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135of the RAF as the ground element of the air control of Iraq. However, despite their assignment to the RAF, the Levies remained for policy purposes under the Colonial Office until 1930. The British initially drew the Levies from the Christian8majority Assyrian population and, as in India, indigenous officers were established at an intermediate level between British officers and NCOs. Because of the somewhat anomalous, constitutional position of a protecting foreign power (not a ruling Imperial power) appointing indigenous officers within their own sovereign kingdom, in the service of the protecting monarch, the AOC Iraq was, uniquely in imperial history, designated as the Commissioning Authority for Indigenous Levy Officers. Moreover, because of their Assyrian ethnicity, the nomenclature for the officer ranks was Assyrian, as shown below. Since they were Christians, however, the Assyrians were not fully accepted by the Iraqi nation and in 1933 it was decided that it might be politically expedient to include Kurds and Arabs; both predominantly Moslems albeit of different sects. It worked, for by becoming %u2018stakeholders%u2019 in their nation under the impartial command of British officers, the ethnic and religious groups established a %u2018modus vivendi%u2019akin to India%u2019s post8mutiny soldiery. Initially however, the fractious Kurds were regarded warily, only a single rifle company (approx 130 men) being authorised until the British could assess the risk. In the event, they proved to be the best warriors and most fervent loyalists of %u0006%u000f%u0003%u0004%u0005 %%u0004%u001a%u000f%u001a$%u0005 1%u001a\$%u000c %u0005#4%u000b%u000f%u00105%u000567!%u000f3%u0004%u001a%u0003%u0005%u0012%u001a8%u00051ffl%u001a%u0001E%u000bffl%u000c%u0008ffl%u0001%u0001 2%u0003ffl$%u0009ffi%u0001%u0003.%u0001%u00067666%u0001 %u0019%u0003flffi%u0001'%u000b%u0003fl%u0008$%u0009ffiB%u001afflffi'%u0001 F%u0012%u00012%u0003%u0008%u00011ffl%u001a%u0001;ffi%u0009ffl%u0001 2%u0003ffl$%u0009ffi%u0001%u0003.%u0001%u001466%u0001 ;%u000bffi%u0009%u0009%u0001'%u000b%u0003fl%u0008$%u0009ffiB%u001afflffi'%u0001 &fflG1ffl%u001a%u0001%u000effl%u0001 2%u0003ffl$%u0009ffi%u0001%u0003.%u0001%u000666%u0001 ;+%u0003%u0001'%u000b%u0003fl%u0008$%u0009ffiB%u001afflffi'%u0001 2ffl%u0011%u0012%u00011ffl%u001a%u0001E%u000bffl'%u000b%u000c%u0001 2%u0003ffl$%u0009ffi%u0001%u0003.%u0001%u00146%u0001 %u0009%u0001'%u000b%u0003fl%u0008$%u0009ffiB%u001afflffi%u0001 F%u0012%u0001Ranks of Indigenous Iraq Levy Officers.A pre?war member of the Iraq Levies.