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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [‎214r] (436/660)

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. .

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HHBBbhbbi^b[
ASSAULT FAILS
391
ma ss of the 38th and 40th Brigades were in such a state of
confusion and disorganisation that the 9th Worcestershire
and 9 th Royal Warwickshire of the 39th Brigade also became
involved, being carried away by part of the lines in front of
them. The officers did all they could to rally and lead
their men forward, but, in spite of many individual cases of
great personal gallantry, they failed to reorganise the mass
sufficiently to admit of a sustained advance under the hostile
fire, which as it got light became so deadly as to render advance
impossible. The 7th North Staffordshire of the 39th Brigade
managed to avoid the confusion in front of them and, stead
fastly maintaining their advance, some of their platoons
succeeded in establishing themselves close to the Turkish
line*
The Turks, meanwhile, driven out of their front line trench
by the gallant first line of the 38th and 40th Brigades, had
fallen back to their second line trench. This was to have
been taken by the third and fourth lines of the 38th and 40th
Brigades, and their failure to get forward in sufficient strength
enabled the Turkish officers to rally their men and start them
in a bombing attack against the British invaders. These
gallantly held their own until their bombs gave out, when
their shattered remnants were driven out by an enemy advance
and fell back to a line some four hundred yards off, where
they dug themselves in. Halil Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. admitted subsequently
to General Townshend that this assault of the 13th Division
had only failed through lack of support.f
Till 6 a.m. 13th Division headquarters could get no definite
news of what had happened, but the Turks seemed to be retiring
and General Gorringe, under the impression from their reports
that the trenches had been captured, sent orders at 6.15 to
the 7th Division to get ready to move forward in pursuit on
receipt of further orders. There was still uncertainty until
7.30 a.m., when General Gorringe received a message sent
about 7 a.m. by General Maude which showed that the attack
had apparently failed ; and at 8.45 a report reached Corps
headquarters giving the true state of affairs.
By this time the men of the 13th Division had been rallied
and somewhat reorganised ; and during the day they con
solidated the line some four hundred yards short of the Turkish
f J he accoun ^ s this attack are, naturally, confused and very difficult
o follow ; most of the gallant men who penetrated the Turkish trenches did
not emerge alive ; and it may be that this narrative does not do full justice
to some of the units engaged.
r My Campaign in Mesopotamia,” by General Townshend.

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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
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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [‎214r] (436/660), 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_100045738550.0x000025> [accessed 30 April 2024]

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