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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.' [‎29r] (57/248)

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 TX.—TRANSPORT.
55
A. Shortage of River Transport.
Ordnance, Medical, &c. When traffic grew, accommodation for receiving and storing
cargo ashore proved more and more inadequate. Most of the land round Basra was
subject to flooding at the period of high river, but it was not covered deeply, and if foun
dations were raised, or the water kept out by earth dykes, stores were free from risk of
damage. After struggling with congestion at Basra, a decision was ultimately come to
late in 1915 to handle a portion of the traffic at Magill, situated about 5 milps above Basra.
Here the depth of water permitted ocean steamers to come close in to the bank. By the
aid of moored mahailas and planks, improvised landing stages were constructed, across
which cargo could be carried from ocean steamers to the stores. At a later date,
December, 1915—it was decided to construct proper wharves and otherwise improve the
facilities of the port. These improvements were in progress during the whole of 1916. We
have been informed that delays to steamers were at first occasioned, not so much by inability
to get cargo out and placed in lighters or mahailas, as by inability or unwillingness of the
military departments ashore to receive it with sufficient rapidity. It is clear that manage
ment of the traffic of a port and discharge of cargo was not work to which officers of the
Royal Indian Marine had previously been accustomed. They found themselves at Basra
with a task on hand of which they had had no experience, with an inadequate and inex
perienced staff, shortage of labour, a port wffiere the facilities ashore w r ere of the most
meagre description, and where traffic was constantly increasing and congestion becoming
greater. We are told that at one time there were 40 steamers waiting to discharge, and
that they lay in a line 8 miles long up and down the river. Small wonder that arrange
ments broke down, despite the willing efforts of the officer in charge. Much of the difficulty
could have been avoided, in our opinion, if, from the first, someone accustomed to traffic
management of a commercial port, and the handling of cargoes, had been appointed to
assist. Men with these qualifications were known to be employed in one or other of the
great Indian and Burmese river ports. Their advice was not asked for; and their assist
ance was not utilised until more than a year after the landing of the Expedition in
Mesopotamia when conditions at Basra had become serious.
43. In the words of General Davison : —
I doubt whether the training of Royal Indian Marine officers specially fits them for high administrative
appointments or the control of so big a charge as we have here (Basra), It demands the training of a shipping
expert, with large commercial experience, or a traffic expert, such as the Manager of a big railway.
As some indication of the volume of traffic handled at that period, we have been
informed that the number of troops and followers disembarked in Mesopotamia in the four
months December 1st, 1915, to March 31st, 1916, was :—
Personnel, number .. . . .. .. .. 129 500
Animals ,, .. .. .. . . •. 33,000
Vehicles ,, .. .. .. .. .. 4,100
Cargo, tons .. . . .. .. .. .. 71,500
While officers of the Royal Indian Marine were struggling with conditions at the port of
Basra, which were, in our opinion, beyond their powers, we cannot omit to notice that the
general organisation of traffic was under the Inspector-General of Communications, who
from April, 1915, to April, 1916 was General Davison. He was also responsible for
matters connected with improvement of the port, such as the building of additional ware
houses or the provision of additional wharfage.
44. General Gorringe stated in this connection :—
I have no doubt that great improvements could and should have been effected during the first 12 months,
and so on in proportion afterwards. There was reluctance to spend money on improvements which would
at all partake of a permanent character. No improvement in the unloading wharves for ships was made
until December, 1915, when the reinforcements of two divisions were coming out. Then, and not till then,
was that taken in hand. That is to say, that as long as we had only two divisions there, although the
accommodation was bad and congested for stores of every kind being unloaded, no attempt was made to improve
the facilities for unloading until the latter part of December, 1915, beyond making temporary stages and so
on. There was no building of new wharves.
We think the criticism implied is justified, and that General Davison did not show
that prescience and enterprise which the situation demanded, especially during the second
half of 1915.

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.' [‎29r] (57/248), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/257, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036338403.0x00003a> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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