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]; 'C: Ibn Rashid' [Sa‘ūd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Rashīd]; 'D: The Jemal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ' [Aḥmad Jamāl Bāshā]; 'E: Maurice's Report'; 'F: Enemy political activity'; 'G: Zionist movement'; 'H: Turkish interposition between main British and Arab forces'; 'K: Koweit [Kuwait] blocked'; 'L: Attitude of Norther Arabian tribes towards Hejaz revolt'; 'M: Fakhri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Fakhrī Bāshā or Fakhr al-Dīn Bāshā] at Medina'; 'N and O: Enemy casualties and Turkish troops'. A map is noted below the list of appendices but is not present.

Extent and format
15 folios
Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f.75. and terminates at f.89, 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 parallel between ff.11-158; 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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English in Latin script
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'Summary of the Hejaz Revolt' [‎80v] (12/30), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B287, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023608745.0x00000d> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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