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'Railways - Mesopotamia and L of C [Lines of Communication] Policy' [99r] (197/204)
The record is made up of 1 file (100 folios). It was created in 18 May 1917-21 Dec 1917. 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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Prom C. in C. India.
To C.I.G.S.
Repeated G.C^G. Mesopotamia*
18tii May, 1917.
33049, 18th.Kay, 1917, 10*30 p.m.
^ /r.
Reference War Office cables 34426 cipher M.0.2^ and
^522© cipher M.R. 3/6661 of 15th. *i t -
In reply to former I trust Maude will he in a position
to give satisfactory assurances.
Ho departure £rom agreed programme aa ragarde despatch
of railway material and rolling stock from India is anticipated.
I think it desirable to submit following observations
on policy of question raised in latter telegram.
Maude 1 s telegram X.1960 of May 4th suggested that
? from war aspect complete through railway line was not cogent,
provided that river fleet remained as existing and as promised.
A through railway Basrah to Baghdad from strategical
point of view, apart from its value as a means of supply inde
pendent of the river, would quicken up movement or transfer
cf troops and by increase of rolling stock its carrying capacity
v/ould be more easily expanded than can that of the river. Its
carrying capacity is unaffected by volume of water in river and
•:hough more liable to damage than the river communications,, its
defence is more simple than the defence of river craft in. motion.
The river system from the economical aspect has been
and is still a heavy strain on India's resources and trade. As
regards
About this item
- Content
The file, marked secret, contains correspondence and notes regarding rail and river transportation for the Mesopotamian campaign during the First World War. The papers cover a number of matters, including:
- Strategic considerations of the use of rail and river communications
- Supply of railway materials, rolling stock, and personnel to Mesopotamia [Iraq] from India, other parts of the British Empire, and allied territories
- Problems with unloading and shipping congestion at Basra
- Progress of railway construction, including weekly reports from the General Officer Commanding or Director of Railways to the War Office, starting from August 1917
- Capacity estimates (for troops, food, ammunition, and materials) and efforts to increase it
- Complaints of shortages of railway stock and personnel in India due to the demand in Mesopotamia
- Preparations for a commission, led by Sir Henry Francis Edward Freeland, to be sent to review rail and river transportation in Mesopotamia
- Questions of flooding and damming of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Correspondents include: the Commander-in-Chief, India; the Chief of the Imperial General Staff; the General Officer Commanding, Mesopotamia; the War Office; the Director of Railways, Mesopotamia; the War Section, Army Department, Government of India; and Major General Sir Henry Francis Edward Freeland.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (100 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order, from the rear to the front.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 102; 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; these numbers are written in coloured crayon and pencil; where they have been written in pencil and circled, they have been crossed through.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/5/787
- Title
- 'Railways - Mesopotamia and L of C [Lines of Communication] Policy'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:101v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence