The Siege of Kut-al-Amara: At War in Mesopotamia, 1915-1916 (Twentieth-Century Battles) by Gardner Nikolas

Author:Gardner, Nikolas [Gardner, Nikolas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2014-09-15T16:00:00+00:00

THE WADI

The relief force spent 10, 11, and much of 12 January engaged in what the 7 Indian Division war diary euphemistically described as “reorganisation.” 40 The force certainly benefited from a pause in operations, as it allowed the attachment of individual battalions that had arrived during or after the battle at Shaikh Saad to their respective brigades. It also enabled the permanent staffs of the 9th and 21st Brigades as well as 7 Indian Division to take charge of the operations of their respective formations. Nonetheless, the lull in activity was also necessary to address the rapid deterioration of morale in the Tigris Corps. In early 1916, the Mesopotamia campaign had little prestige in the eyes of British soldiers. Even those languishing on garrison duty in Egypt had recoiled upon learning of their despatch to Mesopotamia. Younghusband recalled in his memoirs, “I have never known such intense gloom settle on a body of soldiers as it did on us when that order came.” 41 This view was shared by soldiers arriving from Europe, who comprised an increasing proportion of the relief force after Shaikh Saad. According to Moberly, those who had previously served in France regarded the campaign as a “side show.” 42 The absence of basic amenities that soldiers took for granted on the Western Front, such as full rations and regular leave, further diminished soldiers’ enthusiasm for service in Mesopotamia. As Lieutenant-Colonel F. I. Bowker, commanding the 1/4th Hampshire Regiment, remarked in a January 1916 letter to his wife, “Fellows from France wish themselves back there & those from Egypt long for the Suez Canal again.” 43

Resentment was especially acute among Indians. As was the case in Townshend’s force, some Muslim soldiers had qualms about facing an Islamic enemy and fighting near sites of religious significance. Moreover, sepoys struggled to supplement their meager rations in Mesopotamia. For Indians who had previously served in France, their arrival in the new theater was a particularly rude shock. Some Indian units had fought in Europe since October 1914, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The loss of familiar officers and comrades, along with the fact that many wounded soldiers rejoined their units rather than returning to India, progressively eroded the morale and cohesion of Indian battalions. The decision to remove 3 and 7 Indian Divisions from the Western Front in late 1915 stemmed in large part from consequent concerns about their continued effectiveness. 44 According to the British war correspondent Edmund Candler: “The original plan had been that the Lahore and Meerut Divisions were to reorganise in Egypt. But Townshend’s investment at Kut had altered the whole situation. Reinforcements were to be pushed through without delay, though we knew nothing about this.” 45 In a letter to Lord Kitchener, Sir Walter Lawrence, commissioner for Indian hospitals in England and France, expressed concern regarding this unexpected redeployment of already demoralized Indian troops. As Lawrence stated, “It might be a very dangerous thing if their destination were only disclosed to them when they reach Aden.

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