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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.' [‎77r] (153/248)

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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troops. There was, in consequence, some danger of an
outbreak of relapsing or other fever of a similar type.
We understand that a proposal to supplement these
Thresh’s disinfectors by high pressure disinfectors, in
places where general hospitals are located, is now being
considered. We ought to add, however, that we have
no evidence that the lack of disinfectors has been the cause
of any serious outbreak of illness
10(5. Effect of economy on the medical organisation. —We
now propose to refer to the widespread feeling in Mesopo
tamia that these deficiencies in the medical organisation
are due to the parsimony of the Government of India and
particularly to the action of the Finance Department.
It is only fair to state that no evidence has been adduced
before us of any demand made on the Finance Department,
during the progress of the campaign, having been refused.
The Government of India have also the less interest in
cutting down expenditure, because the cost of the
campaign, minus the normal charges of the troops furnished
from India, is being paid by the Imperial Government.
107. The discussion of this point naturally leads to an
examination of the larger question as to how far the rigid
economy which has been exercised in respect of military
expenditure in India for many years has affected the
medical organisation of the Army in India. Any inquiry
into the general question of military expenditure is
clearly beyond the scope of our terms of reference ; but
the question as to whether, and to what extent this policy
has affected medical arrangements in Mesopotamia is
directly relevant, and there are strong indications of its
prejudicial effect upon this organisation. It has, indeed,
been freely suggested that this spirit of economy has been
so inculcated into the minds of administrative officers,
that economy has come to be regarded by many as the
test of good administration, even at the expense of
efficiency. Such an impression cannot but be destructive
of initiative and of any desire to improve conditions in
time of peace, while in war it is productive of graver
evils. The observations of a senior officer who has given
evidence to the Commission, may be quoted with advan
tage in this connection, as they crystallize the views of
many others.
This officer writes as follows in an annexure to his
evidence. “ In my opinion the Indian system is more
to blame for the breakdown of the Mesopotamia medical
arrangements than anything else—a system which allows
officers to think, whether rightly or wrongly—
(a) That there is more merit to be obtained by
keeping quiet and not worrying the higher
authorities than by asking for what is necessary ;
(b) That keeping down expenditure is more meri
torious than efficiency ;
(c) That nothing new is likely to be sanctioned unless
a corresponding saving in something else can be
shown ; and
(d) That even in small matters anything asked for
will be cut down by half. ... A system of
this nature will possibly be good and economical
in peace time, but is bound to break down in
war.”
There is, in our opinion, much force in this criticism,
and though we do not accept this statement in its entirety,
we are inclined to ascribe much of the delay in applying
for, and the reluctance to insist on the provision of,
separate river hospital steamers, proper ambulance land
transport, electric fans, ice machines and other essential
requirements, to this cause.
108. It might also be argued that the general unpre
paredness of the medical organisation in India to meet
the requirements of a great campaign overseas, is partly
due to this spirit and to the reluctance of the Government
of India to provide the necessary funds for improving
the medical services. It would, however, be unjust to
ascribe this lack of preparation entirely to these causes,
for it may in great measure be due to the fact that the
Army in India has, in the present war, been employed to
an extent and in a manner not foreseen. Anv discussion
of this subject would, however, lead us beyond the scope
of our reference. Whatever may be the cause, the inade
quacy of the organisation to meet such demands is apparent.
Not only has the supply of personnel and equipment
proved insufficient to maintain medical establishments on
the normal scale, hut it may be doubted whether that
(C 48-176)
scale itself is adequate to meet the requirements of a
force engaged on a campaign against a well-armed enemy
and serving in unhealthy surroundings. The Commission
has, indeed, been led to the conclusion that the present
situation has arisen in great measure because a system,
framed in contemplation of an expedition in a mountainous
country on the frontiers of India, has been applied, without
the necessary modifications, to the very different circum
stances of an important river campaign overseas. The
methods prescribed for the supply of medical stores, the
absence of any provision for the evacuation of wounded
by river, and the insufficiency of the reserves of medical
and subordinate personnel, may be cited in support of
this contention. If this view is correct, it follows that the
medical organisation of the Army in India will have to be
re-examined and revised at the conclusion of the war.
The personnel of officers, subordinates and menials will
have to be largely increased and the system by which
medical officers nominally in military service are allowed
to remain in civil employment so long that they lose all
touch with military work, will have to be reconsidered.
The substitution of station for regimental hospitals in the
Indian Army, so that patients may become accustomed
in peace time to the non-regimental system of hospital
organisation which obtains in war, is another proposal
which will require examination. It has been suggested
that such a change would have the additional advantage
of improving the technical training of officers of the
Indian Medical Service in military employment, by giving
them more responsibility and wider administrative
experience than is afforded by the charge of a regimental
hospital during the greater part of their careers. The
equipment also of the various units will have to be
improved and added to, and ample reserves of medical
requirements will have to be provided in India, for use
in case of need. It is for various reasons impossible for
us to examine this question in detail, nor would such an
examination be germane to the subject of our inquiry ;
but we are, we think, justified in expressing the view that
in this revision the following important points will have
to be considered, viz. :—*
(1) The increase in the number of casualties in modern
warfare as compared with previous experiences
in India ;
(2) The inability of India to furnish or procure, in
an emergency, any great increase either in
medical personnel or equipment without delay ;
(3) The expediency of assimilating the Indian and
British medical organisations. The existing
differences In establishments, equipment and
divisibility of the various medical units, are
productive of administrative inconvenience ;
(4) The probability of Indian troops being employed
in considerable numbers overseas ; and
(5) The fact that public opinion now demands a very
much higher standard of efficiency in medical
organisation than formerly.
We do not doubt that in previous campaigns, notably
in the campaign in South Africa and the Indian frontier
expedition of 1908, the wounded suffered much from
defective medical arrangements, and we believe that in
the Soudan expedition no specially equipped hospital
steamers were provided for the evacuation of the wounded
down the Nile. But a very different standard is now
rightly demanded by modern public opinion, and, to be
satisfactory, any revision of the Indian organisation will
have to be thoroughly up to date and complete, and at
the same time sufficiently elastic to allow the fullest
advantage to be taken of new discoveries and advances
in medical science.
109. We are bound to add, however, that no perfection
of organisation would allow of the reproduction, in Meso
potamia, of the admirable arrangements for the evacuation
of the wounded w hich now obtain in France. Campaigning
in a civilised country possessing great resources and an
excellent system of railways, canals and roads, cannot
be compared with campaigning in Mesopotamia, where,
everything required by the troops has to be imported
either from England or India, and then carried for 250
miles or more, up a tortuous river which for difficulty of
navigation must have few equals. In France there is an
abundance of good buildings wffiich can be used for the
accommodation of the sick and the housing of the troops.
In Mesopotamia, with the exception of the General
U 2

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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'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.' [‎77r] (153/248), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/257, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036338403.0x00009a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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