Seizing Mosul: Why did British troops capture the city after the First World War was over?
This talk considers the role played by one British Army officer in changing the course of history. This officer is Lt-Gen. William Marshall. He was the commander of British forces operating against Turkish forces in the Ottoman-held territory of Mesopotamia (roughly modern Iraq) in the latter stages of World War One. Throughout the war, British troops had been pushing north through Mesopotamia after their initial landings in Basra in 1914. By 31 October 1918, and with a truce having been called to end the fighting between Ottoman and British forces, the latter were just south of Mosul. They should have remained there according to the stipulations of the armistice agreement. They did not. Marshall gave orders (seemingly without political direction) for his troops to occupy Mosul. This they had completed by 10 November. Controversy still rages today in Turkey over this British seizure of Mosul. Areas that are seen as rightly being part of the country – ‘Turkish soil’, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – are not because of the perceived ‘sophistry’ of Marshall. This presentation explores why Marshall acted in the way that he did and seeks, in doing so, to undermine certain myths that surround his actions.
All welcome- this event is free but booking is required.
This page was last updated on 10 January 2025
