File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [23r] (54/995)
The record is made up of 1 volume (491 folios). It was created in 28 Jun 1920-11 Feb 1921. 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.
who were reported to have suffered over a hundred casualties
from aeroplane on the 30th October, made their submission.
They were followed by the Khaff&ja and Jabur who surrendered
on the 23rd and 24th respectively. Prom this date the
insurrection in the Hillah Division may be said to have
ceased.
The outstanding insurgent leader in the Hillah
Division was Umran al Haji Sa'fcdun of the Bani Hasan who
corresponded with all other insurgent groups and sent them
special messengers. He appointed a 'Mutassarif f in Kerbala,
Mudirs in Kifl and Tuwairij and assumed control of the
Barrage.
On our side two Shaikhs in the Hillah District,
Add&i al Jaryan and tJmran al Zambur, remained staunch and
rendered excellent services. Ihile in the Musaiyib District
Shaikhs Rashid-al-Ali-al-Khalaf of the Jannabiyin, Ali-al-
Dulaimi of the Ghurair and Shaikh Abid Ali of Musaiyib town
gave us great assistance. In the Hindiyah District Saiyid
Hadi Cfcazwini and Butros Elias remained staunch supporters
of Government, v^hile Abdul Muhsin of the Masud and 3alman-al*
Zichari of the Bani Hasan gave a very unwilling support to
the insurgents’ and did their beet to help us.
Before concluding this resume I wish to mention the
excellent work done in very trying circumstances by the
Officers and Staff of this Division, Captains Hunt and
Jardine had a very anxious time at Kifl and Tuwairij and bo 1ft
officers remained at their posts £ till the last possible
moment. The same was the case with the A.P.Os. and staff
of Kerbala and Musaiyib. The A.P.Os. in Hillah fcave me the
greatest assistance and all my British Officers did good
work with Columns. On the occasion of the retirement of the
Manchester Column from the Rustumiyah Canal, three officers
of the Civil Administration, Mr. Tozer, Captain Hunt and
Mr. Grundy, left for Hillah by themselves in order to bring
early information of the retreat of the Column. They were
fortunate insetting through safely and their early arrival
helped
About this item
- Content
The volume consists of correspondence, memoranda, drafts, and departmental notes relating to rebellion against British mandatory rule in Mesopotamia [approximately corresponding to present-day Iraq], later known as the Iraqi Revolt of 1920.
The volume covers the period from the start of unrest in May 1920 to British imposition of control in October of the same year. The majority of the volume comprises reports from political officers across Mesopotamia on the situation in their respective divisions and districts.
Other matters discussed within the volume include:
- The suspected causes of the uprising, including fears of ‘Bolshevik’ and pro-Turkish influence
- Settlement of the border between Syria and Mesopotamia
- Military strategy and operations, including the need for reinforcements
- The severing of British lines of communication, particularly rail
- The efficacy and principles of the use of armoured cars and air raids as means of control following numerous cases of misidentification and disproportionate force that resulted in the deaths and injuries of innocent people
- Political and civil policy in the region
- Identification and arrest of some of the leaders of the rebellion
- The prominence of events in Mesopotamia in the British press
- The question of disarming the tribes following the suppression of the rebellion.
Principal correspondents include officials at: 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. ; the Office of the Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia (from November 1920, the High Commissioner); the War Office; General Headquarters of the military in Mesopotamia; and the Government of India, Foreign and Political and Army departments.
The volume contains cuttings from several publications, including: The Times , The Statesman , The Observer , The Daily Herald , The Daily Mail , The Baghdad Times , and The Near East .
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. A second divider is included, for File 4722/1918 Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’. This was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (491 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the rear to the front.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 489; 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. Multiple intermittent additional foliation sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly, f 89a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [23r] (54/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804985.0x000037> [accessed 29 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/761
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:89v, 89ar:89av, 90r:113r, 114v, 118v:120r, 121v, 127v:169v, 173r:192v, 194r:211v, 213r:223v, 225r:227r, 229r:261v, 262v:263v, 266r:279v, 280ar, 280r:293v, 294v, 295v:317v, 318ar, 318r:333v, 334v:341v, 342v:359v, 360v:400v, 404r:424v, 425ar, 425r:489v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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