Iraq Levies

Iraq Levies
Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer · Public domain · source
Unit name	Iraq Levies
Dates	1915–1956
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Indian Army / British Army
Type	Irregular colonial force

Iraq Levies were a colonial auxiliary force formed to police and garrison British interests in Mesopotamia, later Iraq, during and after the First World War. Raised from local Assyrian people, Kurdish people, Yazidis, Armenians, Maronite Syrians, Turkmen people, Shia Muslims, and Sunni Muslims, they served under officers from the Indian Army, Royal Air Force, and British Army. The Levies operated throughout the British Mandate for Mesopotamia, the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1922), and the Iraq revolt of 1920, remaining active until final disbandment in the 1950s.

Origins and Early History

The force traces origins to improvised local units raised during the Mesopotamian campaign of the First World War alongside formations such as the Indian Army (British Indian Army) divisions and the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force. British officers drew on precedents including the Indian Levies and Imperial Service Troops to create a force to protect lines of communication, garrisons, and oil installations administered by companies like the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and overseen by political actors including the Iraq Section of the India Office and the Foreign Office. The aftermath of the Ottoman Empire collapse and the Armistice of Mudros set the scene for formalization under Sir Percy Cox and other administrators during the British Mandate for Mesopotamia.

Structure and Organization

Organized under British command, units were administered through the Mesopotamian Administration and coordinated with RAF Iraq Command, British Forces in Iraq, and local Kingdom of Iraq authorities after 1932. Officers were often seconded from the British Indian Army, Royal Gurkha Rifles, Seaforth Highlanders, and the Royal Army Service Corps, while specialist support came from the Royal Engineers and Royal Army Medical Corps. The Levies adopted a battalion-like organization with company and platoon substructures similar to contemporary colonial units such as the King's African Rifles and the Royal West African Frontier Force.

Role in World War II and British Mandate Period

During the Second World War, the Levies guarded airfields and oil infrastructure crucial to Allied operations, coordinating with commands like Middle East Command and operations including Anglo-Iraqi War (1941). They acted alongside units such as the Iraqi Army (1921–1958), Habbaniya garrison, Royal Air Force Iraq, and elements of the British Expeditionary Force. The Levies were involved in internal security during nationalist uprisings, working with political representatives from the League of Nations mandate era and later the Kingdom of Iraq (1932–1958). Their role extended to rear-area security in conjunction with formations like I Motor Brigade and local Tribal levies used by the High Commissioner for Iraq.

Operations and Engagements

Engagements included counterinsurgency during the Iraq revolt of 1920, garrison actions in the Samarra and Kirkuk regions, and defensive duties during the Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) and the Syria–Lebanon campaign. They participated in clashes with forces aligned to figures such as Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and tribal leaders like Jabir al-Suwaidi. The Levies saw action supporting relief of besieged garrisons, patrols along the Mosul–Basra corridor, and protection of pipelines and refineries associated with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and later Iraq Petroleum Company installations. Their operations sometimes intersected with multinational units from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States during broader Middle Eastern campaigns.

Recruitment, Composition, and Units

Recruitment drew heavily from minority communities including Assyrian people centering on townships such as Habbaniya and Kirkuk, as well as Kurdish people districts in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil. Units included named companies reflecting ethnic composition and regional recruitment practices similar to the Aden Protectorate Levies. Specific subunits—often titled as "companies" or "squadrons"—included cavalry and infantry roles, with personnel holding ranks influenced by practices in the Indian Army (British Indian Army) and receiving training at depots echoing those at Quetta and Rawalpindi. Recruitment patterns were influenced by treaties such as the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1922) and by British political agents like Gertrude Bell and administrators like Sir Arnold Wilson.

Uniforms, Insignia, and Equipment

Uniforms blended British colonial patterns with local elements; tunics and service dress resembled those of the British Army and British Indian Army, while headgear sometimes incorporated regional styles seen among units like the King's African Rifles and Royal West African Frontier Force. Insignia reflected corps-level badges influenced by the Royal Arms and symbols used in Iraq garrisons at Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul. Equipment included rifles common to British forces—such as the Lee–Enfield rifle—and light machine guns like the Bren gun and mortars supplied through ordnance channels from Royal Ordnance Factories. Vehicles and communications gear were provided from depots associated with the Royal Army Service Corps and Royal Corps of Signals.

Disbandment and Legacy

Postwar political changes—the 1932 Anglo-Iraqi Treaty ratification, the evolution of the Kingdom of Iraq (1932–1958), and the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état trajectory—gradually reduced British reliance on colonial units, culminating in phased disbandment by the mid-1950s as sovereignty asserted by successive administrations took precedence. Veterans influenced the development of Iraqi policing and military institutions, and memories of their service survive in accounts by figures such as Freya Stark and records associated with Imperial War Museum collections. Legacy debates engage historians who compare the Levies to other colonial forces like the Sudan Defence Force and examine their role in shaping intercommunal relations centered on cities like Kirkuk and Mosul.

Category:Colonial units and formations of the United Kingdom