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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎178r] (360/454)

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. .

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BRITISH CAVALRY ACTION
329
and the 76th Battery was unable to reply through lack of
ammunition.* General Hoghton retired towards the Suwada
marsh in the hope of getting water to revive his men, meeting
near point “ B ” General Delamain, who—after reorganising the
troops which had captured Southern Redoubt—was advancing
in support of General Hoghton. General Delamain ordered
him to halt and reorganise his force for a further advance.
The cavalry under Major Mears had left the position of
deployment at 5.30 a.m. and, soon after, their advanced
squadron (7th Lancers) found themselves opposed by about a
squadron of Turkish and Arab cavalry entrenched to the north
ward of the Ataba marsh and between it and the Suwaikiya,
which here takes a long sweep to the west ward.| Aided by
their machine guns the 7th Lancer squadron drove the enemy
back and changed direction to the west. The whole of the
cavalry then halted, north of the Ataba marsh, about 7 a.m.,
to cover the right of General Hoghton’s approaching column.
About 8.30 a.m. the cavalry were joined by the two armoured
cars with machine guns, and about the same time their patrols
located the Turkish entrenchment, which was captured by
the 104th Rifles at 9.10 a.m. Major Mears then informed
General Hoghton that he would pursue enemy infantry retiring
from this entrenchment and try to cut them off. Making
a wide dttour, the cavalry pushed right round the enemy’s left
flank and turned southward, finally taking up dismounted
positions in dry irrigation cuts about twelve hundred yards
from the Turkish camp near their boat bridge. From here
they could see a Turkish battery drawn up about eight
hundred yards off, with a Turkish battalion in close formation
quite near to it, and they also sighted Turkish infantry
retiring across their front in a southerly direction. The idea of
attempting to capture the Turkish battery was first conceived,
but the ground was so intersected with irrigation canals that
mounted action was impossible, and Major Mears decided
that, considering his isolated position, the enemy force was
too strong for him to tackle with any chance of success. He
therefore ordered as heavy rifle and machine gun fire as possible
to be opened on the Turkish battery and the retiring enemy
infantry. The Turkish battery, however, soon located them
and replied vigorously and effectively, and some of the British
artillery, who had sighted but not recognised them, also
* The ammunition column had altered its position, and the 76th wagons
had gone astray.
t Not shown in Map 7.

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
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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎178r] (360/454), 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_100048172214.0x0000a1> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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