"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد II." [ظ‎‎١‎٤‎٤] (٦٦٠/٢٩٧)

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258 HISTORY OF THE WAR: MESOPOTAMIA
The evacuation of the wounded was carried on throughout
the 15th January and proved a most difficult undertakin?
which was not completed till the morning of the 16th The
weather prevented any air reconnaissance, and, although a
certain amount of bridging material was brought up to the
Wadi and a bridge constructed over that stream, it was found
impossible to begin a bridge across the Tigris, which was now
a boisterous yellow flood. Forty per cent, of the danaks of the
bridging train were wrecked or sunk on that and the previous
day and the remainder were almost all badly strained or
damaged. During the day, two guns of the 23rd Mountain
Battery, the remaining three companies of the 93rd Infantry,
and the 1/lst Gurkhas were ferried across to the right bank of
the Tigris, a difficult and tedious operation owing to the state
of the river. Joined by the squadron 33rd Cavalry from the
right bank column, they were posted during the night opposite
the Wadi.
On the evening of the 15th General Aylmer received a
telegram from General Townshend which expressed anxiety
at having had no information of General Aylmer’s movements
since the news that the Turks had been driven out of the Wadi
position, and continued : “We are now the 15th January,
that is to say, the date which you laid down in December as
being hazardous to expect me to hold out beyond. I only
shut myself up at Kut on the distinct understanding that I
was relieved in a month and we have now been six weeks ....
It seems to me that Nur-ud-Din is fighting delaying actions
in order to let expected reinforcements arrive.” That same
night General Aylmer got another telegram from General
Townshend saying that the enemy was turning the siege into
a blockade investment, that the last three or four nights had
been quiet and that there were very few enemy troops left
opposite him on the right bank. They had seen hostile cavalry
in observation all day on the left bank at Es Sinn, a large
enemy camp on the right bank near Dujaila, and an enemy
attempt to make a mahaila bridge over the Hai about 4,500
yards from the Tigris.
The weather on the 16th January continued to be very bad
with gales of wind and heavy rain. In the morning, in reply
to General Townshend's telegram of the previous day, General
Aylmer said that it was his intention to advance by both banks
of the river; he mentioned the delaying effect of the weather
and assured General Townshend that everything possible was
being done to effect his relief. At the same time, General