IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3293

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 1 and 15 November 1917. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: Tables, telegrams, memoranda, and letters.

An index to the contents of this volume can be found at folios 3-17. The volume concerns:

• Military personnel issues, including: recruitment, training, and promotions
• The supply of food, ordnance, oil, construction materials, and other items to Force D
• British ‘punitive actions’ against the ‘offending tribes’ of Al Abbas near Samawah [As Samawah] and Albu Jassim [Al Bu Jasim] near Bani Said [Bani Sa‘id]
• British raiding and aerial bombardment of villages in Mesopotamia, including Shirwan Sakhal [Shakal] and Kelar [Kalar]
• River traffic in Mesopotamia
• Preparations for a meeting between Lieutenant-Generals Jan Smuts, Edmund Allenby, and William Marshall in Egypt, to discuss the ongoing war against Turkey [Ottoman Empire]
• Matters relating to Dunsterforce, including: the selection of officers and NCOs to join Dunsterforce; the dispatch of an Armoured Car Unit; and the movements of Major-General Lionel Dunsterville
• Railway construction in Mesopotamia
• Arrest of Sullaiman Mirza [Sulaymān Mīrzā] and Isa Mirza [‘Īsá Mīrzā] by British troops near Khanikin [Khanaqin]
• Intelligence concerning the activities of the Turkish [Ottoman] and German militaries
• A report on the military readiness of the 49th Bengal Infantry
• Unreliability of Bolshevik-influenced Russian troops in Persia [Iran]
• German propaganda campaigns in Persia
• A proposal for British officers to take command of the Persian Cossack Brigade
• Matters relating to the Caucasus, including: British attempts to create a local military force; British influence on the relationship between Armenians and ‘Tartars’ in the region; and problems caused by the ‘decidedly Bolshevik’ Russian fleet in the Caspian Sea
• Civil war in Russia.

The volume also contains:

• Distribution and composition of Force D, including details of: lines of communication; general organisation; and names of General Officers and Brigade Commanders (ff 18-30)
• Distribution of the Turkish Army dated 12 February 1918 (ff 208-211)
• Report of number of pilots, balloon officers, and aircraft available for service in Mesopotamia, 31 January 1918 (f 39), 7 February 1917 (f 141)
• State of supplies on 26 January 1918 (ff 43-44), 2 February 1918 (f 120, f 142-143), 9 February 1918 (ff 232-233)
• Strength statements of Force D, 24 November 1917 (ff 48-61), 29 December 1917 (ff 107-108)
• Ration strength of Force D, 31 January 1918 (ff 72-73), 12 January 1918 (ff 84-86), 29 December 1917 (ff 87-90), 19 January (ff 177-180), 5 January 1918 (ff 195-198)
• Supply requests for Force D, dated February 1918 (ff 62-63), March 1918 (f 149)
• Returns of sick and wounded dated 2 February 1918 (f 72), 19 January 1918 (ff 76-77), 26 January 1918 (ff 159-160)
• Proposed War Establishment for an Indian Infantry Battalion (ff 173-177)
• Distribution Report showing number and condition of motor vehicles with Force D, 1 December 1917 (ff 218-231).