"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد II." [و‎‎١‎٣‎١] (٦٦٠/٢٧٠)

ATTACK BY BRITISH LEFT
231
the mud and the continuous hostile fire ; but the patient
endurance and gallantry displayed in their performance by the
men of the transport and medical corps, and by bhistis and
followers of every description, was, according to General Young-
husband’s report, beyond praise.
Early in the afternoon* General Aylmer had placed the
headquarters of the 9th Infantry Brigade with the l/4th
Hampshire and 107th Pioneers, from the General Reserve, at
General Younghusband’s disposal; but though they were
pushed up about three miles northward from the bridge they
had not been put into the fight; and just before dark they
were again withdrawn to the camp.
On the right bank of the river, the British attack had met
with more success. At about 1.30 p.m. the Cavalry Brigade
moved up near the left of the 28th Brigade, coming under fire
from Turkish trenches. Finding apparently that these trenches
hampered their further operations in this area, the Cavalry
Brigade moved off about 2.30 p.m. to a position about four
miles southward of Shaikh Saad. From here the guns of
“ S ” Battery, R.H.A., forced some enemy advancing from
Shaikh Saad to retire again ; and throughout the afternoon
large bodies of mounted Arabs, which threatened the left flank
of the Cavalry Brigade, were kept at a distance without much
difficulty by machine gun fire.
The 28th Brigade advanced from their trenches to commence
the attack about 2 p.m., as the sound of heavy firing from the
left bank reached them. As on the previous day, the 56th
Rifles and a company 128th Pioneers were on the right, with
the 53rd and 51st Sikhs (less one company) prolonging the line ;
and the Leicestershire on the extreme left.
As the attack developed, the front of the firing line extended
necessarily rather widely to the left and this limited the power
of the single field battery available (28th Battery) to support
the advance ; but its fire, directed by a forward observing officer
among the infantry, was very effective, while the four guns of the
23rd Mountain Battery, with their guns dug in, fired at 2,500
yards’ range and kept down the fire of the Turkish trenches
flanking the advance. The Turkish artillery which replied could
not be engaged,t but had little effect on the British artillery.
* By this time General Aylmer had learnt from an aerial reconnaissance
that, in addition to holding the trenches on either side of the river, the Turks
had a force echeloned to their left rear about five miles from the river. This
force was estimated to be 3,000 strong.
t The records do not say whether they were out of range or could not be
located.