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'Mesopotamia Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by Act of Parliament to Enquire into the Operations of War in Mesopotamia, together with a Special Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP, and Appendices. London: HMSO, 1917.' [‎15r] (29/248)

The record is made up of 1 volume (122 folios). It was created in 1906-1918. 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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PART V.—CORRESPONDENCE AND TELEGRAMS AS TO ADVANCE 27
ON BAGHDAD.
Turkish reinforcemenrs would shortly be concentrated at Baghdad. It might also have
been surmised that these reinforcements under Marshal von der Goltz would be disciplined
and trained under German officers and armed with the most modern equipment.
28. It is not very easy to fathom the interchange of views between General Towns-
hend and General Kemball, Chief of the Staff to Sir John Nixon, as to the advis
ability of an advance to Baghdad. On October 3rd an important telegram was sent by
General Townshend to General Kemball. Sir John Nixon states that he does not remember
seeing it, but it is surprising if he did not. It certainly should not have been dealt with
without reference to him, and in our opinion it should have been passed on to higher
authorities. In it General Townshend says :—
If on the other hand it is the desire of Government to occupy Baghdad, then, unless great risk is to be run,
it is, in my opinion, absolutely necessary that the advance from Kut should be carried out methodically by two
divisions or one Army Corps or by one Division supported closely by another complete Division, exclusive of
the garrisons of the important places of Nasariyeh, Ahwaz, and Amara.
On the same day General Kemball answered this communication, and informed General
Townshend that it was Sir John Nixon’s intention “ to open the way to Baghdad, as he
understands another division will be sent here from France, and he would like to know
your plan for effecting this object.” General Townshend received this the same day, and
noted on it in his diary : “ There is nothing definite known about this, and no earthly
chance of its being in this country in time.” Nevertheless, in his answer, also dated
October 3 rd, he wires to General Kemball : ” You did not mention the arrival of a division
from France in this country, and that makes all the difference in my appreciation.” These
two statements are not easy to reconcile, but General Townshend, like many other born
fighters, was somewhat mercurial and changeable in his views.
29. A fortnight later, on October 19th, General Kemball visited General Townshend on
other business, and the above correspondence was discussed by them at this and at two
subsequent interviews, viz., October 30th and November 5th. The matter is not quite
clear, but General KembaH’s opinion is that the reinforcements which General Townshend
received— i.e., five squadrons of cavalry, three battalions of infantry, and a R.H.A. battery
—were very much what he asked for, and there was also the promise of two divisions from
France, the leading troops of which General Kemball expected to arrive at Basra at the
end of November. Whether General Townshend was satisfied or not is not certain, but .
he does not seem to have pressed his objections hard. 1
But misgivings were present in his mind as late as November 2 nd, for on that day he
wrote to the Viceroy a letter in which these expressions occur :—
These troops of mine are tired and their tails are not up, but slightly down ; the Mahomedans are not pleased ’'j f
at approaching the sacred precincts of Suliman Pak at Ctesiphon—the troops are not confident and have had
enough ; as it is now, the British soldier and the Sepoy Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. , as the Roman soldier did under Belisarius, look oyei
their shoulders and are fearful of the distance from the sea, and go down, in consequence, with every imagin
able disease.
These are not the words of a General commanding a force in the field who has confidence |
in the capacity of his troops to achieve the task assigned to them.
Apparently the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Beauchamp Duff, did not at the time see
these communications from General Townshend, but if he had, we have his word for it
that they would not have materially changed his views as to the wisdom of the advance.
But General Townshend was an experienced and successful commander, and in our opinion
his words were well worth weighing, especially in connection with an enterprise of which
he was the selected chief.
30. It should be added that several months later, on April 7 th, 1916, General lowns-
hend sent in an amplification of his appreciation of October 3 rd, which seems to have been
in his mind when he wrote that appreciation. On April 7 th, he said : “ My opinion most
certainly was that we were taking a grave risk in continuing a strategic movement against
Baghdad with my weak Division alone, the British battalions of which were reduced to
half their strength, and besides this the drafts to replace casualties at the battle of Kut
consisted of raw recruits from India, while there were no other troops to support me,
and the distance to the sea was over 300 miles.” General Kemball in giving evidence
before us did not accept these statements as to the condition of the troops. He regarded
them as exaggerated. .
That General Townshend’s Division was much below its normal strength is we
believe beyond dispute,* and moreover physically the troops were much debilitated by
their previous strenuous exertions in the hot months of June, July, August and September.
D 2
fC 18—176)
* See Part VIII, para. 13,

About this item

Content

A signed proof, folios 1-100, plus additional material, folios 101-124. The cover bears the signature of Sir Arthur Hirtzel, Assistant Under-Secretary of State. The report has been annotated in blue pencil at various points.

Contents:

  • 'Part I. Preface.
  • 'Part II. Origin of Mesopotamia [Iraq] Expedition.'
  • 'Part III. Advance from Basra to Kurna.'
  • 'Part IV. The Advance to Amara [Al-'Amārah] and Kut [Al-Kūt].'
  • 'Part V. Correspondence and Telegrams as to Advance on Baghdad.'
  • 'Part VI. The Advance from Kut to Ctesiphon.'
  • 'Part VII. Operations for Relief of Kut.'
  • 'Part VIII. Armament, Equipment, Reinforcements, &c.'
  • 'Part IX. Transport.'
  • 'Part X. Medical Breakdown.'
  • 'Part XI. Causes Contributing to the Errors of Judgement and Shortcomings of Responsible Authorities.'
  • 'Part XII. Findings and Conclusions. Recommendations.'
  • 'Separate Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP.'
  • 'Appendix I. Vincent-Bingley Report.'
  • 'Appendix II. Memorandum by Sir Beauchamp Duff.'
  • 'Appendix III. Colonel Hehir's Account of the Siege of Kut-el-Amara.'

Additional material:

  • Folio 101. Manuscript note [by Arthur Hirtzel] on net military expenditure.
  • Folios 102-109. Copy of the East India (Army Administration), Further Papers regarding the Administration of the Army in India , 1906.
  • Folios 110-115. Manuscript notes, titled 'Suggested redraft & amplification of second half of parag 1' [unknown hand].
  • Folio 116. A clipping from the Daily Telegraph , Wednesday 4 July 1917, featuring an article titled 'Mesopotamia. Ex-Viceroy's Statement. The Medical Breakdown.'
  • Folios 117-124. An expanded typescript version of Hirtzel's manuscript notes (folio 101).
Extent and format
1 volume (122 folios)
Arrangement

A table of contents can be found at folio 4v.

An index can be found at folios 93-97.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 124; 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 present in parallel between ff 110-115; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence. The volume comprises a stitched pamphlet, and other stitched and loose-leaf material.

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English in Latin script
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'Mesopotamia Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by Act of Parliament to Enquire into the Operations of War in Mesopotamia, together with a Special Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP, and Appendices. London: HMSO, 1917.' [‎15r] (29/248), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/257, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036338403.0x00001e> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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