'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎156v] (317/454)

288 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
The advance was carried out with dash and rapidity, the
men wading the last stages through water varying from
eighteen inches to four feet in depth, over a muddy bottom
pitted with deep holes. Open spaces at intervals had to be
crossed under heavy fire, but the Punjabis pushed on gallantly
and got to within two hundred and fifty yards of the position.
From here, however, all attempts at assault proved unsuccessful.
The enemy were well entrenched and with heavy fire kept
back the British line. Arabs from the marshes had by now
begun to attack the left flank and rear of the 24th and the
battalion reserve became fully occupied in holding them off.
Further, to add to the difficulty of the situation, Turkish
guns to the north began to fire, enfilading the attacking lines.
Colonel Glimo, reahsing that success was no longer possible
and that delay was hazardous, ordered his men to withdraw
to the mountain gun position. But this was no easy matter.
His men were exhausted and, much hampered by the wounded,
whose fate would be death if abandoned to the Arabs, their
progress could only be very slow. Moreover the Arabs,
encouraged by the retirement, closed in on them persistently;
the Turkish garrison of the sandhills also followed them up;
and it was only the cool skill of their commander, the stead
fastness of officers and men of the 24th, and the steady and
valuable covering fire of the 30th Mountain guns and their
infantry escort, that finally effected the desired concentration
near the guns.
Here Colonel Climo reorganised the remnants of his small force
for their final retirement. He divided his helium flotilla into
three parties, two of which consisted each of a section of guns
with an infantry escort, and a third, to act as rearguard, of
infantry only with their machine guns. In the meantime, the
Turkish detachment from the sandhills had advanced to within
seven hundred yards and brought a heavy fire to bear on the
guns and the infantry heliums. The Arabs were still trying to
close in and the Turkish gun fire increased in intensity and
accuracy. But the training and discipline of the British force
prevailed and the retirement was carried out steadily and in
good order; though, owing to the continual grounding of the
gun-rafts and heliums, the pace was very slow. By about
10 a.m., however, the column had reached cover at the point
from which it had started some 9£ hours earlier.
That they had failed was no fault of officers or men.
They had met with unexpected opposition, and General Gorringe
in his report paid special tribute to Colonel Climo's skill and