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'History of the Great War based on Official Documents: Operations in Persia 1914-1919' [‎38r] (80/566)

The record is made up of 1 volume (279 folios). It was created in 1929. 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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PRO-GERMAN GENDARMERIE
47
dues added greatly to the financial difficulties of the Persian
Government. They asked the British and Russian Govern
ments for a year’s grace in respect of repayments of debt and
also for a further advance of about half a million sterling. But,
in the complete absence of any financial control by the Persian
Government and the uncertainty regarding the results of the
increasing hostile propaganda in Persia, neither Government
felt justified in lending the country any more money.
Soon after the outbreak of war, the anti-Russian sentiments The gen-
of the Swedish officers of the Persian gendarmerie led them to gouthPerSa*-
adopt a strong pro-German attitude. Even before the war this August-
force had begun to deteriorate, as Russian opposition, lack of September
money, loss of popular confidence in the force and local intrigues I914 *
led to the resignation of many of the best Swedish officers, to
the disbandment of part of the Persian personnel and to an
announcement by the Swedish Government that all their
officers would leave the country on the 1st March 1915. H.M.
Government had considered it politically inexpedient to replace
these Swedes by British officers, and in the spring and early
summer of 1914 there had been much discussion as to how
security was to be maintained in South Persia in the absence
of an efficient gendarmerie. This referred especially to Ears,
where the existence of the two great nomad tribal groups, the
Qashqai and the Khamseh (the former composed entirely and
the latter largely of Turco-Tartar races), had always rendered
the province specially liable to disorder. Security depended
almost entirely on the goodwill and support of Saulat-ud-Daula
and Qawam-ul-Mulk, the respective chiefs of these two groups.
But there was constant dissension and jealousy between them,
frequently aggravated deliberately by the Persian Governors-
General of the province for their own purposes.
The state of the gendarmerie and the total inability of the
Persian administration to control these two chiefs had at last
impelled the British in July 1914 to offer them inducements to
keep inter-tribal peace and to assist the Persian administration
to maintain order and collect the revenue. But, as it still
remained to be seen whether this arrangement would prove
successful, the effect on the gendarmerie of the pro-German
sentiments of its Swedish officers caused us considerable concern,
especially as it was ascertained that, owing to the war, India
was quite unable to spare any British officers to replace them.
As regards the Gulf ports, the position was more favourable.
The necessity for checking the traffic in arms from the Arabian
coast to the North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. of India and for providing

About this item

Content

A confidential publication compiled, by arrangement with the Government of India, under the direction of the Historical Section of The Committee of Imperial Defence, by Brigadier-General FJ Moberly. The volume is part of the Official History of the Great War series produced by the British Government.

The volume begins with a preface by Moberly and is then divided into 11 (I-XI) chapters, plus appendices, as follows:

  • Chapter I: Introductory
  • Chapter II: August 1914 to June 1915, Enemy efforts to bring Persia into the War
  • Chapter III: July to November 1915, Enemy action and Persian weakness necessitate Allied intervention
  • Chapter IV: December 1915 to May 1916, Successful results of Allied operations
  • Chapter V: May to December 1916, Turkish invasion of Western Persia and British measures in South and East Persia
  • Chapter VI: December 1916 to August 1917, Effects of British success in Mesopotamia
  • Chapter VII: September 1917 to April 1918, The failure of Persia to maintain her neutrality necessitates further British intervention
  • Chapter VIII: May to July 1918, The effect in Persia of the German successes in France; and the anti-British outbreak in Fars
  • Chapter IX: July to September 1918, The tide turns in favour of the Allies
  • Chapter X: October to 11th November 1918, The effect of our victories
  • Chapter XI: Conclusion

The volume contains fourteen maps, some of which are in a pocket in the inside back cover, as follows:

  • 1. Operations at Bushire 1915 (folio 275)
  • 2. Portion of Perso-Afghan frontier (folio 276)
  • 3. Operations at Dilbar, 13th-15th August 1915 (folio 66)
  • 4. Operations of General Dyer in Sarhad, April-August 1916 (folio 277)
  • 5. Wanderings of German parties in Persia and Afghanistan (folio 278)
  • 6. Affair of Dasht-i-Arjan, 25th September 1916 (folio 128)
  • 7. Affair of Kafta, 5th July 1917 (folio 144)
  • 8. Northern Fars (folio 177)
  • 9. Action of Deh Shaikh, 25th May 1918 (folio 182)
  • 10. Shiraz (folio 194)
  • 11. Operations from Bushire, September 1918-January 1919 (folio 279)
  • 12. Plan of East Persia L. of C. (folio 231)
  • 13. Operations for relief of Firuzabad, October 1918 (folio 236)
  • 14. Persia (folio 280)

The volume also includes a bibliography (folio 14).

Extent and format
1 volume (279 folios)
Arrangement

At the front of the volume there is a contents page (ff 6-14), list of maps (f 14), and list of illustrations (f 14). At the back of the volume is a general index (ff 269-73). All refer to the volume's original pagination.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 281; 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 file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

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English in Latin script
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'History of the Great War based on Official Documents: Operations in Persia 1914-1919' [‎38r] (80/566), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/28, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100050147652.0x000051> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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