THE RECAPTURE OF KUT--RETREAT OF THE TURKS.
At the same time that the Tigris was being crossed westward of Kut, the
Turkish intrenchments at Sannaiyat were fiercely attacked in front,
and the brave defenders, learning that the river defence had fallen
behind them, at last gave way. On the 24th the maze of trenches which
had resisted so many onslaughts was carried with a rush, and sweeping
on rapidly the British troops replaced the British flag on the walls of
Kut. On the same morning the British Cavalry poured across the bridge
from the southern bank in pursuit of the retreating enemy, and the
British gunboats pressed up the river again to join in his destruction.
There was reason to hope that he had held on too long, and that his
stubborn troops were doomed to be taken or destroyed.
This hope proved to be delusive. The Turks had to retreat very rapidly
to extricate themselves in time, and they lost heavily in doing so;
but they, or the bulk of them, did succeed in getting away. Many were
slain, and some thousands remained in British hands, but by steady and
determined rearguard fighting they checked their pursuers, and when
they reached Azizieh, a hundred miles off, half way to Baghdad,[29]
they were still a military force, if a defeated one.
The share of the Thirteenth in the victory and pursuit was not all that
they hoped it might have been. Some eager spirits among them chafed
at the caution with which the Cavalry was handled and the pursuit
carried on. But nevertheless the mounted men, although unable to storm
entrenchments held by a resolute enemy, had throughout done much to
cover and facilitate the operations of the Infantry and guns, and they
now did all that mounted men could do to harass the retreat. If it did
not mean converting the retreat into a complete rout, and annihilating
a Turkish army, it was a material contribution towards that end.
After three days of steady pressure, during which the Cavalry lost a
good many men, they had pushed the Turks over a long stretch of road,
capturing prisoners and guns and booty of all kinds; and if they were
stopped there, half-way to Baghdad, it was only because they had got in
advance of their supplies and of the supporting Infantry.
[Illustration: _THE ADVANCE ON BAGHDAD_
SCALE ABOUT 25 MILES TO THE INCH]
The following extracts from letters and journals tell the story in
greater detail.
_Lieut.-Colonel Richardson, D.S.O._--“On the 24th of February we
left camp about an hour before daylight, reached Shumran, where a
pontoon had been thrown across the Tigris the previous day by the
Sappers and Infantry, crossed the river about 9 A.M., and
gradually moved up to behind the Dahra Ridge, which at that time was
the most advanced point held by our infantry. At noon we found what
we thought was an opening in the Turkish line, went through it, and
made a big left-handed sweep, until we were brought to a standstill
by the Turkish rearguard, strongly intrenched. We were engaged with
this till after dark, when we returned to bivouac, which we reached
about 1 A.M. We were in the saddle again at daybreak on
the 25th, and took up the pursuit of the Turks, who had left their
intrenchments. At about midday we located their rearguard in position
about Imam Mahdi, on the north bank of the Tigris, and the Regiment was
ordered to attack dismounted, with the 14th Lancers on our left. We
were closely engaged with the Turks until about 5 P.M., when
orders were received to withdraw. Then we found that our casualties had
been heavy, but mostly in wounded, the numbers being approximately one
officer, Lieutenant Lord, and thirty-six men wounded. That night again
we reached our bivouac after midnight, and were again on the move at
daylight.
“On this day, 26th February, the Regiment was in reserve and not
engaged. We bivouacked where we stood that night, and at daybreak took
up the pursuit of the Turks, who were now in full retreat. Before
midday we had taken some 300 prisoners, and had found six field-guns
of large calibre, which had been left by the Turks. After that we
replenished our nose-bags from a captured barge well stocked with
barley, and followed the road taken by the retreating Turks, which was
strewn with rifles, bayonets, small-arm ammunition, trench-mortars, to
which the draft cattle were still harnessed, hundreds of 5.9 shells,
carts full of implements, and even a motor-car. We bivouacked at dark
some six miles from Azizieh.”
In General Maude’s despatch giving a summary of these operations is the
following passage:--
“Our gunboats were in touch with and shelled the retreating enemy
during most of the 27th, and his retirement was harassed by the Cavalry
until after dark, when his troops were streaming through Azizieh in
great confusion.” General Maude adds that since crossing the Tigris his
force had captured 4000 prisoners, of whom 188 were officers, and great
quantities of guns and stores. But now the pursuit, in which the Navy
and the Cavalry had co-operated in an unusual way, was broken off. The
Turkish army had made good its hasty retreat, and was for the moment
free to get away unmolested.
“We bivouacked at dark,” says Colonel Richardson, “some six miles
from Azizieh, and next day received orders to retire about ten miles,
in order to allow supplies, which we had outrun, and the infantry,
to come up. On our way back we collected all that was possible of
the ammunition and stores that might be useful to us. On the 28th of
February we spent a very welcome rest day in camp. On the 1st of March
we marched to Azizieh, where a halt was ordered.”
In fact, the Infantry having fallen behind, or rather, perhaps,
having been kept back by the difficulty of bringing up sufficient
supplies, there was a pause of five days during which the British
force was closed up and got ready for a farther advance. Baghdad now
lay immediately ahead, but as the Turks were not in such a condition
of rout that they could be hunted through the great town _l’épée aux
reins_, it was necessary to move with the force thoroughly together,
and not to risk a check.
The following are further extracts from letters and diaries:--
_Private Massey--February 24, 1917._--“On the 24th, réveillé was at 2
A.M., and we turned out on parade at 4.30 A.M. The
previous night the Engineers had thrown a bridge across at Shamran
bend, and early this morning, the 24th,[30] the Infantry had succeeded
in getting across, and we followed soon after.
“The Turks, seeing their danger, had retreated the previous night,
leaving only a rearguard to delay our advance, and cover the retreat
of their main body.... After crossing the pontoon-bridge we formed
troop, and went along in extended order, until we got close in on the
enemy’s rearguard. Here we dismounted and brought the Hotchkiss guns
into action, and V Battery opened a heavy fire on the retreating enemy.
The Infantry must have been heavily engaged, as many of their wounded
were at the advanced dressing station, close to the bridge-head, and
we passed several dead. During the afternoon we reached Dahra Barracks
(Turkish), which were littered with Turkish dead. Still pressing on
towards nightfall, we came in touch with an enemy flank patrol, and
opened fire on them with rifles, Hotchkiss guns, and artillery. It was
now very late at night, so we returned back to Dahra Barracks for food
and water for the horses. It was about 2 A.M. when we made
down our beds and lay down for the night. When we had been in bed about
half an hour, the order came for the 1st and 3rd Troops to saddle up
at once, and I heard Mr Payne, the officer in charge, tell the troop
sergeant that we were going out on the flank, on reconnaissance. On
hearing the order, we jumped out of bed, saddled up our horses, and in
a few minutes we were off in the early morning dusk. We were all tired
and very sleepy, as we had only had half an hour’s sleep, but we had a
rattling good officer in charge of us, always giving commands in a fine
soldierly manner, and a leader in whom we all had confidence.[31]
“As we neared the trenches we had fired on late the night before, we
met a Turk, who gave himself up. Later on we came upon two Turkish
officers, who gave up their revolvers and a valuable telephone
instrument. On reaching the trenches, we found a dead Turk and one
wounded man. We bound up his wound, laid him down, and gave him some
cigarettes, and then put up his rifle to let the R.A.M.C. men know he
was there, and when we came back later he was gone.
“We were now not many miles away from Kut and Sannaiyat, but on the
north side of it this time. We had watched Kut from the south side
so long that it seemed impossible we could be where we were then. We
could see the 13th Division coming through Sannaiyat, and we afterwards
passed through what had been a Turkish camping-ground, and kettles,
dishes, and pans lay all over the place.
“We returned back to camp about midday, and heard that the officer in
charge had been complimented for the reports he had sent in, and which
had enabled the Division we left behind at Dahra Barracks to turn
out at 5 A.M. that morning, and continue the pursuit of the
retreating enemy. After watering and feeding our horses we commenced to
feed ourselves. Porridge was made, and bacon and tea were made, and we
had a hearty meal, after which we rested; but the place was beginning
to smell, as the dead Turks had not yet been buried....”
_February 26._--“Next morning we moved on to where we knew the
Regiment had camped, but on arrival the Regiment had again gone on,
but we went with the transport as escort. This was on the 26th, and on
arriving in camp at night, we heard that the Regiment had been heavily
engaged with the enemy’s rearguard, and Sergt.-Major Goddard, S.Q.M.S.
Edwards, Sergeants Bell and Hill, had been wounded, Private Davis of
‘C’ Squadron killed, and thirty-three wounded.... About 5 P.M.
we again went on, intending to overtake and rejoin the Regiment, which
we failed to do, until they were forced to call a halt as they were out
of rations, and had eaten their iron ration. This will give any one who
reads this an idea of the speed with which the Turkish rearguard was
pursued and continually harassed and defeated.
“We reached camp at one o’clock the next morning, the 27th.... On the
way up we had passed much abandoned booty, as the enemy, being hotly
pursued, had to leave it to escape capture. There were guns of the
18-pounder class, as well as small camel guns which fired a shell not
much bigger than a man’s two fists. Thousands of rounds of artillery
ammunition was lying strewn all along the track of the beaten enemy.
Rifles and small-arm ammunition, equipment transport carts, and even a
motor-car of German manufacture....
“At night we rejoined the Regiment, who hadn’t a biscuit left, but
heard they had captured a Turkish barge, with a cargo of grain,
flour, candles, dates, and supplies of all descriptions, so they had
grain for the horses and food for the men. The transport arrived in
camp, but they only had enough for one day’s march; and although the
paddle-steamers followed us up, we were now a day’s march ahead of the
dumping-ground, and two days’ march in front of the Infantry.”
_February 28._--“So next day, the 28th February, we retired back
a day’s march, and came upon the food columns on the bend of the
river.... On the 1st of March we remained in camp all day.... We got on
board the captured barge that morning, bringing away whole-meal flour,
dates, surgical bandages, and took off a lot of corn for the horses.
M‘Nulty and Moss made chupattees of the flour, baking corned-beef and
dates and making pies, and we all had a good feed....
_March 3._--“On the 3rd réveillé was at 5.30. After attending to our
mounts we had breakfast, and then a big party of men, of which I was
one, were ordered to stand-to for fatigue. We were marched down to
the river, a distance of two or three hundred yards, and commenced to
unload barges, which had arrived that morning with stores of all kinds,
shells and bullets, and food for man and beast. We soon transformed
the bleak ground on the bend of the river into a vast dumping-ground,
and hundreds of tons of corn were soon stacked in heaps on shore....
At 8 P.M. that night we were again unloading a barge which we
completely emptied of its cargo. We had no rest that day, but we knew
we had done some good work.”
_March 4._--“Next day, the 4th, we remained in camp all day. During the
afternoon we heard that the General was holding a parade to decorate
men who were recommended for bravery on the field. We were afterwards
to get ready to move on the morrow, as a report brought in by airmen
reported a body of Turks holding trenches a day’s march up the Tigris
close to where they had a pontoon-bridge across.”
_2nd Lieutenant Guy Pedder--March 2._--“What do you think of it all?
No doubt the papers have been shouting about old Mespot lately. When
I wrote my last letter I little thought we should be quite so far on
the next time I wrote. I think the rout of the Turks must have been a
complete surprise for even our authorities....
“We went through the Infantry and crossed the Tigris above Kut at 9
A.M., Saturday, 24th. Curiously enough, I met Masson, who used
to be at Pat’s at Repton with me. He had been building the bridge. We
didn’t do much that day, as we were held up when we tried to get round
their flank; however, next day we went a long reconnaissance. I got a
small batch of prisoners, and then we attacked the Turks’ position. I
was commanding the squadron, as Eve was commanding a wing. We advanced
about 1½ mile across the open under very heavy rifle-fire and shrapnel.
I lost both my sergeant-majors and two sergeants, besides others.
The Regiment lost 35 and only 1 officer (Lord): how we got out of it
I don’t know, as hardly any one came out without a bullet through
his coat, topee, or something. I tell you I lay pretty flat when we
weren’t advancing or retiring, but there was not a bit of cover! We
camped down about 2 A.M., and were off again about 6 and went
about 30 miles, but the Turks had cleared early next morning. We took
about 300 prisoners and 6 heavy guns, and the road was littered with
ammunition, kit, shells, carts, dead animals, &c. The prisoners were in
a very bad way and could hardly walk....
[Illustration: H.M.S. “TARANTULA”
“A TRIED AND TRUSTY FRIEND OF THE REGIMENT”]
[Illustration: PRIVATE MASSEY’S “ORACLE,” OTHERWISE CORACLE]
“Luckily the weather has been perfect, except it has frozen every
night, and is quite cold in the day. I brought all my bedding on my
spare horse, but of course we haven’t got any tents. None of us got the
chance of a wash or shave for four days, so you would have laughed if
you had seen us. I am awfully fit. Hope the next letter I write to you
will be Baghdad: it’s under fifty miles from here. Best love to all.
“The monitors did excellent work and recaptured the _Firefly_ and other
boats.”
_2nd Lieutenant J. O. P. Clarkson--March 3._--“We started early in the
morning[32] and trekked to the Tigris west of Kut. The Infantry had
established themselves on the other bank, so we crossed in the early
morning and followed them up. When they had cleared the trenches we
went through to harass the enemy’s retreat.... The next day we went
in on what was supposed to be the retreating enemy, and found it was
the main body, consisting of about 5000 men.... The next night we
bivouacked by a water-hole in the desert. We had some armoured cars
with us, and one of them got into difficulties a very short way off
some Turkish guns, but the next morning was still intact. The next day
we again went on and captured 400 prisoners and 12 guns, 6 of which
were 5.9 howitzers, and one man found the breech-blocks, which had
been buried in another place. By this time we were getting very short
of food for the horses, but luckily we found a barge laden with grain
that had been captured, so we filled up again.... We are now at a place
about half-way between Kut and Baghdad. The Navy here--_i.e._, the
monitors--did great work. They rushed on ahead, and got right into the
thick of it, firing 6-inch shrapnel at the Turk at a range of 400 to
600 yards. Every gun on board was worked, and in every direction. They
captured several boats and barges, and what used to be the _Firefly_.
The Turks captured it at Kut, and have used it against us ever since,
and in a few days it is going to come up and shell the Turk. The litter
that was left behind by the Turks was awful--rags, clothes, camp
furniture, ammunition of every description, and bombs, shells--in fact
a bit of everything. We recaptured half a dozen of our fellows who had
been captured the day before, and they had their boots and overcoats
taken from them, as the Turks are very short of both. They even strip
their own dead as well as our own for the clothes they can get off them.
“I also found a Constantinople paper which was written in French, and
which said the Germans had gained a great defensive victory on the
Somme against the English because--and here came long explanations.
Also that Verdun was as good as lost to the French, &c. I was also
shown some post-cards from Germany, but they were very badly written,
and I could not decipher them. There was also an ‘Illustratte Zeitung’
there, with wonderful pictures showing how grateful the Pole was for
the German liberation scheme.”
(Lieutenant Clarkson read and spoke fluently both French and German.)
_Captain W. H. Eve--March 2._--“Well, things are going _really_ well,
and we are now forty-five miles short of Baghdad, and resting a day or
two. The difficulty is again supplies....
“I wrote you Friday last, February 23rd, and we moved at 4.15 next
morning, 24th. The fight at the river-crossing had gone very well,
and we were sent over the bridge which our sappers had built about 9
A.M. The Infantry were still pretty busy further forward, and
we waited about for three or four hours and watered. Then we really
thought our chance was coming of getting them in the open, but their
rearguard put up a very fine fight, and got into nullahs and ditches,
and our show ended in a dismounted fight, and we weren’t able to turn
them out, and so it ended at dark. The squadron was out on flank guard
and had next to nothing to do, and only one man wounded, and one of
Payne’s chargers, his best of course, killed. We camped north of the
river, but weren’t in till midnight, and I can tell you we were tired
then. We had had nothing to eat, and there were no rations up, so we
turned in straight off. It had been a very hot day.
“Well, the Turks’ rearguard cleared off in the night and we had got
Kut. For they had evacuated it directly we got the crossing of the
river, to escape being bottled up there. Meanwhile the other Corps had
taken Sannaiyat, but the remnants of the Turks got away from there
too. The Turk rearguard really did well. I did hope and think our day
might have come, but it was not to be. All the same there was nothing
to grumble at, for we had got Sannaiyat and Kut, and the whole of the
Turks were retreating as fast as ever they could.
“Our monitors came up the river as soon as Sannaiyat was taken, and
passed through our bridge early the next day. Then--that is, Sunday
25th--the pursuit started. We managed to get some food early in
the morning and left camp at 7. I was advance-guard, but we saw no
Turks till the afternoon, except a few scattered prisoners which we
rounded up. In the afternoon the other Brigade on our left found their
rearguard and sent for us to help. They were in a very strong position,
Infantry and Artillery, and we were sent in dismounted. The Regiment
was on the left, ‘B’ and ‘C’ in front, and ‘A’ and ‘D’ in support,
under me. We were very weak in numbers, only about 100 in the firing
line from the Regiment, and they were much too strong for us. We went
on, of course, but finally got held up, and we had a warm time. I
took the support line up to within about 100 yards of the front (two
squadrons). The Turks were shooting very well--rifle, Maxim guns, and
their guns too--and people behind thought we should be about wiped out.
But ‘V’ behind us helped us no end, and when orders came to retire we
got out of it better than I expected, just before dark. ‘B’ and ‘C’
came back through me, and I then came, but by degrees. The men, all of
them, were topping. We had heavy casualties, but only a very few killed.
“Only half of ‘D’ was there, as Payne with the other two troops had
been out on a reconnaissance all the night before, and so had been
left behind to come on with the supply column. Even so I lost both
sergeant-majors, two sergeants, and a corporal wounded--no one killed.
Sergt.-Major Edwards was only lightly hit in the leg and will soon be
back at duty, but Sergt.-Major Goddard was very badly shot through
the middle, and I am afraid was bad: I haven’t been able to find out
anything about him since, either, except that he was easier when
he left the field ambulance. Sergeants Bell and Hill were both shot
through the face, and Corporal Heathman through both legs. Lord was
wounded, the only officer casualty. We were lucky to get out as lightly
as we did. The monitors helped us too. I only had one horse very
slightly hit, but shells fell right amongst them and they were very
lucky indeed, too. It’s an extraordinary thing: if you are going to be
hit, you’re going to be, and if you’re not, you’re not, and that’s all
about it. I was touched--my clothes--by bits of shrapnel, and I got
a bullet through my revolver holster and then through my coat--near
enough, but I wasn’t touched. Corporal Watkins, my signaller, had two
or three through his clothes, one of which was stopped in his pocket by
his pocket-book.
“I rode Follow Me till danger threatened on the Saturday, and then
Caprice, and on this day, the Sunday, I rode Follow Me. We didn’t get
back to camp till 11.30, but we got food all right then.
“We had to go back, no support ready to push these people out.”
_Monday 26._--“Left camp 7.30 and marched across the desert to strike
the river much higher up--a long march, and wicked going for the guns
in places. I rode Caprice. We found the Turkish rearguard in the
afternoon--again very strongly posted. We were rear Regiment of the
rear Brigade and did nothing, and the other Brigade found them too
strong. But the Infantry were steadily coming up, and the monitors were
topping, going ahead like anything and giving the Turks beans. They
captured prisoners and destroyed Turkish ships, and did no end of good
work. We had a day’s food with us, and just lay down where we were for
the night. It rained, but not much, luckily, but was bitterly cold.
“We advanced next morning, 27th (New College grind), at 7
A.M., but of course the Turk had gone by then. However, we
rounded up about 240 prisoners, a hospital, and a battery of six
5.9-inch guns. We wasted a lot of time over this instead of pushing on,
and in the end got no distance that day, and the infantry were only
a few miles behind us.... It drove me mad. The Turks were obviously
running like smoke--abandoning guns, ammunition-carts, and equipment of
all sorts, and yet we didn’t push on. It’s beyond me altogether.
[Illustration: TURKISH PRISONERS. FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1917]
[Illustration: AEROPLANE ATTACHED TO 7TH CAVALRY BRIGADE]
“A little farther on we found two large barges loaded with corn and
all sorts of things. These were providential, for we filled all our
nose-bags and corn-sacks and got a little loot ourselves as well. I
took a Turkish trumpet, but I don’t suppose I shall keep it. But we got
useful things like chickens, ducks, candles, dates, sugar, &c. We then
marched on about eight miles more and camped in the desert just before
dark. I rode Caprice and Follow Me. Later in the evening Payne, with
the other two troops, turned up with the welcome supplies at last, and
also our regimental transport. The road of the retreat was a sight,
every conceivable thing abandoned.
“Next day no supplies at all could be got forward, so we marched _back_
the eight miles to where the captured barges were, and had a really
welcome afternoon’s rest there. _I_ had the most glorious hot bath in
a huge iron bath we got off one of the barges. I can tell you we were
dirty. We left in the small hours of Saturday, and this was Wednesday,
and you can’t imagine how dirty we were.”
“We marched again next morning, Thursday, March 1st, and came about
seventeen miles to where we are now--a most delightful camp, right on
the river bank.
“Two of the monitors are here. They _have_ done well. They have
recaptured the _Firefly_ captured from us in the retreat last year,
have taken a battery of guns here, and been up level with the Turkish
infantry in their retreat and inflicted tremendous losses. They have
sunk a lot of ships and taken over 2000 prisoners. And all this when
you think they are unarmoured--only supposed to be proof against
rifle-fire, and had all those heavy guns against them.
“I believe since the push started here we have taken 7000 prisoners,
and their other casualties have been very heavy indeed, as we know
from their dead. We believe we have only a remnant in front of us.
Personally, I shouldn’t be in the least surprised if we march into
Baghdad almost straight, when we get going again....
“It is lovely weather and we are all as fit as fleas, not a man sick.
The horses, poor devils, of course, are showing it, and I have one or
two tender backs and withers, but not many. They are just A1....
“It is a lovely day to-day, and the horses are spending the whole of it
grazing, while we are cleaning up, &c. I have had a real useful morning
at it, and have also mended my own breeches. In a few minutes I am
going to have a hot bath. I hope we shall get letters away somehow by
the supply people going back empty. Whether this will catch this mail
is a different thing, but you will understand, and if you get my wire
you will know all is well, anyhow. I am most awfully fit--couldn’t be
better....
“I shouldn’t be the least surprised if we get there now with hardly
any fighting at all; as it is, we have done little enough of it. The
Infantry do nearly all of it, and the monitors have _really_ done the
pursuit, which we ought to have done. I do hope we go on to-morrow. I
fret at every day’s delay.”
These passages have been given as they stand, for they show the
generous impulse of a real soldier to award all due credit to other
Services. And in truth it would be difficult to say too much for the
resolute unwearied fighting of the Infantry during the two months’
struggle on the Tigris, or for the dash and courage of the sailors
in following up the pursuit. Nevertheless it is necessary to make
allowances for the impatience of a fiery spirit always longing for a
chance. Others had done well, very well, but the horsemen had done all
that horsemen could do--and that was not little.
“We were bucked enough last night, and then we got the great news
from France to crown all. It is only a telephone message as yet--no
details--just saying the Germans have retired three miles on the
Ancre.... We know nothing, not even of our own doings. I expect the
papers at home have made the most of our success here, with very big
headlines, &c., until the news from France comes to overshadow it. We
do want news so badly.”
That was the feeling at every part of the vast battlefield. In Europe
and Asia and Africa and all over the seven seas millions of men were
fighting for the Empire and doing their duty nobly, but “we do want
news so badly” was the cry that went up from all of them, and they
had to be content with very little, to find comfort and help in the
smallest successes reported in a few vague words over the uncertain
wires.
At the moment all was going well with the Thirteenth. They were not
strong in numbers, for they had had casualties at times since the
beginning of the advance, and had besides lost many horses from
the wear and tear of the campaign. Captain Eve’s squadron had been
reduced to working as three troops instead of four, and had no senior
non-commissioned officers left. But the men and horses were doing well,
and the officers the same.
[Illustration: HALTS ON THE MARCH]
“Lord is all right,--I mean going on all right. I helped to do him
up. He had a very narrow shave, the bullet entering just above the
collar-bone and coming out under his arm, only just missing the big
artery there. Otherwise we are all most awfully flourishing. Twist
seems quite all right now.... Sergeant Chipperfield is acting squadron
sergeant-major, and very good indeed he is.... Payne I like better and
better, and think I was more than lucky to get him. I am a better judge
of horses than men, anyhow, first go off.... I am so sorry that Payne
missed our show on Sunday, though I am glad he is still here safe, as
he might not have been, of course, had he been there.”
Another letter, written on the 3rd March, sums up the operations of
the last week and the position as it then stood. At the risk of some
repetition it seems as well to give it.
“Well, we had known pretty well for a week beforehand that a serious
attempt was going to be made to put a pontoon across the Tigris above
Kut as soon as the height of the river, which was then in flood from
the recent rains, permitted, and this was done on the 23rd February;
and during that night a Division was put over, and we followed on
their heels next day, the 24th, and in the afternoon found a gap in
the line of defence they were putting up to cover the retreat of the
fighting troops from the Sannaiyat position, from which the big guns
had been retired some days. The delay in getting the pontoon over the
river, due to the flood, had, however, given the Turks just enough
time to get the survivors from Sannaiyat--where the fighting has been
very severe and bitter, and where the deep trenches were literally
filled with dead--away, and when we got through it was only to bump up
against their rearguard, who were well handled and fought so well that
we had to force them back, after three days’ fighting, from position
to position, and until the Navy came along with their monitors and
flyboats, and turned the retirement into a rout. The Turks then left so
quickly that they abandoned guns, trench-mortars, doctors and hospital
staff, a motor-car, shells, wounded, and many unwounded men who could
not keep up, to fall into our hands or the hands of the Arabs, who
kill, strip, and loot Turks and British alike, especially when wounded.
Among the prisoners were a few German officers, and a few were also
found among the dead. We were ordered to stop the pursuit three days
ago by the Army Commander, as we had finished our supplies and were
getting far from our base, so have been waiting by the river for the
barges to come up; these began to arrive last night, and are coming up
fast, so we may expect soon to be on the move again. We are now some
forty-five miles from Baghdad, and our friend the Turk may put up a
fight at Ctesiphon, although this is very doubtful unless he has been
strongly reinforced, which seems unlikely....
“The weather has on the whole been most lenient to us, for although the
cold at night has been intense and the winds strong and bitter, we have
only had a small shower of rain, and the days are now getting quite
warm. The men are well and cheery, and the horses, which a few days ago
were footsore and weary, are picking up and ready for more work. The
Regiment has fought very well, and our casualty list--about forty in
the last ten days--is comparatively small.”
Such was the state of affairs when the Thirteenth received orders that
the advance was to be resumed on the 5th March. The writer of that
letter had longed for one gallop with his squadron. He was to get it at
last. But before his confident words reached those for whom they were
written his fiery spirit was at rest for ever.
[Illustration: Sergt. P. CHIPPERFIELD
(_Died, 6th March 1917, of wound received at Lajj_)]
[Illustration: Sergt. H. KNAPMAN
(_Killed at Lajj, 5th March 1917_)]
[Illustration: Capt. W. H. EVE
(_Killed at Lajj, 5th March 1917_)]
[Illustration: Pte. A. WALLHEAD
(_Killed at Lajj, 5th March 1917_)]
[Illustration: Pte. ALFRED JONES, D.C.M.
(_Killed at Lajj, 5th March 1917_)]