Finding my father in Mesopotamia
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Jenny Lewis explores finding information about her father who served in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) during World War I. There are several sources that can provide insight such as family archives, local history societies, national archives, museums, and the internet. The document discusses the British campaign in Mesopotamia from 1914-1918, including taking control of Basra in 1914 and occupying it to gain control of the oilfields. However, the poorly equipped British forces suffered over a million deaths over four years as they unsuccessfully tried to take Baghdad.
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Finding my father in Mesopotamia
- 1. FINDING MY FATHER IN MESOPOTAMIA Jenny Lewis Presentation © Jenny Lewis 2014
- 2. Where does the story start? i. Family archives ii. Local history societies iii. Books & special interest magazines iv. National Archives v. Internet vi. Media – news reports, documentaries vii. Museums – Imperial War Museum, British Museum, South Wales Borderer’s Museum
- 3. 2nd Lt. T.C. Lewis, 1915
- 4. National Archives - War Diaries of the South Wales Borderers
- 5. Mesopotamia – The Land Between Two Rivers
- 6. Maps showing battle strategy
- 7. UK interests in Iraq in 1909 The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was set up in 1909 after oil fields had been discovered in Iraq, then known as Mesopotamia (the ‘Land Between Two Rivers’) Two years later, Winston Churchill, then First Sea Lord, bought a controlling stake in the company for Britain for £2.2 million.
- 8. The start of the 1914-18 Mesopotamian Campaign On 6 November 1914, the British offensive began with the naval force bombarding the old fort at Fao, which was located at the point where the Shatt-al- Arab river meets the Persian Gulf. D Force was made up of mainly Indian troops from the Poona Regiment.
- 9. Basra and Qurna On 22 November 1914, the British occupied Basra at the Battle of Qurna they were able to gain back control of their stake in the oilfields …BUT the decision was taken to send a hopelessly underfunded and underequipped force to try to take Baghdad which led to four years of appalling suffering and over a million deaths
- 10. Army camp at Kut
- 11. Bridge of Boats at Qurna
- 12. River Tigris above Amara
- 13. Traders on the Tigris
- 14. Hospital boat on the Tigris
- 16. Basra
- 17. Buying from Arab traders
- 19. Arab well
- 20. Sikh soldier
- 21. Taking Mesopotamia… “The best thing would be if we could say we had taken and gained nothing. Taking Mesopotamia…means spending millions on irrigation and development with no immediate or early return and keeping up a large army in an unfamiliar country with a perpetual menace on our flank in Kurdistan.” Memories and Reflections, Lord Grey of Falloden, 1919
- 22. 90 years after the start of ‘the war to end all wars’…the second Battle of Falujah, November 7-16 2004 .
- 23. END Jenny Lewis Oxford 2014 © Jenny Lewis 2014