"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. مجلد I" [و‎‎٦‎٨] (٤٥٤/١٤٠)

AFFAIR OF SAIHAN
115
commenced. The camp site (sodden by the recent rain) and a
field of fire had to be cleared, involving among other work the
cutting down of date-palms on all sides ; and roads and ramps
—constructed mainly of hatch covers from the transports—
had to be made for landing guns, wagons and horses. In
consequence, only the 17th Company of Sappers and the 63rd
Field Battery disembarked that day.
General Barrett now received the following order from India :
“ Your objective is Basra. If after discussion with and taking
over from Delamain you consider your present force strong
enough you will move on Basra. Remainder of 6th Division
embarks on 19th at Bombay for Shaft al Arab.” After dis
cussing the situation with General Delamain, who told him
that information from reconnaissances and various other
sources indicated that Turkish forces were concentrating about
Saihan, only four miles west of the camp, General Barrett
instructed General Delamain to reconnoitre next day and to
dislodge this hostile gathering without involving his own force
too seriously.
For this operation, General Delamain detailed the 30th
Mountain Battery, Dorsets, and 104th Rifles under his own
command—with the 23rd Mountain Battery and 20th Punjabis
held ready in camp to reinforce should an engagement take
place—and stated his intention in his orders as ” a reconnais
sance will be made up-stream to-morrow.” On the 15th, this
force moved off at 6 a.m. and emerging south of the date
plantations marched westwards across the desert at a distance
of about 1,200 yards from them. About 7.10 a.m., when
the advanced guard consisting of half the Dorsets and
two guns of the 30th Battery arrived south of Saihan village
and creek, the enemy opened fire on it from two positions
on the edge of the plantations with rifles and machine guns
and on the main body, 1,200 yards behind, with artillery.
The 104th were sent to turn the enemy’s left, capture their
first position, and then to work through the plantations from
the east. By about 8.30 a.m., supported by the 30th Battery
which also kept in check the hostile artillery in the Turkish
second position, the 104th had captured the first position " in
capital style.” By this time the 23rd Battery and 20th
Punjabis, who had started from camp on hearing the firing,
had arrived ; and the advanced guard—reinforced by the
remainder of the Dorsets and of the 30th Battery—extended
to its left to outflank the enemy’s second position from the
west. Two companies of the 20th were pushed in to fill the