Skip to item: of 504
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

File 3136/1914 Pt 2 ‘German War. Situation in Turkish Arabia & Persian Gulf’ [‎76r] (158/504)

The record is made up of 1 volume (248 folios). It was created in 1 Oct 1914-8 Dec 1914. It was written in English and French. 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

Telegram P., dated the 24th (received 25tli) October 1914.
From — His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople,
To—His Excellency the Viceroy, Simla.
The Consul at Aleppo has sent me following telegram, No. 79, dated the
24th October:—
“ Please treat this as confidential. A reference is invited to my telegram
No. 70.
“ Omar Eevzi Bey appears now to have changed his plan, as he has decided
to go with Germans to visit Shaikh Ibn Saud, between Basrah and Baghdad,
m ho is at fend with Shaikh Ibn Sabah. The party are to endeavour to
incite the former to attack and crush the latter. By this means they hope to
get all the tribes of that region united on the side of Turkey and Germany.
“ 21st October. A special train consisting of three waggons from Catma
conveyed 5 Turkish Officers and a German Colonel from Constantinople with
50 bags containing 50,000 liras in gold and 3 cases of dynamite, each weighing
1,500 kilogrammes. They left for Damascus on the 22nd October.**
Addressed to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Government
of India, the British Consul at Basrah and the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in Turkish
Arabia.
31.
Telegram P., No. 125, dated (and received) the 25th October 1914.
From—His Excellency the Naval Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Squadron, Aden,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Depart
ment, Simla.
Please refer to Government of India telegram No. 959 S. of the 24th
instant.
Instructions have been sent to tbe Seni6r Naval Officer to keep a look out
for any signs of mine-laying and communicate any information which he may
acquire. The position of ships in the Gulf is as follows :—
1. The “ Espiegle ** is at Mohammerah.
2. The “ Odin ” is outside the three-mile limit of Eao.
3. The “ Dalhousie ” is with the Expeditionary Force at Bahrein.
32.
Telegram P.^No. S., 974, dated the 25th October 1914.
From—Tbe Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political
Department, Simla,
To—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire.
If possible, and provided you have not already done so, will you please
furnish Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , with a repetition of your telegrams
Nos. 1272, 1277 and 1279, dated the 23rd and 24th instants.
33.
Telegram P., No. S. 975, dated the 25th October 1914.
From—The Secretary to the Government of India in tbe Foreign and Political
Department, Simla,
To—The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire (repeated to Bombay).
Communique regarding Turkish attitude. With reference to Foreign
and Political Department telegram No. S. 960, dated the 23rd instant,
between words “ Commandant *’and “ Jaffa ” please add word “at** in tbe
additional paragraph telegraphed.

About this item

Content

Papers concerning events in Mesopotamia and in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , leading up to and immediately after the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Turkey. The file is a chronological continuation of File 3136/1914 Pt 1 ‘German War. Situation in Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. & Persian Gulf’ (IOR/L/PS/10/462). Subjects covered include:

  • Concerns amongst British officials that Turkey will lay mines in the Shatt al-Arab.
  • Reports of the spreading of anti-British and pro-German propaganda by Turkish officials, including an undated manifesto (translated into English from Arabic) issued by an organisation called the Moslem Committee of Learned Men (ff 139-143).
  • British intelligence on the movements, actions and correspondence exchanged between the region’s most prominent rulers and key figures, including the former Governor (Wali) of Basra, Seyyid Talib [Saiyid Talib ibn Saiyid Rajab], the Emir of Najd and Al-Aḥsā, Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the Turkish Minister of War, Ismail Enver Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. .
  • Reports on public opinion amongst the Arab populations of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and proposed British propaganda measures, including plans to distribute copies of the Illustrated War News to the various rulers in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (ff 199-203).
  • The breaking-off of diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Turkey on 30 October 1914.
  • Reports, submitted by Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox, Chief Political Officer of Indian Expeditionary Force D (IEFD), on the progress of IEFD at Basra, including reports of military action at Fao [Al-Fāw], (f 56, f 65, ff 67-68, ff 116-120, f 123).
  • The death of Captain Richard Lockington Birdwood, Assistant Political Officer to Cox, at Basra, on 17 November 1914 (ff 90-91).
  • Reports of anti-British propaganda and activities at Erzeroum [Erzurum], as reported by the city’s British Consul (ff 84-89, ff 103-104).
  • Proposals, including those set out in a letter written by Captain Arnold Talbot Wilson of the Indian Political Department, to the British Consul at Mohammerah [Khorramshahr], dated 28 November 1914 (ff 14-17) for Mesopotamia to become an Indian colony after the war.

The file’s principal correspondents include: 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. (John Evelyn Shuckburgh; Edmund George Barrow; Arthur Hirtzel); the Foreign Office (Eyre Alexander Barby Wichart Crowe; Louis du Pan Mallet); the Chief Political Officer of IEFD (Percy Zachariah Cox).

The file includes a small number of copies of diplomatic exchanges between the British, Ottoman and Persian Governments ( notes verbale ), which are written in French.

Extent and format
1 volume (248 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 3136 (German War) consists of 6 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/462-467. The volumes are divided into 6 parts, with each part comprising one volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 248; 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.

The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.

A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

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

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

File 3136/1914 Pt 2 ‘German War. Situation in Turkish Arabia & Persian Gulf’ [‎76r] (158/504), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/463, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036675431.0x00009f> [accessed 20 April 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_100036675431.0x00009f">File 3136/1914 Pt 2 ‘German War. Situation in Turkish Arabia & Persian Gulf’ [&lrm;76r] (158/504)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100036675431.0x00009f">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000166/IOR_L_PS_10_463_0158.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_100000000419.0x000166/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image