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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎416r] (844/995)

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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. .

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Draft Paper.
7
Lr
measures, I am to request you to
be good enough to invite the
attention of the Array Council both
to the series of discussions, together
with relevant correspondence, which
have engaged the attention of the
Inter-Departmental Committee £*
pay-ti crt 1 ar^lJbv'eraber 10th 1919^ onwar4s
on the subject of the future
constitution of Mesopotamia, and also
to the proclamation published by
Sir A.T.Wilson on June Slat,
The discussion of these measures is
inseparable from the discussion of
policy and Mr .Montagu would again
deprecate 4 to 4nt/»«»4^otrpn TnSo ; this" "
l^p ■>** *&*£ »
correspondence.
6.
V
/Xa t O l£j& c&i
^ ^ aU-tcroiltf) ^
^4^ tAj. J
>/X fir fX?
V~dL UZt
^ ^ sle*^ Ar
(s£v+~l
As regards the use of bombing
a^ropljuiesyThe vie^of His Majesty^
Goverament on the employment of this
arm under conditions of unrest in
normally peaceful countries, are set
Ateu
out iq/Secretary of State’s despatch
dated May 26th No. 108 to His Excellency
the Governor General in Council:-
"7. With regard to the use of
bombing aeroplanes at Gujranwala on the
14th April, the Majority of Lord
Hunter’s Committee expressed their
views as follows
’’As to the use of bombs from
aeroplanes we do not think that this
would be defended by any one save
J
in
■/ .(*-•

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
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File 4722/1918 Pt 8 'Mesopotamia: Situation' [‎416r] (844/995), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/761, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100137804989.0x00002d> [accessed 9 June 2026]

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