'PAPERS RELATING TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN COMMISSION from SIR E. BARROW'S ROOM' [‎227v] (460/1386)

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Tlie tele gram recounting tkis^actcfent is interesting at the present
Telegrruri from General, Force £ ' D,’’ dated Basra, 5th January 1916.
“ (Addressed to Chief of General Staff, repeated to Secretary of State ami Egypt ).
“ No. LG. 1912. 5th. Sir P. Cox had long interview with Bin Saud at Qatif neai
Bahrein on 26th December. Full note of the interview being posted you, meanwhile resu
is as follows :—‘ Though Turks are no doubt taking advantage of recent developments m
Europe and of suspension of our advance on Baghdad, to endeavour to re-kindle tribal and
religious feeling against us in Central Arabia, Bin Saud does not anticipate much result.
# * * # #
“ £ Ho does not believe Bin Rashid -would dare to advance far towards Koweit or Nasiriyah
far fear than Bin Saud should cut in against (?) in his rear and that in any case
absence of rain and grazing puts advance of any large force at present out of the question.
Bin Saud’s present relations with Sheriff of Mecca are quite normal and friendly but lie
characterizes Sheriff essentially unstable, trivial, undependable.
“■ £ Bin Saud discredits any active understanding between Sheriff and Bin Rashid.
Regaiding general question of Caliphate, in the event of Turkey breaking up Bin Saud says
nobody among ruling chiefs cares in the least who calls himself Caliph, and even if Sher ff
claims title they would no more accept control from him then than they do now, but a eh
chief would continue to control his own tribes and welcome immunity from Turkish
oppression.’
“ On 31st December Sir P. Cox interviewed new Sheikh of Koweit, viz., Jabar Bin
Mubarak at his capital. Jabar’s news of Bin Rashid was that he is now weakened and most
unlikely to move towards Koweit or Zobeir. He was emphatic in view that neither he
(Jabar) nor his dependants take any interest whatever in question of Caliphate. And Cox.
says that is general impression he has gained from all tribes this side of Arabia since start
of war.”
On the Gth January the first intimation was received that the Turks
were preparing to interpose a force between Kut and the relieving column
then concentrating under General Aylmer at j ^Gharbi.
"^From the Chief of General Staff, India, to Chief of Imperial General Staff,
“ dated 6th January 1916, 7.55 p.m.
“33,488. Basra has sent the following telegram dated 5th January, 9 .m. : —
“ No. 1008/251 0. It appears from reports received from Town hend am) Aylmer that
the enemy has transferred the bulk of his force from the neighbour) ood of Kut down str am
to opposite the relieving column. The enemy's strength is estimated by Townshcnu at
17,000 men with 32 guns of which he considers that 12,0 0 have passed down stream towar Is
Essin and Sheikh Saad ; this leaves at least 5,CC0 to contain him at Kut. According to my
(Nixon’s) intelligence the enemy forces stand at a higher figure. The total strength of
Aylmer’s relieving column is 16,000 bayonets, k5,00tr sabres and 46 guns together with four
gunboats of the new £ Fly ’ class.”
On the same date news was received that General Nixon's health haj
broken down, and that Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Lake had been
appointed to succeed him.
The period of General Nixon’s command had been an eventful one. Tie
landed at Basra on the 9th April 1915, while the fighting round Shaiba was
in progress. The next three or four months were spent in the consolidation
of our position in the Basra Vilayat. The KarunT Valley was cleared of the
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"enemy. ^Navilb'eh was occupied and a guard thus set on the Euphrates line
of approach. _ Amarah was seized by a brilliant coup de main. At the end
of July permission to push on to Kut was sought for by him and supported
by the Viceroy, and in September the operations took place which ended
(on the 29th September) in the capture of Kut-el-Amara. That notable light
marked the zenith of his tenure of command. The record of the remainm"
months is thf^iistory of Ctesiphon and of the retreat to Kut.
Sir P. Lake did not reach Basra until the 18th January, but the/aLvarice
towards Kut which had begun on the 1st of that month was slowly proceed -
ing. On the Gth January General Aylmer, under whose immediate command
the operations were carried out, left AlLGharbi and on the 7th was heavily
engaged three miles below Sheikh Sarid, with the result that the Turkish
position on the right ba nk was ca rrieddiTOO prisoners and two suns
'captured, but ilo progress could be made on the left bank On the night of
the 8th January, however, the enemy retired further , up stream but owing- to
the wet and stormy weather and the exhaustion of the troops recouLmssanco ^
and effective pursuit were difficult. The next advance brought us to Sheikh '
Saad, which was occupied on the 12th.