DECEMBER 12, 1916-FEBRUARY 24, 1917--FIGHTING ON THE TIGRIS.
During the night of the 12th December the last preparations were
completed. General Marshall concentrated his troops in the forward area
from which he was to march on the Hai stream, and General Cobbe got
ready to bombard the Turkish trenches on the north of the Tigris, so as
to give the impression that the British intended once more to attack
Sannaiyat.
On the 13th the bombardment opened, and the new campaign had begun.
General Maude himself moved his Headquarters some miles forward, and
after dark General Marshall’s force, with the Cavalry on their left,
struck out across country for the Hai.
The night march was carried out without mishap. At 6 A.M.
on the morning of the 14th the column had reached its objective
unobserved; and the enemy, taken by surprise, made no stand in defence
of the stream. It was crossed by General Marshall at Atab, and by the
Cavalry a little farther south at Basrujiyeh. The first move of the
campaign had been a complete success.
The Thirteenth had borne their part in the night march, and owing to
the completeness of the surprise had sustained no casualties. They got
over the stream unopposed, and without any difficulty, for in their
Colonel’s words it was “almost a dry bed,” and after an hour’s rest for
watering and feeding the horses they marched northwards up the right
bank of the stream with the Cavalry Division, while General Marshall’s
Infantry marched up the left bank, the Turks retiring upon their
intrenched position covering Kut. The force was, according to Private
Massey, shelled by the gunboat _Firefly_, which the Turks had taken
during Townshend’s retreat on Kut, but without result.
[Illustration: ON THE TIGRIS--JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1917]
But if the enemy had permitted thus easily the seizure by the British
of a point on the Hai, they were none the less determined to cling
tenaciously to the several strong positions which they still held on
the south bank of the Tigris, and two months of severe fighting were
yet to take place before they could be dislodged from the last of
these. During that time the main fighting had, of course, to be done
by the Infantry and guns, but the Cavalry was constantly engaged in
covering their flanks, “in reconnaissances, in harassing the enemy’s
communications west of the Hai, and in raids, capturing stock and
grain.” The letters and diaries of the Thirteenth will be quoted as
before to show the work of the mounted arm, and their share in it.
_2nd Lieutenant Guy Pedder--December 19, 1916._--“We are standing-to at
the moment, all packed up ready to move, securing the first opportunity
I have had of writing since we started scrapping. We left that camp
from where I last wrote[21] on the evening of the 13th, and marched all
night and came under Arab fire about 8.30 next morning. We marched on
and on, but my squadron did not get any show, as we were on flank guard
out of it all. We got to a very famous spot in this part of the world
and we had got the Turks pushed back a few miles. We got to bed very
cold and very empty about 10 o’clock, the wretched horses having had
their saddles on for 27 hours. Next morning I woke up at 5 and found
our transport had got up and a ripping hot breakfast was ready for us.
We had had practically nothing since midnight the night before. We
marched off again about 8, but did not do much all day (a very long and
tiring one). The Regiment only had a couple of casualties, and we were
shelled a bit. Next day was much the same, getting back after dark.
Then Sunday we were told we were going to have a day’s rest; however,
about 9 o’clock, Pearson and I were sent out with two troops to report
on some mounted troops right away in the distance. We galloped out and
got as close as we dare and reported about 800 Arabs, and galloped
back, the battery having got our range firing over our heads, to find
the whole Regiment were out, and as D had turned [out] quickest we
formed the advance-guard. We went about five miles at a tremendous
pace but could not catch them, and then were told to act as rearguard
to the Regiment, which was moving back to camp, and then the fun began.
Directly we turned homewards on came any number of what we thought were
Arabs shooting at us from long range, and making it very unpleasant;
however, we did our job and got back all right with only three men
hit, two slightly; five horses, three killed. We found out afterwards
that we were up against a mixed force of Turks and Arabs. I thought
the firing was too unpleasantly good for Arabs. Yesterday we went out
in force and waited about all day, but never got a show. Directly we
turned homewards we were shelled. The Regiment was extremely lucky, no
one hit. Two shells burst only a few yards from me and my troop, but no
one was hit and the horses only made a slight fuss for a second or two.
My men were excellent under fire.... This sort of fighting is better
than in France, as though there is not so much cover there is more room
and space, and of course there is not nearly so much shelling. We could
not possibly camp at night so close to the line in France as we do
here. I hear our English mail is on its way from its last standing camp
from where I last wrote, and is being brought up by camels. I am more
than grateful for that waistcoat, especially in the evening and first
thing in the morning, when we get an icy cold wind. During the day the
weather is perfect, just like spring at home.”
_Captain W. H. Eve--December 19._--“These Arabs and Turkish Cavalry
are wretched brutes to fight. They won’t let you get near them. Then
directly you start home away from them they attack and worry.... It
always seems to be the way. Luckily as a rule they are apparently
pretty bad shots. I am rather hopeless of ever being able to get at
them mounted, but I shall try, and we may get the Infantry out of their
trenches one day. But there’s nothing to worry about, we are right on
top of them. The job is to get near them.”
_Lieutenant Munster--December 19._--“We left our camp a week ago and
have been skirmishing about ever since. So far we have had only very
slight casualties, and it does not appear to me as though we Cavalry
should become heavily engaged. Up to now we have been occupied in
keeping the Arabs from interfering with operations against the Turks.
We are quite comfortable, and on full rations. There seems to be no
difficulty about supplies. The weather has not broken yet. Our horses
are having a hard time just now.”
[Illustration:
THE HUSSARS
OF THE
THIRTEENTH NARVA REGIMENT
OF RUSSIA
SEND MOST FRATERNAL GREETINGS TO
THEIR VALIANT AND NOBLE COMRADES
OF THE
THIRTEENTH REGIMENT OF HUSSARS
PROUD AND HAPPY IN BEING UNITED
WITH THEM IN CORDIAL COOPERATION
AGAINST A COMMON ENEMY.
THE RUSSIAN FRONT 1916.
XMAS CARD SENT TO THE REGIMENT, 1916]
Private Massey writes in his diary regarding these casualties: “As the
bullets which the Arabs use are as big as a man’s little finger, with
flattened nose just rounded off, they make a big noise going through
the air, as well as making terrible wounds.” The horses suffered most.
_Lieutenant Chrystall._--“We have been doing, as you will no doubt have
seen by the papers, a little fighting, and have been doing a lot of
night marching on ‘operation scale,’ which means waterproof sheet, one
blanket, and biscuits and bully, and out all day. Our horses at times
have been forty-four hours without water, which of course is very hard.
Well, we were bemoaning our fate when we were ordered out on Christmas
Eve morning for an all-night show, and thinking we will never have any
Christmas dinner at all. We returned to camp about 3 P.M. on
Christmas Day and found a much-belated Christmas parcel awaiting us,
and all your splendid parcels. We had a meal fit for a king, and we had
to thank all you good people for it.”
_Captain W. H. Eve--December 27._--“Personally I see no show ever for
us, and am sorry I ever joined the Cavalry.... I have no delusions
about it now.... I shall never get a gallop with my squadron....”
_2nd Lieutenant Guy Pedder--December 30._--“We are back again in the
same camp as we started out from for this show,[22] and got back just
in time, as it has rained almost ever since. We are pretty comfortable
in our tents, after much digging. I mean, we dig out the inside of
our tents, and make a trench all round to keep the water out. You
achieve three things by doing this: (1) your tent is much warmer; (2)
you have much more room and do not bump your head every time you turn
round; (3) you keep dry.... We can’t possibly move up again for another
show until the sun comes out and dries the mud, which is ankle-deep
now. (Thank goodness! I was able to buy a pair of gum-boots from our
Ordnance here.) Ormrod, Hill, and Lord arrived with a draft. They
marched up-country and brought us some horses which we wanted badly.
One night the Arabs scored over them well. Ormrod had his gun stolen
out of his tent, Hill and Lord had all their kit taken, including
bedding, valises, &c., and the sentries were on duty all round and
within a few yards of the spot! The Arab is a marvellous thief.... The
actual Christmas parcels have not arrived yet; all the same, we had
a wonderful Christmas dinner only about three miles from Kut--soup,
fish, mutton, and vegetables (we got the mutton after raiding an Arab
Fort on Christmas Eve), champagne, two bottles for six of us (gift
from Lord Curzon, I believe), an enormous plum-pudding which I bought
at the E.F.C.[23] before we left here, also there was a Christmas cake
and pudding given by telegraph. There is an E.F.C. up here now, but
owing to transport difficulties it runs out of everything you want
very quickly; but the best thing of all is our regimental coffee-shop
(the only one in Mesopotamia, I believe). Even right up here it is
open again, and you can buy anything from getting soda-water bottles
refilled to buying assorted chocolates.... A tremendous thunderstorm is
raging as I write, and it is coming down in buckets; to-morrow the mud
will be knee-deep.”
_2nd Lieutenant J. O. P. Clarkson--December 30._--“Here’s a good story
and true. One of our monitors had been up to an advanced position
to shell the Turks, but had got heavily shelled itself. After a few
days of this they tried to pull the Turks’ leg a bit. They rigged a
_mahailla_ (Arab boat) with funnels and mast to represent a monitor,
towed it up during the night, and the next day put it into position,
burning oily rags and brown paper to represent its being under steam.
It was not shelled. They towed it up higher still. It was not shelled.
The next day a notice appeared from the Turkish trenches, and it ran,
“Your real monitors amuse us, but your dummy one is superb.”
_Lieutenant Munster--December 30._--“Still here and still raining.
There can hardly be any doubt that we shall not be moved at present,
the mud is so awful. I used to think the mud at Aldershot could not be
surpassed, but now I am inclined to think Mesopotamia beats it. We have
to build little mud walls round our tents to keep the water out. I did
not build mine deep enough, and as a result I think I had a foot and a
half of water in my tent. It came just two or three inches short of
the level of my bed. I woke up and saw my boots and clothes floating
about.”
_January 4, 1917._--“We have been in our permanent camp about ten days
now, and are quite likely to be here all the winter. After the winter
come the floods, and before the floods have gone down the great heat
comes on, so that October, November, and December are considered to be
the only fighting months of the year. This year active operations did
not start until December 14th, and the Cavalry withdrew to permanent
billets on December 26th.”
_Captain W. H. Eve--January 17._--“I got your letter of December 3rd
when we got back here to standing camp the day before yesterday. We are
still all whole and flourishing, and I am very fit indeed. We left the
base November 3rd.... The ‘show’ was to start on the 14th,[24] and we
marched from here on the evening of the 13th. From the papers you will
probably have gathered more or less what we did to start with.
“We were on the left or outer flank of the Infantry attack, away on the
south. Marched all night, crossed the river Hai (nearly dry then) at
dawn on the 14th; meeting with no opposition, then turned north up its
western bank, and kept pace with the Infantry attack.
“Our part of the show was a success, a complete surprise to the enemy
apparently, and in fact we didn’t run into any of them for some time.
We had a little sniping from Arabs and a few Turk Cavalry, but no real
fighting. We had a longish trek though, about twenty-six hours for our
horses under saddle, as we did not get back to doss down by the river
until about 9 P.M., 14th.
“The next two days we spent in reconnaissance wide on the flank, had
long days for the horses, no water from morning till night (luckily
cool weather), but we had no fighting, only got shelled once or twice.”
_Sunday._--“I had a little scrap with the squadron. We got a sight of
about 800 Arabs and Turks, and the Regiment, which was for duty that
day, turned out after them. We could not catch them, but on going home
had a rearguard fight, which devolved on my squadron, and wherein they
pleased me.
“This rearguard business, the worst and most unsatisfactory to do, is
the Arabs’ great game. We had two or three more days’ reconnaissance.
We accomplished nothing, and then were sent on a show to try and bridge
the river Tigris higher up. This was a failure, and we rather got it in
the neck, so you won’t see anything of it in the papers. The Regiment
that day was in reserve, so I saw very little of it, but of course I
know what happened.
“On Christmas Eve we went off to deal with a hostile Arab chief down
south. That meant another night march, and so on. But we found the
bird had flown, and had to content ourselves with sacking his fort and
village, and collecting what cattle and sheep we could.
“We got back here on Boxing Day, and it then rained for a week or more,
and we lived in mud. But here, of course, we are in permanent camp and
under canvas. I must say that so far we have been more than lucky with
our weather when out.
“On the 7th we left here again, only got back on the 15th, during which
time we were trekking about again, chasing after Arabs, and eventually
were chased by them, as usual, on our way home. I had really no
fighting.... I have told you all this about ourselves, though it is not
in the least important, just to show you the sort of life we lead.”
During this week the Regiment marched down to “Hai Town,” a
considerable place on the Hai stream, and collected some supplies
and Arab arms. Private Massey gives a sad account of the soldiers’
disappointment at the loss of a good meal in a deserted village.
“Here we seized several fowls and killed a few calves, taking
only their livers, kidneys, and hearts, which we carried in our
water-buckets. We camped close to the village for the night. After
unsaddling our horses and watering and feeding were over, we lit a fire
and commenced to cook the spoils of victory. But alas! when the water
was nearly boiling for tea, and the livers and kidneys were frizzling
in the mess-tins over a hot fire, the order was given, ‘Fall in for
line picket!’ Of course that was enough to test the temper and patience
of a parson, let alone a soldier, and a steady stream of expletives
could be heard as we sloped arms and marched away. That night I had
biscuits and bully, a poor substitute for fried liver and kidneys.”
[Illustration: RIVER FORT, HAI TOWN]
[Illustration: ON THE TIGRIS]
It was hard, but Private Massey and his “messing-in chum,” M‘Nulty,
had better luck a few days later at another village, and the diary
triumphantly records how, “During the night M‘Nulty managed to get
several livers, kidneys, and hearts from the slaughtering place, and we
had fried liver and kidneys served up hot before réveillé next morning,
as well as a mess-tin full of hot cocoa, made from tablets I had sent
from England.”
_Private Hugh H. Mortimer--January 18._--“Round about the back of
beyond. Yours of the 5th ulto. duly to hand about five or six days
ago. I say about, because one has no idea as to days and dates, &c.,
out here, Sundays included. Sometimes we get a volunteer Church parade
when things are quiet, but that has been very seldom of late. The
last one we had, last Sunday but one, I volunteered for one the night
before, but what ho! the parade was for 11 A.M., and we had
been on the trek reconnoitring and Arab-chasing five hours by then. We
are quite seasoned hands at these quick turn-outs now; often we’re all
bivouacked down, giving it the bells in Snore Land, unless it happens
to be your turn for guard, then somebody strolls round in a quiet
hurry, kicks the sergeant in the ribs, and whispers, ‘Turn out at once;
parade two hundred yards west of camp midnight.’ The kicks, &c., are
passed on, and we are all saddled up, transport packed, &c., &c., and
perhaps three or four miles away in less than an hour, and all that
done in the dark, and no noise above a whisper, unless somebody gets a
kick in the seat from a bobbery horse, and then there is some excuse
for letting it rip.
“Yes, one day is much of a muchness with the next, unless it is that
one has no time to think about what day it happens to be. Often I have
asked five or six chaps the date to put in a letter, and then had to
consult the orderly sergeant at the finish. Still, I don’t suppose it
would make any difference to one’s destination if one happened to snuff
it on a Friday or Sunday. We get in bags of warm spots now ever since
we came right up, about two months ago. Sort of places that make the
short hairs stand out on the back of the neck, and wonder if the next
12-pounder or so on has your number on it. I thought I knew a bit of
what it feels to sit in a trench with them coming over in France, but
galloping about in open country with shrapnel flying about licks it
hollow. I saw one drop in a machine-gun section about fifteen yards on
my right some fortnight ago, and that one bagged four men and three
horses, and then several pieces hummed past me.... Then again the cod
was galloping across a hail-storm for a mile from cover to cover. I
took the Hotchkiss gun across--I am a nob at Hotchkiss guns now--and
the remainder of the section followed some thirty yards behind at
the canter. We got five shrapnel quick, and not more than thirty or
forty yards away, and two of them in front of me and one behind the
two parties. I looked round after the thud, having a good horse, and
you talk about dust-flying--well, I thought ‘There’s only me in this
section now,’ and made a lightning spurt for a deep donga, dropped
into it with a crash, and pulled up. About six seconds afterwards two
more crashes, and there appeared the rest of the team, a bit pale
and smiling rather sickly smiles, but not a scratch on either men or
horses, so you may judge of the luck of the mob. The worst of this
country is, you can’t depend on the district for any supplies like you
can in France; after we’ve had nothing but a couple of biscuits and one
12-oz. tin of bully from day to day for several days, when we get out
of touch with the ration stands, that just seems to be the time when
one could do with about four good sit-down knife-and-fork square meals
per diem. When it’s like that I go up two extra holes in my belt and
try not to think of steak and chips or anything in that line. Never
mind, I will make it all up when and if I get home. Roll on that time
too. Have just received a letter from Fannie, and she says people at
home say, ‘Oh, he’s safe in Mesopotoom,’ but by the H.P. I never felt
unsafer in France, Somme or no Somme. You may think that it’s generally
understood that the last round is for yourself, before being taken
alive by Arabs, although the Turks seem to fight very fair, and there
are no tanks to walk behind and no trenches to bob down in.”
_Lieutenant Chrystall--January 20._--“To-day we were within one and a
half miles of Kut. ‘So near and yet so far,’ and we hear to-day some
trenches have been taken, so things are looking up a bit. To-day we
got a splendid ration of beef, a sirloin, probably the first one ever
seen in Mesopotamia.... One has to be very drastic with these people,
the women being just as bad as the men. If you do not take strong steps
they will shoot you in the back, even if they have shown the white
flag, which they usually do when we are advancing, but when retiring
they shoot at you.”
_Captain Eve--January 20._--“When we approached our objective, the big
native town [Hai Town], they came out with a white flag and pretended
to be friendly, and we treated them as such, and _bought_ supplies
and things from them, and of course they made a fortune out of us....
Then Sunday, the 14th, we started back. As soon as we had left, our
rearguard was heavily attacked (native regiments), and we had some
casualties, and were very much delayed, and the Regiment sent to their
support, but had very little to do.”
_January 26._--“I wish I could tell you _really_ all about things out
here, but it is quite impossible. Only I do wish now above all else
that I could have gone to Infantry or gunners. I have slowly but surely
come to the conviction that we are years out of date, and entirely or
almost entirely useless, and will never take a real part again.”
_2nd Lieutenant J. O. P. Clarkson--February 2._--“Since my last letter
we have done quite a bit. First we tried to go round the Pushtikuh
Mountains,[25] so early one morning we started off in order to cross
the bridge. It took us over two hours to get across, and then we were
the leading unit of the 2nd Brigade. We went past a fort to the Wadi
river for water, and then pushed on to try and cross the marsh. But
we got hopelessly bogged, at least the guns and the transport did,
although they had double teams in as it was. Meanwhile we were all
anxiously looking at the sky, as there was a devil of a storm coming
up. So those people who had crossed the marsh had to recross it again.
We camped down just off the marsh, and had scarcely got the lines
down when it started to pour with rain. We crawled into our valises
(no tents), and slept, and woke up soaking, boots full of water and
thoroughly wet. It was still raining. We got up at 5 A.M.,
and had to wait until they had got all the waggons out of the marsh,
some having been left there the evening before. We waited about five
hours. Luckily it then turned out fine, and we started back. Our things
were more or less dry by the time we got into our camp by the fort
about twelve or sixteen miles from the Arab village. We got back to our
permanent camp about 2 P.M. next day. The going after that
rain was very heavy, and both men and horses came in very tired. We had
a very short rest and now are out again.”
The Regiment had returned on the 27th January to the Hai river, and
from there during the following week made several reconnaissances to
the westward, beyond Kut, where the Turks had a bridge across the
Tigris, and some strong intrenched positions on the south bank. They
had been dislodged from some points lower down, but still held on
desperately to the westerly bends of the river in order to protect from
attack the line of communications of their main force in Sannaiyat.
Until the 4th February the Thirteenth, though at times under heavy
fire from rifles and machine-guns and artillery, got off practically
without loss. Then there was a sharp fight, in which the Cavalry was
called upon to act dismounted in conjunction with the Infantry, and the
Thirteenth had some casualties. An officer was killed and two wounded,
with a few non-commissioned officers and men.
The officer killed, Lieutenant Munster, was much respected in the
Regiment, “a very gallant, zealous, and capable officer,” as his
Colonel reported. All accounts agree in describing him as a man of
exceptional character, who, though young, had already made his mark.
Quiet and reserved, with strong religious views, he was spoken of
in unusual language by many of those about him. “I am not good at
expressing myself,” one of them wrote, “but I may say his daily life
was one which I shall try to follow: it was one of doing good to his
fellow-men; my admiration for him was unbounded, and my grief worse and
more intense than I ever felt in my life.” His death seems to have been
due to his unselfish devotion, for having led his men forward and seen
all of them under cover preparing for another rush, he walked across
the open to avoid exposing one of them in sending a message to another
officer, and was shot through the heart. Such was the fire at the
moment that his Colonel said: “I judged it inexpedient to attempt to
recover his body, and to remove a brother officer, Mr Williams Taylor,
and some men who were wounded, until after dark.”
[Illustration: Lieut. D. A. STIRLING]
[Illustration: Lieut. J. A. LORD
(_Wounded at Imam Mahdi, 25th February 1917_)]
[Illustration: 2nd Lieut. J. F. MUNSTER
(_Killed at Shumran Bend, 4th February 1917_)]
[Illustration: Sergt. W. D. TASSIE, D.C.M.]
[Illustration: S.S.-M. J. BREARLEY, D.C.M.]
Nor were they the only two to distinguish themselves on this day.
Captain Robinson, commanding “B” Squadron, had been wounded in
leading the advance shortly before, and Sergeant Tassie of “D” Squadron
received the D.C.M. for his coolness and courage in bringing up
ammunition when the transport animals were shot down.
Other officers of the Regiment also showed great courage on this day,
and it is a temptation to record what was afterwards written of them by
an eye-witness--a Captain in one of the Indian regiments of the Brigade.
“Our Brigade was ordered to attack dismounted, Hussars on the left,
ourselves in the centre, with Watson’s Horse echeloned to the right
rear. This meant that the Hussars had to advance across the open with
no cover, whilst we had the cover afforded by the high banks of the
nullah. After an advance of about 1400 yards the fire became so heavy
that the Hussars decided to left-shoulder and make for the nullah, with
the object of working down it and thus coming to assaulting distance.
Their casualties had been pretty heavy. They eventually made the nullah
in advance of our line, and cleared out some advanced patrols of Turks
who were holding it there.
“Captain Willis and I were now sent down by my C.O. to gain touch with
the Hussars by working down the nullah.
“I met Captain Newton and asked him who was commanding. He said he was
for the moment, because Captain Eve and Captain Steele were outside,
and he was reorganising the men preparatory to making a further
advance.[26] Just as he spoke a renewed burst of machine-gun and rifle
fire made me look over the top to see what was happening. I saw Eve and
Steele helping in a wounded man who had been hit in the leg. The man
had an arm round each of their necks. The Turks furiously opened up at
them, and I don’t know how they got away, for the ground all round was
being thrown up by bullets.
“I don’t think Eve realised he was doing anything exceptional, his only
concern seemed to be getting the man in without giving him pain. What
struck me most was the cool way he handed the man in, carefully caught
up the thong of his crop, which he always carried, and then jumped
down into the nullah under a perfect hail of machine-gun bullets. He
turned to me as if nothing in the world had happened, and we discussed
the situation.[27]
“A few minutes later I went back and brought my squadron forward.
“By this time the C.O. of the Hussars and my own C.O. had arrived, and
we all went down the nullah together.
“When we were talking to Eve, a man came up and said that a private of
the Hussars was lying about forty yards outside the nullah and shouting
for help. My C.O. turned to me and said, ‘See if you can get him in,’
but Eve said, ‘Nonsense, he is a man in my squadron.’ So he and Captain
Jeffrey immediately left the cover and finally found the man. The man
had only had his arm shattered, so after Eve had spoken to him he got
up and they all came in safely....
“Eve realised that it was impossible to leave these wounded men until
dark, because we anticipated a counter-attack about dusk, and it was
necessary to be hampered as little as possible then.... Also the
presence of numerous Arab irregulars made the possibility of leaving
our wounded out of the question....
“It was one of the most gallant things I have ever seen, and was just
typical of Eve. I know he did not give it another thought, and only
considered he had done his duty, but that too is only typical of the
man.”
Captain Eve’s own comment upon the day was short:--
“It went very well,” he writes, “but we weren’t allowed to hold on to
what we had got, which rather took the gilt off the gingerbread. We had
bad luck in officers, as you will have seen, Bob [Captain Robinson]
and Williams Taylor being both hit, and poor Munster being killed. But
the casualties among the men were very light, and in fact we were very
lucky.
“This was undoubtedly from our own point of view the most satisfactory
day we have had, though it was only a side-show.”
[Illustration: LT. MUNSTER’S GRAVE]
[Illustration: GRAVES OF LT. MUNSTER, PRIVATE KILLICK, AND A CORPORAL
OF THE 14TH HUSSARS]
[Illustration: PRIVATE KILLICK’S GRAVE]
BUSSOORIE
A letter of the 6th February gives a more detailed account.
_Captain Eve--February 6._--“We came under pretty hot rifle and
Maxim-gun fire, but not shell-fire. They shelled the guns and the
horses in rear but not us. Well, the men are something to be proud of.
They just advanced as they should. It was really just like a day on the
sand-hills at Meerut. We had very few casualties in our advance, that
is among the men, and the Turks did not wait for us in their advanced
position, nor again in their first line, which was a big and deep dry
canal. We got it fairly hot from enfilade Maxim-gun fire just before we
got to this, but we got there all right.... All this time I had been
with ‘C’ and ‘D’, the others on my left and behind. Then after we had
got settled in our trench ‘B’ came in, and at last ‘A’, and I found I
was commanding the lot. I also found poor old ‘B’ had dropped into it
badly, Bob shot through the leg (slight), Williams Taylor badly in the
thigh, and Munster killed. Barrett was therefore commanding, and only
Hill left with them. The rest were all right, though Williams of ‘A’
had a bullet through his hat which made a furrow along the back of his
head. I then found our flanks were in the air as neither of the other
Regiments was up; but the Turks made no attempt to counter-attack,
and we were pretty safe, except that one of their Maxim guns kept
firing down the trench. So I couldn’t go any farther without support,
and reported by signal. Presently one of the others came up on our
right, and our guns got very busy. Then the only bad thing that I saw
happened. They tried to send our ammunition pack-horses up to us across
the open. They got to within about 200 yards, and then got properly
caught by Maxim-gun fire. The men got hit and the horses loose, and
then the poor beasts stood, just being shot to death, one going after
another. Sergeant Tassie on his own, and I think young Stirling did
too, ran out to them across the open, and succeeded in getting one in,
and he then went back and brought in ammunition off a horse that had
been killed. It was a very fine thing, and I have pushed in his name
for a D.C.M....
“The Colonel was delighted with the Regiment, and so was the
Brigade.... The men were very pleased with themselves, and I with them.
They were just first-class.... Poor old Munster was shot right through
the chest and killed instantly. He was such a nice man--very shy and
reserved, but a real good sort, and every one is so sorry.
“My best bit of news of all is that Tassie has got the D.C.M. I know
how pleased you will be.... He wears the ribbon, but I hope will have
it presented in public some time. I am pleased and proud about it.
“Williams had another bullet clean through his helmet on Friday. He was
trying to snipe a sniper, and was successful too--killed his man.”
_February 16._--“Yesterday, Thursday, we started at 5, breakfast at
4 A.M.--out to the same ground on the left flank. We kept
the horses well back, and I was left in charge of them, and had a
desperately dull day. However, I missed nothing, as the Division had
very little to do except for the gunners. But it was a real good
day--the Infantry did well, in fact it was quite a little victory.
We completely cleared the south bank--took 1500 prisoners, including
fifty officers, two battalion commanders among them, and killed a great
number, including most of those trying to get back across the river, as
we sank the whole of their pontoons and coracles while crossing. Also
we got three of their aeroplanes. It was a good show altogether, and
finishes this stage of the operations. The next, as you can see, must
be to force the passage of the river and clear them out of Kut on the
north.
“This will mean heavy fighting.”
Private Massey, after describing how the enemy tried to get across “in
pontoon boats and oracles,” says: “They looked a dejected lot indeed,
clothed in rags, no boots, and they had had very little food for some
time. They eagerly took cigarettes offered them, and went limping off
to the river dock for removal to the prisoners’ camp, resembling as
they went a tribe of lame and ragged beggars. But the Turk has a stout
heart, is as brave as a lion, and will fight like the very devil on a
handful of dates and a morsel of flour.”
Pity that with all his fine qualities, which appeal so strongly to the
British soldier, he has not yet learnt to treat his prisoners without
brutality.
_Captain Eve--February 16._--“I don’t suppose we shall be wanted until
we have the crossing secure, but after that we may have some fun....
We, of course, have had nothing to do with it really, but then we are
only Cavalry.”
_February 19._--“We were in camp two days afterwards (after the action
on the 4th), then were out on a foraging expedition on the 7th. On the
9th we were out on reconnaissance again all day and half the night,
then had two or three days very bad weather, and on the 14th and 15th
had two very long days and nights.
“But the last one was the final successful show which cleared out the
Turks from this southern bank altogether. It was quite a good show, but
we were sitting out wide on the flank all the time, and had really very
little to do with it, and could see nothing. Still, it is quite good,
and one feels something is accomplished at last. Now we have far the
hardest part in front of us, but we shall do the job all right before
long.
“Since the 15th we have been left in peace, and very glad of it we
were. The horses begin to look a little better already.
“I have told you all this just to give you an idea how we are worked.
Most days we are fifteen to twenty hours under saddle, and short
and irregular water, besides long distances, and much night work,
worst of all. Our unfortunate horses began to look like shadows, but
are recovering a little now, and we have had one batch of very nice
remounts, though we are still about one hundred short.
“All the men are very fit indeed, and so are we. It is desperately cold
at times, but we are managing by degrees to get our tents out from the
permanent camp.
“My squadron, of which I am now again in command, Twist having rejoined
for duty, has sunk from six of us to four, as Pearson has left us to
join probably the Australians, and Pardon is laid by with a badly
sprained ankle.
“I expect we shall be busy again in a few days. We have been
extraordinarily lucky in the weather, take it all round, and I should
think Maude will take advantage of it while it lasts. Let’s hope so.”
_February 21._--“I am starting my chat to-day because we are going out
to-morrow, so I make certain of catching the mail. We shall have had a
six days’ easy--haven’t been out since Thursday, the 15th, and it has
been very nice. To-morrow I fancy the next stage of the proceedings is
to start, probably crossing to the north. I don’t imagine we shall have
anything to do but sit on the flank at first, and until the Infantry as
usual have done the work....
“I started to write to mother after my chat to you last Friday evening,
and then a most terrific thunderstorm with heavy hail and a gale of
wind suddenly came on, and we had to turn out and stand to the horses,
only just in time to stop a stampede. In fact, for a minute or two
after we were with them, I thought they might go. I got to mine, Follow
Me and Caprice tangled up together. We held them all right, but it
was pretty miserable--pitch dark, blowing a hurricane, and hail you
couldn’t face. The men were top hole. When the storm passed, we got the
lines down again (in water) and made all secure. We were, of course,
wet through, and I then found our tent flooded out, beds in an inch
of water, &c.... It blew and rained hard in the night, and the poor
wretched men were wet through and in the open, all flooded or mud. Box
and I kept dry in our tent, and it held all right against the wind....
“The men, as a matter of fact, have got into the way of making
themselves the most cosy little dug-outs. They dig down and cover up
with their waterproof sheets. They are wonders--never have any of them
sick--two rubbed heels is my total sick in the squadron, and yet in
permanent camp there would probably be a sick-list of ten....
“The river has risen tremendously the last few days, and is only a few
feet from the top. Let’s hope it does not rise any more or we shall
be completely flooded out.... I have got thirteen extra men out from
permanent camp, and with the new horses can turn out something like a
respectable squadron.... I am still short of horses, could do with any
amount more like the last lot. Do you remember how in peace time it was
always too many horses and no men? And now it is the exact opposite,
just when horses are wanted.”[28]
[Illustration: CAPTAIN EVE’S CHARGER “FOLLOW ME”
(DIED AT SEA ON THE WAY HOME IN APRIL 1919)]
_February 23._--“Well, we didn’t go out on Thursday, yesterday, the
whole show being postponed owing to the river having risen too much. It
has since fallen, and the show started early this morning, and so far
is going very well indeed, and we are standing-to in readiness.
“Besides this show, we have taken a great part of the first and
second lines of the Sannaiyat position and repulsed five or six
counter-attacks, so all is very well....
“Payne overheard the following between two of the men the other day.
‘That there Major Fry, ’e’s been made a Colonel.’ ‘What, ’im? _What’s_
wrong with him?’ I think it good enough for ‘Punch’ if only one could
draw a picture for it....”
General Maude had certainly been lucky in the weather, the winter
floods not having yet made the river impassable, and he was taking
full advantage of his chances. The “quite good show” of the 15th
had been the last of a series of carefully-planned and hard-fought
Infantry attacks, which had gradually torn away the Turkish hold from
point after point upon the south bank of the Tigris. The enemy was now
thrown across the river, and in desperate anxiety for his long line
of communications. They were still covered by a swollen river more
than three hundred yards broad, but they were not safe from a resolute
attack, and after some skilful feinting here and there the blow was
about to be driven home.
Maude was not the man to lose an hour. On the 23rd of February, just
before daybreak, some Infantry, English and Goorkha, were ferried
across the Tigris at the Shamran bend, west of Kut, and after hard
fighting succeeded in establishing themselves on the northern bank.
Before dark the same afternoon a bridge had been completed. The end of
the long suspense had come. The Turks had fought stubbornly for more
than two months, but their line of communications had now been struck,
and their main force must go or be captured.