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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [65r] (136/660)
The record is made up of 1 volume (323 folios). It was created in 1924. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
105
DECISION TO RETIRE TO LAJJ
(1) “ I have thought over matters in the night. Strategical
and tactical reasons insist on Lajj as our advanced point
on which I hope you will direct ships, stores and reinforce
ments .... Politically speaking, it is best to stay
here at Ctesiphon. But it is always fatal in history if
political reasons are allowed to interfere with military
reasons. I shall therefore move to Lajj to-morrow, as
I formerly arranged. More follows.”
(2) “ Air service reconnaissance this morning established
the fact that Turks in force are entrenched on line two
miles this side, i.e., east of Diyala. Three columns were
marching west from Qusaiba towards this entrenched
position above mentioned, and this is undoubtedly force
which we repulsed in their attack on us night of
23rd/24th November. We have well over 3,000
casualties ; 2,300 wounded alone are in field ambulances.
I expect total will be nearly 4,000. 17th Brigade have
no first line transport left; all mules and entrenching
tools lost. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry lost 450
killed and wounded ; only 140 men left for duty. 110th
Mahrattas have 140 men out of 700 who went into action.
17th Brigade have 1,100 casualties out of 2,000 who went
into action.”*
Sir John Nixon and his staff had already left Lajj in the
Malamir and arrived at Aziziya at 7 p.m. As an immediate
advance beyond Ctesiphon was evidently impracticable
until reinforcements had arrived and a thorough reorganisa
tion had been carried out, General Nixon had decided that he
had better move downstream to expedite the despatch of
reinforcements. Consequently he did not receive General
Townshend’s above two messages till 7.40 p.m.
In the meantime General Townshend had issued the following
communique to his troops :
” Sir John Nixon has expressed in his Army Order his
sentiments in the very words I would have chosen myself.
I cannot express my admiration and gratitude for the
heroism displayed by all ranks. To show with what
stem valour you fought, you drove four divisions out of a
very strong position and forced them to retire beyond the
* These casualties do not all agree with the final official list, given in
Appendix XII. The total casualties of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry amounted to 304 out of a strength of 638 and of the 110 th
Mahrattas to 440 out of a strength of 739. But some of the men were probably
on duty at Lajj or behind the line.
About this item
- Content
The volume is the second volume of an official government publication compiled at the request of the Government of India, and under the direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, by Brigadier-General Frederick James Moberly. The volume was printed and published at His Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
The contents provide a narrative of the operations of 1914-1918 in Mesopotamia, based mainly on official documents.
The volume is in one part, entitled, 'Part III. The First Campaign for Baghdad', and consists of the following fourteen chapters:
- The Decision to Advance to Baghdad
- Commencement of the Advance Towards Baghdad
- The Battle of Ctesiphon - the First Day's Operations
- Battle of Ctesiphon (Continued) and the British Retirement to Kut
- The Decision to Hold Kut and British Policy Consequent on the Failure to Reach Baghdad
- The Siege of Kut: First Phase (December 1915)
- Commencement of the Relief Operations
- The Action of Shaikh Saad
- The Action of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. and the First Attack on Hanna
- Operations up to the End of February, 1916
- The Second Attempt to Relieve Kut; the Attack on the Dujaila Redoubt
- The Third Attempt to Relieve Kut; the Successful Advance to and First and Second Attacks on Sannaiyat
- The Last Attempt at Relief; Bait Isa and Sannaiyat
- The Siege of Kut; the Last Stages
The volume also includes nine maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Lower Mesopotamia
- Map 8 - The Tigris from Kut al Amara to Baghdad
- Map 9 - The Battle of Ctesiphon
- Map 10 - The affair of Umm at Tubul
- Map 11 - The defence of Kut al Amara
- Map 12 - The fort at Kut; with special reference to the Turkish attack on 24th December 1915
- Map 13 - River Tigris between Ali Gharbi and Shumran
- Map 14 - The action at Shaikh Saad
- Map 15 - The action of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
- Map 16 - The first attack on Hanna; 21st January 1916
- Map 17 - The attack on the Dujaila Redoubt, 8th March 1916
- Map 18 - To illustrate Tigris Corps Operation Order No. 26, dated 6th March 1916
- Map 19 - To illustrate operations between 10th March and end of April 1916
- Map 20 - The action of Bait Isa on 17th and 18th April 1916, and the attack on Sannaiyat 22nd April 1916
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (323 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a list of contents (folios 6-10), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 11), appendices (folios 254-290), an index (folios 291-312), and eleven maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 314-324).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 325; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [65r] (136/660), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/2, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100045738548.0x000089> [accessed 30 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/2
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:3r, 3r, 4r:70v, 72r:79r, 160v, 80r:102v, 104r:160r, 161r, 313v, 161v:281v, 283r:313v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence