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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [110v] (225/454)
The record is made up of 1 volume (223 folios). It was created in 1923. 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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198 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
The state of the country all round Basra, owing to the
floods, rendered military operations singularly difficult. The
Tigris had overflowed and the country between Basra city
and the settlement along the banks of the Tigris was practically
under water at every tide. Beyond Basra the Euphrates
water, extending to Zubair and Shaiba, complicated the
question of supplying the force at Shaiba. For though the
depth of the water varied with the wind—the north wind
made it deeper though the south wind blew it back a bit—
there was a creek or water-cut across the most direct route
that was always unfordabie. The transport mules moved
along a southerly route to the ruins of Old Basra* where
the water, though somewhat shallower, generally came up to
the mules’ bellies, and convoys of heliums had been organised
to carry men and supplies direct to Shaiba ; but both these
methods of transport had to be employed continuously to
provide the necessary amount of stores. It was, however, a
military necessity to hold a position at or near Shaiba,
both to retain the power of initiative in operations and
to prevent the Turks spreading down the Shatt al Arab
between Basra and the sea.
General Barrett's intention had been to send out to Shaiba
every man that he could spare from the local defence of Basra.
But the floods might render the supply situation there serious
at any moment, and General Nixon—who was on his way
from India—might take a different view of the position and
the detachment of so many tnpops to Shaiba might not prove
to be in conformity with his plans. General Barrett himself
felt no anxiety regarding a Turkish attack on Shaiba, whose
garrison were more than capable of holding their own, and
from his previous experience of them, he expected that the
lurks would in the first instance take up a position near
Shaiba. In this case, the British would have to move out
and attack them, when every man that could be sent out
would be required to make victory as decisive as possible.
In the meantime, therefore, General Barrett thought it best
to utilise all available transport to increase the stock of
supplies at Shaiba before sending out more troops.
Up to General Nixon’s arrival, the staff of the 6th Division
had carried out the work of the Force headquarters staff at
Basra, but this was now handed over to the staff of the army
corps which had accompanied General Nixon from India.
The command of the 6th Division, rendered vacant by General
* See Map 3.
About this item
- Content
The volume is the first volume of an official government publication compiled at the request of the Government of India, and under the direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, by Brigadier-General Frederick James Moberly. The volume was printed and published at His Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
The contents provide a narrative of the operations of 1914-1918 in Mesopotamia, based mainly on official documents.
The volume is divided into two parts. The first part, entitled, 'Part I. Before the Outbreak of Hostilities', consists of the following five chapters:
- General Description of the Country
- The Turks in Mesopotamia
- British Pre-War Policy
- The Army in India and Pre-War Military Policy
- Inception of the Operations
The second part, entitled, 'Part II. The Campaign in Lower Mesopotamia', consists of the following seven chapters:
- The Landing in Mesopotamia of Force "D" and the Operations Leading to the Occupation of Basra
- The Occupation of Basra and the Capture of Qurna
- Commencement of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
- Development and Defeat of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
- Operations in Arabistan and the Capture of Amara
- Operations on the Euphrates and the Occupation of Nasiriya
- The battle of Kut and Occupation of Aziziya
The volume also includes nine maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Lower Mesopotamia
- Map 1 - To illustrate operations described in Chapter VI
- Map 2 - To illustrate fighting near Qurna
- Map 3 - To illustrate fighting round Shaiba
- Map 4 - To illustrate operations in Persian Arabistan
- Map 5 - To illustrate operations in the Akaika Channel 27th June to 5th July 1915
- Map 6 - To illustrate operations near Nasiriya 6th to 24th July 1915
- Map 7 - To illustrate the Battle of Kut 28th September 1915
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (223 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a page of errata (folio 5), a list of contents (folios 6-8), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 9), appendices (folios 185v-192), an index (folios 192v-214v), and eight maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 217-224).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 225; 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.
Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [110v] (225/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048172214.0x00001a> [accessed 13 May 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:3r, 4r:216v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence