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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME III.' [205r] (414/534)
The record is made up of 1 volume (263 folios). It was created in 1925. 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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LIMITED BRITISH PURSUIT
365
Our casualties during the day totalled 692, to which the 40th
Brigade contributed 368, the 38th Brigade 215 and the 2/4th
and 2/9th Gurkhas of the 35th Brigade 82. The 4th South
Wales Borderers lost 206 (including 108 missing) out of a
strength of 340 and the 8th Cheshire 137 (including 51 missing)
out of 330. As practically all the battalions engaged were
very weak in strength, these losses were severe. On the other
hand, the Turks must have lost more, for we took 365 prisoners
and buried over 200 of their dead* It was held at the time by
Generals Maude and Marshall that, but for the occurrence of
the dust-storm, the enemy losses would have been very much
heavier; and it certainly seems that, but for the adverse
weather conditions, General Marshall's victory would have
been much more decisive. These weather conditions neutral
ised the superiority of the British artillery, which General
Marshall had intended to utilise to the full. j
On the morning of the 1st May, the 7th Cavalry Brigade
started off in pursuit of the enemy, while the remamder of the
column reorganised and cleared the battlefield. But it was
not General Maude’s intention to follow the Turks into the hills
and, beyond a heavy bombardment of the retreating enemy
by our aeroplanes, the pursuit was stopped. Next day the
column withdrew to disperse into their summer quarters.
Many reports from various sources had been received during
April regarding Turkish intentions. It was said that Enver
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
had declared that Baghdad would be retaken and that
towards the end of March he had paid a visit to Berlin to ask
for German assistance. It was also said that General
Mackensen was sent to Constantinople in April to advise on
the military situation and that a decision had een come
there that no offensive in Mesopotamia should be un( Jf rta1 ^^
for the time being, but rather that the Turkish Sixth Army
should withdraw towards Mosul. It was estimated that the
total numerical strength of the ^■ urblsb J^ nnn arm Jf S -i
amounted to nearly 600,000 with a further 500,000 men avad-
able as potential reserves. But these reserves mchided races
of much less military value than the Turk; desertions fro
them when called up were not likely to be less than those fro
the existing field armies ; and these were known o come
a considerable figure.!
* The commander of the 14th Turkish Division, reported to have been^a
German, had a narrow escape from capture and was soon afterw
to have been relieved of his command. have lost three-
t For instance, the 166th and 181st Regiments were f^.^^^Vfrom
fifths of their strength owing to desertions during their
Constantinople to the Tigris in March—April, 191/.
(26193)
BB
About this item
- Content
The volume is the third 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 IV. The Capture and Consolidation of Baghdad', and consists of the following ten chapters:
- May to September, 1916
- September to 12th December, 1916
- The Battle of Kut al Amara, 1917
- The Battle of Kut al Amara, 1917 (continued)
- The Battle of Kut al Amara, 1917 (concluded)
- Pursuit: The British Reach Aziziya
- The Occupation of Baghdad
- Consolidation of the British Position at Baghdad: Operations from 12-31st March, 1917
- Operations Round Baghdad; 1st-18th April, 1917
- Operations to the North and North-Westward of Baghdad; 19th-30th April, 1917
The volume also includes fifteen maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Upper Mesopotamia
- Map 21 - Operations on the Tigris front, May to 12th December, 1916
- Map 22 - Operations on the Tigris: 13th December, 1916-25th February, 1917
- Map 23 - Operations against the Hai Salient and the Dahra Bend positions, and the passage of the Tigris: 11th January-24th February, 1917
- Map 24 - The British advance from Shumran to Bawi: 25th February-6th March, 1917
- Map 25 - Operations resulting in the capture of Baghdad on 11th March, 1917
- Map 26 - Area north of Baghdad
- Map 27 - The action at Mushahida: 14th March, 1917
- Map 28 - The first action of the Jabal Hamrin: 25th March, 1917
- Map 29 - The affair of Duqma: 29th March, 1917
- Map 30 - Operations about the Khalis Canal: 9th-15th April, 1917
- Map 31 - The passage of the Adhaim: 18th April, 1917
- Map 32 - The action of Istabulat: 21st and 22nd April, 1917
- Map 33 - The action of Adhaim: 30th April, 1917
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (263 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a list of contents (folios 6-8), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 9), appendices (folios 208-232), an index (folios 233-253), and ten maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 255-264).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 265; 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 file 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 III.' [205r] (414/534), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/3, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056012808.0x00000f> [accessed 11 July 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/3
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME III.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:148v, 150r:158v, 160r:178v, 180r:184v, 186r:203v, 205r:254v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence