Skip to item: of 150
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

'Naval Staff monographs (historical) vol 4 no 15 - Naval operations in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf' [‎43] (56/150)

The record is made up of 73 folios. It was created in 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.

Apply page layout

43
at 10.35 a.m. a retirement was ordered and was carried out
under cover of the fire of tlie ships and the field batteries.
About 1 a.m. on the 30th January some 300 Turks attacked
Mazara from the north-east in a quarter where the ships' guns
could not co-operate in the defence. The Qurna garrison moved
out to the northward on the morning of that day, in pursuance
of a pre-arranged plan, supported by the Miner and Lewis Felly,
and carried out a small punitive movement.
31. The Oil Pipe Line Cut: Operations up the Karun. —The
presence of British forces in Mesopotamia had not sufficed
entirely to stop the spread of the Jehad movement, which
showed itself in Southern Arabistan. At length the situation at
Ahwaz became so critical that on 29th January the Secretary of
State for India urged the despatch of troops up the Karun to
protect the oilfields. 1 India pointed out in reply 2 that the oil
fields were only a secondary objective. The situation was so
threatening that all Europeans were evacuated on 31st January
and sent to Muhammara.
Meanwhile, General Barrett had already despatched a small
force of infantry, and the Shaitan and Comet were sent to Nasiri,
the port of Ahwaz in Persian territory, and the highest point to
which the ships could proceed, to support the force. 3 Co-opera
tion was also afforded by the Shaikh of Muhammara with 1,000
armed Arabs. No protest against the presence of our ships was
raised by Persia. 4 On the 5th February the pipe-line was cut
above Ahwaz by tribesmen, and reinforcements under General
Robinson were despatched from Basra. On 21st February the
Shaikh's troops inflicted a defeat on the rebel xA.rab forces and
occupied Wais, 5 and the Karun was soon cleared of the enemy
as far as Bund-i-Kir, and it was possible to send out parties
under escort to mend the pipe-line.
Trouble had also developed farther down the river, and the
Espiegle and Lawrence had to be sent to Marid, 10 miles from
Muhammara, to support the Shaikh's force,
32. The Reverse at Ahwaz. —Towards the end of February,
from information brought in by spies and reconnaissances, a
Turkish force under Khalil Bey, with Arabs under Shaikh
Saiyid Namieh, numbering from 5,000 to 6,000, was located
about 10 miles to the north-westward of Ahwaz, It was reported
that they intended to attack when the Arab Shaikh Ghazban
joined them with his Beni Lam tribesmen, Brigadier-General
Robinson, commanding at Ahwaz, decided to attack them before
the junction was effected. Unknown to us, however, it was
1 Secretary of State to Viceroy, P.,1607,
2 Viceroy to Secretary of State. P.H, 3101, 30tli January 1915,
3 S.N.O., Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to Admiralty, 14 of 28th January 1915, and P.O.
to Minister at Teheran, No. 30 of 3rd February 1915.
4 Minister at Teheran to P.O., No. 47, 3rd Pebruary 1915.
5 See Plan 1.

About this item

Content

This monograph concerns operations in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. from the outbreak of war with Germany to the fall of Kut on 29th April 1916. It is organised into the following chapters: the theatre of operations; the attitutude of Turkey; the inception of the expedition; landing of the expedition; occupation of Basra; operations against Qurna, 4-9th December 1914; consolidation of the Basra position; occupation of Amara, 3rd June 1915; operations on the Euphrates: capture of Nasiriya, 5th July 1915; naval forces and general situation, summer 1915: operations at Bushire and Dilwar: decision to advance to Kut; capture of Kut and decision to advance to Baghdad; Battle of Ctesiphon, 22nd November 1915 and retreat to Kut; operations for the relief of Kut: Townshend surrenders, 19th April 1916.

The appendices are: telegrams, 1914; orders and instructions; naval forces. Also ten maps including: the Shatt al-Arab; the Euphrates between Basra and Nasiriya; operations for the releief of Kut.

Extent and format
73 folios
Physical characteristics

Foliation. There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 73.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

'Naval Staff monographs (historical) vol 4 no 15 - Naval operations in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf' [‎43] (56/150), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/73, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023813250.0x000039> [accessed 29 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023813250.0x000039">'Naval Staff monographs (historical) vol 4 no 15 - Naval operations in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf' [&lrm;43] (56/150)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023813250.0x000039">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000239.0x00018d/IOR_L_MIL_17_15_73_0056.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000239.0x00018d/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image