Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [260r] (519/1201)
The record is made up of 1 file (598 folios). It was created in 13 Jul 1935-28 Mar 1941. 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
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\
* ijdr
Tel. No.—Whitehall 9400
Any further communication on this
subject should be addressed to :—
The Under-Secretary of State,
The War Office,
London, S.W.l,
and the following number quoted.
5612
»i ; 64/6260(M.I.l.) .
Sir,
oTHE WAR OFFICE,
LONDON, S.W.l.
24th August, 1937.
pf-
With reference to
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.
letter No. P.Z.
3028/37 dated 24th May, 1937, regarding the condition of
rifles recently supplied to the G-overnment of Afghanistan f
I am commanded hy the Army Council to state for the
information of the Marquess of Zetland that the Council
find it difficult to understand how any of the rifles
supplied could have arrived in the condition alleged by
the Afghan authorities. Admittedly, the rifles were
not new and the price charged for them was based on that
fact; the rifles supplied v/ere, however, the best that
could be found amongst the stock examined, and none that
were in any way unserviceable according to British service
standards were passed for despatch to Afghanistan*
2. The reference in telegram No.Katodo n 18 of 15.th
March, 1937, to rifles labelled with the names of British
soldiers suggests that some of the rifles seen by the
Military Attache* were not taken from the consignments
examined and passed in this country. When rifles have
been inspected and passed they are stamped with the
examiners 1 mark, and a copy of the marks used by the
examiners who inspected the rifles is attached as
Appendix ’A* to this letter. In view of this I am to
suggest that the rifles complained of by the Afghan
authorities should be examined again by the Military
Attache to see whether they bear any of the marks shown
on the attached list. If, as a result of further
examination, any rifles bearing examiners* marks are
found which, in the opinion of the Military Attache at
Kabul, are so corroded or cut as to be unserviceable, the
Council will be glad to receive particulars and will be
prepared to consider the matter further when the total
number of 25,000 rifles has been received by the Afghan
Government.
EMCLOSURE
About this item
- Content
This file is a continuation of Collection 7/36, reference IOR/L/PS/12/2203.It contains correspondence between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for India, HM Minister at Kabul, the War Office, the Government of India Foreign and Political (later External Affairs) Department, and 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. Political Department.
Much of the early correspondence duplicates that found in IOR/L/PS/12/2203, and concerns the Afghan Government's request for an additional 25,000 rifles plus ammunition, debates over the division of liability between British and Indian revenues, and discussion of possible payment options.
The rest of the correspondence concerns arrangements for shipping the arms and ammunition, and is accompanied by delivery invoices and reports on the quality inspections conducted prior to shipping. Details of the procedures, including examples of examiners' marks, and a sketch of the packing crates used, can be found at folios 262, and 234-238.
Prior to sale, the War Office had undertaken to perform firing tests on all the rifles for an additional charge. These tests were not conducted, and the file contains correspondence between 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. and the War Office, discussing the best options for presenting this fact to the Afghan Government, options for conducting the tests or reducing the price of the order, and the potential damage that would be caused to Britain's reputation, and Anglo-Afghan relations.
The correspondence also concerns complaints by the Afghan Government that a number of rifles were damaged in transit or badly corroded. It documents the disagreement between the War Office, 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. and the Government of India over the provision of replacement rifles and parts, and contains details of the eventual arrangements and final agreement with the Afghan Government (found at folios 117-122).
The file includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are found at the end of the correspondence (folios 2-3).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (598 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 599; 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government' [260r] (519/1201), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2204, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036310619.0x000078> [accessed 23 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2204
- Title
- Coll 7/37 'Afghanistan: sale of 25,000 1914 pattern rifles from War Office stocks and 7 million rounds of ammunition from Government of India stocks; negotiations with Afghan Government'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:121v, 123r:244r, 246r:367v, 370r:490v, 491ar, 491r:491v, 492ar, 492r:599v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence