Military Commitments in the 1919–29 Period: (1) Interventions

Abstract

The end of the fighting against the Central Powers in November 1918 left British forces still heavily committed in several operations which had arisen from the changing fortunes of the war, but whose continuation was considered necessary for reasons of general national and imperial security. These centred on various fronts in Russia and in the Middle East, and they all drew heavily on manpower. In February 1920 there were 16,000 British troops in Germany, 9000 British with 14,000 Indian troops in Turkey, 6000 British and 20,000 Indians in Egypt, 10,000 British and 13,000 Indians in Palestine and 17,000 British and 44,000 Indians in Mesopotamia. The continuation of these operations at a time of general demand for rapid demobilisation and savings in defence expenditure was difficult. In the case of the Russian operations, pro-Soviet political agitation was an additional cause for the several breaches of discipline and unrest amongst those soldiers and sailors who viewed the Russian revolution with some sympathy, or who were simply wanting early demobilisation, or both.