It takes about seven hours from the mouth of the river to Basrah. The
journey up is of interest as none have been here before, and
everything is new. Both sides of the river the banks are covered with
palm trees, stretching inland for distances varying from 500 yards to
three miles, and after that all is desert. We pass Abadan on our right
where the pipes of the oil fields belonging to the Anglo-Persian Oil
Coy. reach the river from Ahwaz. It has been said that the
Mesopotamian Campaign was started in the first place to protect these
oil-fields. One wonders now if it would have been advisable to protect
them and hold Basrah only, and not push forward further inland. But it
is easy to be wise after the event, and high politics, tactics and
strategy do not form part of an account of the doings of the 2nd
Battalion--so I must not be led astray. The river is very broad and is
navigable for hundreds of miles. Mohammerah, the Persian town at the
junction of the Shatt-el-Arab and Karun rivers, looked an interesting
place. It is; as many months later I was fortunate enough to be able
to spend some time there. The Sheikh of Mohammerah has proved a good
friend to the British, and almost opposite his palace one can see the
remains of the three steamers in the river which the Turks sunk in a
vain endeavour to block the passage as they retreated; as good fortune
or Providence would have it, one boat in sinking swung round and left
the passage open. At Mohammerah is a big Convalescent Hospital
for white as well as Indian troops. We noticed some large barrack
looking houses on our left, one in particular, 'Beit Naama',
attracting attention; but more about that later on as this
establishment has now been turned into an hospital for officers. And
so at last anchor is dropped off Basrah, as 'Ashar' is usually
referred to as 'Basrah' by everyone out of the actual place. Was this
the romantic spot from which Sinbad the Sailor started on his
wonderful voyages?--was this the spot that so many have imagined must
be one of the wonderful places of the East?--when they are thousands
of miles away from it. A famous traveller has said, "that its European
inhabitants only remain alive during the day through a perception of
the humour of their situation, and by night through the agency of the
prayers of their despairing relatives." For Basrah has the most
malarial air, the most choleraic water, and the most infernal climate
of any spot in the world outside 'Tophet.'
[Illustration: The Padre.]
[Illustration: The Quarter-master.]
[Illustration: Everyday Scenes In Ashar.]
[Illustration: Ashar Barracks.]
[Illustration: Street Scenes In Ashar.]
One Company of the Regiment had travelled out on a different
transport--with another Highland unit and arrived a day or so in
advance and were awaiting the arrival of the main body at Basrah. They
were very interested in the place and were full of their adventures
and of rumours. One thing was evident, one thing alone mattered,
troops were needed, urgently needed, at the front; and we were at once
ordered to proceed up river. The Regiment transshipped in midstream,
not even having time to land, and were taken up by two river boats,
with barges attached on either side.
Not a man who made that journey and is still alive will ever forget
the "P-7" or the "Salimi." The time since leaving France had not been
wasted; everything that could possibly be done to keep the men fit and
their minds active was done. Physical drill every morning, sports were
got up, concerts,--the Colonel himself taking a big interest and share
in everything that tended to the comfort of his men. At the best of
times, life on a Troopship is a cramped existence, but in comparison
to the up river voyages, it is a life of luxury. The world has been
scoured for river boats for this campaign; steamers from the Nile, the
Irrawady and the Thames are doing excellent work in carrying troops
and supplies to the fighting line. Part of the river is so narrow that
it is dangerous for paddle boats to attempt the journey without
lighters attached as bumping into the sides of the bank the paddle
boxes would be smashed. The trip up the river in January is by no
means a pleasure one. It is not now! and it was much less so in
January 1916. The nights are cold and in the early morning the river
is lost in mist. At nights it is usually necessary to tie up at the
side of the bank or to anchor in midstream. Only on bright moonlight
nights, and not always then, can progress be made. The flood season on
the Tigris is at its height about May and continues so till about the
end of June. The river gradually falls in July and August and is at
its lowest level during the months of September, October and November.
It rises during the rains in December and January, sometimes as much
as four or five feet, and this keeps the river fairly high during the
following two months. In April the river rises still higher owing to
the melting of the snow on the mountains in the north. These are
the normal changes that come as regularly as winter follows autumn.
There may be slight variations such as more rain one winter season
than another, for instance, January 1916 was far wetter than January
1917. There are occasional high floods owing to the rain, and in
January 1896 the river rose eight feet in one night at Baghdad.
[Illustration: Capt. MACQUEEN, R.A.M.C., On His Way To Europe.]
[Illustration: Entrance To Ashar Barracks.]
[Illustration: Basrah Barracks.]
[Illustration: Arabs Enjoy An Al Fresco Meal Of Dates.]
[Illustration: The Sheik Of Zobeir And His Son.]
[Illustration: Arab Bazaar.]
The men crowded on to the barges attached to the side of the paddle
boats and of course everything was of interest, everything was new in
this, the oldest country in the world. Because Kurnah at the junction
of the Tigris and the Euphrates has the reputation of being the site
of the Garden of Eden, many and various are the jokes which have been
made against this most unfortunate of places by members of the
Expeditionary Force, but all amount to the one thing--that Adam and
Eve had very little to lose in being driven out, if it is unchanged
since those days.
The belt of Palm trees which so attracted our attention along the
banks from the mouth of the Gulf to Basrah still continues, but they
are thinning down very considerably and by the time Kurnah is reached
the belt has no depth at all. There is no question of a halt, no
question of a rest, "Push On" is the order of the day. It may seem
somewhat absurd now, but it brings home to one the eagerness of all to
share in the relief of Kut, that the first thing the Colonel did on
landing at Basra was to wire to the Corps Commander at the front
asking him to arrange for the Battalion to follow up the Relieving
Column if it had passed Ali Garbi before the Regiment arrived.
Regardless of risk, regardless of orders, urged on by the Colonel, the
two steamers bearing the battalion pushed forward by night as by day
for fear of not overtaking the Relieving Column. The winding of the
river seemed interminable to those eager to be at the front, and there
is little to relieve the monotony of the flat plain, save the
colouring at dawn and dusk, and the appearance of a few mahelas
floating down stream with their broad sails outspread to catch the
north-west wind.
At Kurnah the Palm belt ceases and only at odd places and around
villages are trees again to be seen. One cannot fail to be struck with
the enormous possibilities the country offers for cultivation if only
properly irrigated. Thousands and thousands of acres of the best of
soil, and everywhere as flat as Salisbury Plain.
We now begin to see small Arab villages along the banks of the river;
they look dirty and dilapidated. The Arabs look filthy, but some have
very pleasant faces, and both men and women impress one with their
strength. This campaign is of course not only an eye-opener to them
but also a God-send. They beg and steal on every possible occasion and
on going through the narrows a lot of amusement is obtained in
bargaining with them. The troops crowd on to the barges, as they bump
along the sides of the river banks which are only two or three feet
higher than the barge, and buy from the Arab women and children
running along the banks selling eggs and fowls; as the demand has
risen the prices have also advanced, and whereas at the opening of the
campaign one could buy a dozen eggs for fourpence, by January 1917, I
have seen officers pay twopence each or more. It is scarcely safe to
jump ashore, as any moment the boat may launch out again into the
middle of the stream, but when tied up by the bank waiting for
another boat to pass brisk business can be carried on. The boats going
up usually give way to those coming down, as the ones coming down may
have wounded and sick, and all must be done to get them down to
hospital as soon as possible, and so the time passes. At one end of
the Narrows is Ezra's Tomb, a building surmounted by a blue tiled
dome, which is evidently of no very ancient origin. We were informed
that the edifice had been erected in memory of Ezra by a wealthy Jew,
and that the place had become a sort of place of pilgrimage.
Clustering round it is a small Arab hamlet with the usual sprinkling
of Palm trees, and an abundance of dirt and filth, without which
surely the Arab could not exist.
[Illustration: The Officers Mess, Falahiyah, The Adjutant, Captain N.
M. RITCHIE, D.S.O., Studies Military Law.]
[Illustration: J. M. COWIE, T. HENDERSON, A. A. YOUNG (Killed), G. V.
STEWART, T. GILLESPIE (Killed).]
[Illustration: J. M. COWIE, G. V. STEWART, T. HENDERSON, J. H.
COTTERELL (Killed), H. W. BRUCE (Killed).]
[Illustration: At The Bar.]
[Illustration: River Scenes.]
At the northern end of the Narrows is the village of Qalat Sahib with
its minarets and lovely reflections. Then, Amara is sighted. We are
now one hundred and twenty miles from our base and this place makes a
kind of a half-way house between Basrah and Baghdad, and for the first
time the battalion lands in Mesopotamia. It was about three o'clock in
the afternoon that the order to disembark was received. Wonder was
expressed at the command as everyone knew that this was still a long
way behind the firing line, and was it the intention to march the rest
of the distance, and if so, why? as we were so much needed. All these
queries and doubts however were soon put an end to when it became
known that the Colonel had decided to land and practice an attack. He
knew that at any moment his Regiment might be thrown into action, and
as the long journey was found to have a stiffening effect on one's
limbs he decided on some small practice manoeuvres before the actual
and real thing took place.
What a pleasure to get on shore again! At such a moment a regiment is
almost like a boy's school let out after hours; everyone was in high
fettle and pleased, our long journey was nearing its end, and very
soon we would be relieving General Townshend who had been locked up in
Kut since December 5th.
By three o'clock all were ashore and an attack on an imaginary enemy
was practised, and of course victory achieved; but on returning to the
river, it was found that the boats had moved up a mile or so, and
tired and weary the Regiment had to go in search of them, and to add
to the discomfort the rain started to come down, so that by the time
everyone was on board again at seven-thirty it was dark and the men
were wet, and a very subdued regiment ate their evening meal in
comparison to the high spirits of earlier in the afternoon. However,
very soon it would be good-bye to the boats for good, as it was
expected that the following day we should land at Ali-el-Gharbi.