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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [377r] (758/898)
The record is made up of 1 volume (445 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1924-18 Mar 1931. 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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
' [E 1397/10/91] No. 1.
Consul Bullard to Mr. Auston Chamberlain.—{Received March 9)
(No. 12. Secret.)
Jeddah, February 10, 1925.
I HAVE the honour to enclose a report on the situation covering tne period the
20th January to the 10th February.
2. Copies of this despatch and of its enclosure are being sent to India, Egypt,
Khartum (through Port Sudan), Jerusalem, Bagdad, Beirut (for Damascus), Aden’
Singapore, Bushire, Koweit, Bahrein and Muscat.
I have, &c.
U. W. BULLARD.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Report for the Period January 20 to February 9, 1925.
THE expected general attack on Jeddah was not made. The Wahabis seized
three villages situated one on the south the other two on the north, at a distance of
a mile or so from the wire, and in spite of the shells which are continually dropping
there they still hold them. On two successive nights, when there was no moon,
bodies of men were seen approaching the wire, but after much rifle and machine-gun
fire for half an hour all was quiet again. The failure to make an attack at several
points at once is attributed to a shortage of Nejdis in the Wahabi ranks. There is
some evidence that the local tribes enlisted by Ibn Saud would not join in the attack,
j except on conditions that would have given the Nejdis most of the casualties and the
1 local tribesmen most of the loot, and that the two parties came to rifle shots over it;
and it is stated that Ibn Saud discharged the local men and sent for more of his
own people. I was inclined to think that this would lead to a state of inaction for
some weeks, the Wahabis being content to hold the villages so as to contain the Hedjaz
forces; but after a lull of a few days artillery fire on both sides began again.
For the Wahabis have guns. These guns were left at Mecca at the time of
the evacuation, and Sabri
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
, the Bagdadi who was Minister of War at the time,
was supposed to render them useless, but he did nothing. Ibn Sand has with him
one Turk and some Arabs who were formerly gunners in the Hedjaz service, and
they seem to be rather better than the artillery on the Hedjaz side. At the time when
a general attack seemed to be in preparation they scattered a good deal of shrapnel
over the trenches. They then, though outranged by the Hedjaz guns, moved in
closer, and dropped small high-explosive shells (about 2^-inch) on various parts of
Jeddah. None of these exploded, but either that was merely a warning or the
Wahabi gunners have since found out how to deal with high-explosive shells, for
during the last few days many shells (perhaps 200), most of which have burst, have
fallen into the town. The casualties have been very few, two killed and a few
slightly wounded. This
agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
has been narrowly missed several times and hit once,
but not seriously damaged.
No legal objection can be raised to this bombardment, since Jeddah must be
regarded as a fortified town. The main targets seem to be the King’s “ palace ’’ and
a former magazine, two buildings which stand in the same road on the edge of the
town, facing the desert, at a distance of some 400 yards from each other. It is
inconvenient that this
agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
, flanked by the Italian and Dutch consulates, should
I stand midway between these two targets; but there is reassurance in the knowledge
that the Wahabi ammunition has to be brought from Mecca by camel.
The futility of Arab desert warfare seems to have been imported into the siege
of Jeddah. So far as can be seen the artillery duel does no serious damage to either
side, and though there is a pretty constant crackle of rifle fire from the Wahabi
positions, they are too far from the trenches on this side for their shots to take effect
[892 i—1]
* ■m®
I v
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About this item
- Content
The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes 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. Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.
The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.
The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).
The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan ; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).
In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (445 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 1707 (Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)) consists of one volume only.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 447; 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 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [377r] (758/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998362.0x00009f> [accessed 25 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1115
- Title
- File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:88v, 90r:104v, 106r:108v, 110r:124v, 126r:128v, 129v:132v, 133v, 134v:137v, 139r:145r, 146r:161v, 162v:180v, 183r:205v, 206v:267r, 269r:271v, 273r:288v, 291r:308v, 309v, 310v, 311v, 312v, 313v, 314v, 315v, 316v, 317v:321r, 324r:335r, 337r:378v, 379v:381v, 383v:389v, 391r:393v, 395v:397v, 399r:400r, 402r:446v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence