"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [و‎‎١‎٢‎٧] (٥٦٦/٢٥٨)

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BRITISH TROOPS IN
DIFFICULTIES
Half an hour later Captains Weldon and A. F. Wittkugel,
having collected forty or fifty of the scattered Persian infantry,
volunteered to make another attempt. This was supported
by the South Persia Rifles machine guns under Colonel Hunter,
by the 23rd Mountain Battery guns and by the rifle fire of the
124th Baluchis, of whom a section was also sent forward to
assist the advance by taking a subsidiary ridge. This section,
however, missing its direction and moving off to the right,
got completely lost and out of touch with the rest of the force.
Captain Weldons and Wittkugel’s parties also got separated
and at 2.40 p.m., in answer to a request from Colonel Hunter,
Colonel Twigg sent forward a platoon 124th Baluchis under
Captain Hinde to support the Persian infantry, a small party of
whom under Captain Weldon had made their way with the close
support of the machine guns to within two hundred yards of
the summit, where they were stopped by the enemy's fire.
Captain Hinde's platoon, however, deserted by its guide, also
lost direction and went off to the left, where, as soon as it emerged
from the woods, it found itself under very heavy fire and
confronted by a precipice which appeared to be inaccessible.
Reporting this to Colonel Twigg, Captain Hinde received orders
to retire.
Colonel Hunter and Captain Weldon, meanwhile, with only
half a dozen Persian infantry left with them in addition to the
machine gun crews, had started to make another attempt to
reach the top, when news reached them that Captain Wittkugel
had been wounded and several of the Persian infantry with him
killed, at the same time that a heavy fire was opened on
Captain Weldon's party and the machine guns. Colonel
Hunter then realised that it would not be possible to take the
summit before dark and he went off to bring Captain Wittkugel
in. Two of three Persians with him and he himself were wounded
in reaching Captain Wittkugel, whom they found it impossible
to move from the open where he was lying within about a
hundred yards of the enemy. Colonel Hunter's machine gun
ammunition also gave out; and he sent a message to Colonel
Twigg asking for assistance by the 124th Baluchis and for more
machine gun ammunition and sending information to correct
the direction of the artillery fire. This message reached Colonel
Twigg about 4.45 p.m. and he complied by sending forward his
last platoon of the 124th Baluchis with a stretcher party and the
machine gun ammunition. These all reached Colonel Hunter
towards 6 p.m.,* by which time the guns had also got the
* Sunset was about 5 p.m.