as-1837
1925: 175 unpublished private photographs of army life in Iraq, 1925-1926.
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An unpublished private photograph album of army life in Iraq, 1925-1926.
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A private loose-leaf photograph album containing 175 photographs taken at various sites in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) in 1925 and 1926 during a tour of duty by an unnamed British medical staff member attached to the British Army and the Royal Air
Force at the RAF base at Basra.
The photographs, all crisp and clear, are mainly 3.5 x 2.5 inches (9 x 6.5 cms), the album being 10 x 8 inches (26 x 20 cms). The final image below shows the album in its modern archival cloth slipcase.
The owner/compiler of the album is unknown. However, every photograph is captioned in ink below with its subject or location, and covers a range of subject matters of historical significance or interest in addition to more everyday shots of
colleagues.
The album contains (for example) six unpublished and hitherto unrecorded photographs of Alan Cobham's DH50 Moth aeroplane G-EBFO at IWT, Basra, in July 1926 on the outward leg of his successful round trip from England to Melbourne, Australia, for which he was
subsequently knighted. This Basra visit was tragic for Cobham's mechanic, Arthur B. Elliot, who was killed by rifle fire from the ground whilst overflying Iraq within hours of these photographs being taken.
Other photographs include numerous shots of Rolls Royce armoured cars (in particular HMAC "Wolf", the existence of which appears to be unrecorded elsewhere), and others of a Ford armoured car, motor-bikes, the Basra light railway, Basra City after the
1925 fire, Bedouins, and the compiler's colleagues, all of whom are named, in various leisure activities including cricket.
An unique collection of photographs taken at the time of major political changes in the Middle East, shortly prior to Mesopotamia becoming Iraq.
The album is preserved in a modern archival cloth slipcase, leather label lettered in gilt.
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