Lives of the First World War

Siege of Kut On 7 December 1915, the Turks surrounded Townshend’s 10,000 troops and 3,500 camp followers. For the next few weeks, they launched attacks against the Kut defences. Along with the regular shelling, the garrison, had food and supplies to last 2.5 months. The defenders slowly starved. In January, 2 Indian divisions, the Tigris Corps, were despatched under the command of Lieutenant-General Aylmer to relieve Townshend’s forces. Tigris Corps’s 19,000 troops fought saw their first major action at Shaik Saad, where 22,000 Turks had set up defences on either side of the River Tigris. Major-General Younghusband’s 7th Division attacked on both sides of the river – the 35th Brigade on the left bank, the 28th on the right – with a flotilla of gunboats and supply vessels in support. Further attacks by the relief force in March and April all failed with heavy losses. In attempting to rescue the men at Kut, the relieving force suffered around 23,000 casualties. One can’t help thinking that the raising of the Anglo-Indian Force 15th March 1916 was related to the events at Kut. The AI Force Artillery left for Mesopotamia 16th October 1916 and the Infantry for Busrah (Basra) January 1917. The AI Force Cavalry was deployed as two Signal Troops the 4th Cavalry Brigade and the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade. See L/MIL/17/5/4318 India Office Records British Library for history and muster rolls for the AI Force. Lists for Anglo-Indians and Domiciled Europeans serving outside AI Force are also contained

http://www.fibis.org/

Created by: , Gerry64196