IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3286

The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 16 and 31 October 1917. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, letters, tables, and memoranda, containing instructions and reports.

The volume mostly relates to:

• Reinforcements and labour requirements of Force D
• Staff recruitment and appointments
• Supplies for Force D, including: rations, weapons, animals, ammunition, and land vehicles (especially cars, motorcycles, and ambulances)
• Information about deserters and prisoners of war
• Lists of sick and wounded soldiers
• Turkish [Ottoman] forces: movements and locations of regiments; movements of commanders; planned offensives; and distributions for week ending 19 October (ff 16-19), week ending 23 October (ff 150-152), and week ending 30 October (ff 266-268)
• Railways construction progress, as well as materials required and transported for railway construction
• Demand for personnel across multiple departments
• Arrangements for converting vessels to run on oil instead of coal, or coal instead of oil
• Arrangements for supplies between India and Mesopotamia
• Details of tonnage [amounts of cargo] transported on ships
• Supplies and arrangements for cultivation and agriculture schemes in Mesopotamia
• Discussions about woollen mills at Baghdad
• Remit and personnel of the newly established Transport Commission
• German forces: weapons; location of regiments; planned offensives; and movements of General Oskar von Niedermayer [also rendered in text as Neidermeyer] in Persia [Iran]
• Status of Force D in the vicinity of Jebel Hamrin [Silsilat Jibal Hamrin?] and the Dialha [Diyala, river]
• Discussions about places of worship for Sikhs in Basrah [Basra]
• Traffic reports for railway and river transportation
• Discussions about oil rights in Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], and Mesopotamia.

The volume also contains:

• Appreciations [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations summarising the situation in Mesopotamia and Persia on 21 October (ff 99-101) and 28 October (ff 219-220)
• Distribution of troops for Force D on 30 September (ff 170-174).

Whilst the volume contains copies of earlier material dating from September 1917 onwards, the bulk of the material dates from October 1917.

The volume number originally printed on the front cover of the volume was ‘41’, but this has been crossed out and ‘39’ has been written in blue pencil. ‘P[a]r[t] II’ has also been added in red pencil.