'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎96v] (197/454)

170 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
to be excessive. The instance is quoted as showing the
uncertainty that prevailed at the time.
On the 4th February, when Lord Hardinge arrived at Basra
the position appeared as follows. The Turks had five thousand
troops with seventeen guns opposite Qurna-Muzairaa, two
thousand about Nasiriya,* and seven hundred with two’guns
moving towards Ahwaz ; this estimate left about four thousand v
unaccounted for, who were probably at Amara or moving
towards the Euphrates; and further reinforcements were
reported to be on their way both to the Euphrates and the
Tigris forces. On each front our troops were engaged constantly
in minor hostilities with Arabs, of whom large numbers were
with each Turkish force. The Jahad was having apparently
increasing effect in the region of the lower Euphrates, in
Arabistan, and even in Basra itself, dhere was perpetual
intercourse between Basra and the areas in Turkish occupation,
and Turkish agents were busy in Basra threatening reprisals
and causing a general feeling of unrest. Lord Hardinge told
the Mesopotamia Commission that he came away from his visit
realising fully that, to maintain the security of Basra, it would
be necessary sooner or later to push the enemy back some
where. General Barrett had, roughly speaking, two-thirds of
his division at Qurna and Muzaira’a and the other third at
Basra, with detachments at Shaiba and Ahwaz. The 12th
Infantry Brigade and the 16th Cavalry were on their way from
India to Basra ; * S ” Battery R.H.A.f and the 7 th Lancers
* Information from Turkish sources shows that at the end of January the
prised 5 ^ roo P s ( exc l u< Iing Arab tribal auxiliaries) at Nasiriya actually com-
Two Arab battalions of about four hundred men each At, , ,
One squadron of cavalry ; L Ivemnants of
Six field and two mountain guns. j 38th Division.
Two battalions Fire Brigade regiment, each about \ Just arrived from
on ® t f lol \ sanc i strong. j Constantinople.
^ /itu r\ e ® n § a< ^ e battalions, under Ali Bey, left Constantinople on the 3rd
an ecember 1914. Moving first to Alexandretta they then went—partly
Y and partly by rail — to Jerablus, on the Euphrates. Thence they
by wa ter down the Euphrates, transported by a fleet of about eighty
s a « Mrs each capable of carrying thirty-two men. They reached Nasiriya
fifty four da ^ anuary ^15, their journey from Constantinople thus taking
^ 6y 'T aS a PP 0 ^ n ^ e( l the command of the Turkish right wing at Nasiriya.
p. er reinforcements en route, or under orders for Nasiriya, included the
Usmanjik battalion and the remnants of the l/26th Regiment from the
igns, also the bulk of the 35th Division from Syria.
. ■ 3 .° the Arab auxiliaries with the Turkish right wing, in addition to
jaimi and his Muntafik followers, certain say ads threw in their lot with the
urks on account of the proclamation of a Jahad . Also, some of the Kurdish
n es rom the Sulaimaniya and Kirkuk districts had sent down mounted
con mgents , the numbers sent were exaggerated by the tribal leaders in
their reports to Constantinople.
battery had embarked at Bombay to proceed to England, when
the Government of India decided to send it to Basra.