'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [154v] (313/454)
The record is made up of 1 volume (223 folios). It was created in 1923. 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
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284 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
of the advanced trenches were located. On the left bank, the
narrow belt of date plantation allowed of a closer approach,
but it was not found possible to locate the exact sites of their
advanced trenches or guns in this part of their position. The
enemy continued to work hard at strengthening their defensive
works and their launches made several ineffective attempts to
sink mahailas at the obstruction in the river.
As a result of the reconnaissance, General Gorringe sent the
24th Punjabis and half the 48th Pioneers, on the night of the
7th/8th, to occupy an advanced position along the near bank
of the Umm as Sabiyan creek, in order to prevent further
attempts to block the river and to cover artillery positions
which had been selected for the British guns. This operation
was carried out successfully with but little opposition from the
enemy. By this time all the troops except the 63rd Field
Battery had disembarked from their steamers and encamped
on the south bank of the Euphrates in the Asani bend*
On the 8th, the British artillery opened on the enemy’s
position; but owing to the difficulty of observation its fire
seemed to have little effect. The enemy paid little attention
to it, continuing their work on the trenches, and their guns
did not reply.
General Gorringe’s effective strength was only nineteen
hundred rifles, and owing to the heat many of these were only
fit for light duty. The enemy’s position was a strong one and
was held, it was estimated, by two thousand troops with eight
guns besides a large number of Arabs. General Gorringe
decided, therefore, that he must send back for reinforcements.
The opposition he had encountered had been an unpleasant
surprise, but there was no time to be wasted. All the available
British light draught steamers were with his force and it would
be necessary to send them back to bring up any reinforcements.
The water in the Hammar lake was falling very quickly and,
unless the operations could be brought soon to a successful
conclusion, the water line of communication might become so
low as to prove impassable by the requisite steamers. Also,
General Nixon was very anxious to have the use of these
steamers to complete the withdrawal of troops from Ahwaz,
to meet what appeared to be the commencement of a Turkish
move down the Tigris from Kut al Amara, which was having
a most unsettling effect on the Arabs round Amara.
The Sumana, owing to the damage received in action on the
5th, had also to be sent back to Basra for repairs and she and
* Owing to the great heat, tents had been sent with the force.
About this item
- Content
The volume is the first 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 divided into two parts. The first part, entitled, 'Part I. Before the Outbreak of Hostilities', consists of the following five chapters:
- General Description of the Country
- The Turks in Mesopotamia
- British Pre-War Policy
- The Army in India and Pre-War Military Policy
- Inception of the Operations
The second part, entitled, 'Part II. The Campaign in Lower Mesopotamia', consists of the following seven chapters:
- The Landing in Mesopotamia of Force "D" and the Operations Leading to the Occupation of Basra
- The Occupation of Basra and the Capture of Qurna
- Commencement of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
- Development and Defeat of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
- Operations in Arabistan and the Capture of Amara
- Operations on the Euphrates and the Occupation of Nasiriya
- The battle of Kut and Occupation of Aziziya
The volume also includes nine maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Lower Mesopotamia
- Map 1 - To illustrate operations described in Chapter VI
- Map 2 - To illustrate fighting near Qurna
- Map 3 - To illustrate fighting round Shaiba
- Map 4 - To illustrate operations in Persian Arabistan
- Map 5 - To illustrate operations in the Akaika Channel 27th June to 5th July 1915
- Map 6 - To illustrate operations near Nasiriya 6th to 24th July 1915
- Map 7 - To illustrate the Battle of Kut 28th September 1915
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (223 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a page of errata (folio 5), a list of contents (folios 6-8), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 9), appendices (folios 185v-192), an index (folios 192v-214v), and eight maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 217-224).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 225; 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 I.' [154v] (313/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048172214.0x000072> [accessed 17 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:3r, 4r:216v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence