The 8th
Infantry Brigade in Mesopotamia, 5th
November 1917
Tekrit
Tekrit,
also spelt Tikrit, is a city in Iraq
located on the Tigris River 140 kilometres northwest of Baghdad; in the 12th Century the
renowned Muslim warrior Salah-ad-Din (Saladin) was born there. In this century it became known as the
birthplace and power-base of the executed former President of Iraq, Saddam
Hussein. In 1917 British troops were
pushing Turkish forces out of Mesopotamia, as Iraq was then known, and the Turks
made a stand in defensive positions at Tekrit. In and around Tekrit were several large
Turkish supply dumps that the Turks were evacuating, but the British theatre
commander, General Sir Frederick
Stanley Maude KCB CMG DSO, wished to destroy the dumps. On 5th November 1917 a swift but
costly British attack was mounted on the city, and three Indian infantry battalions
took part in the initial assaults. This
is an account of the actions fought by the Sepoys of those battalions, and of
some of the gallantry that occurred on that day.
The British
advance up the Tigris
River
In late October 1917 the commander of the British 1st
Corps, Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe VC KCB DSO (right), was fighting
up both banks of the Tigris
River. The Turks were not a beaten force but they
were pre-occupied by bad news from Palestine,
where the British under General Edmund Allenby were making significant
gains. On 1st November
Cobbe’s Cavalry and 7th (Meerut)
Divisions pushed the Turks out of Auja and back towards Tekrit. Cobbe, acting on previous orders, then
prepared to withdraw his Corps to Samarrah, but General Maude was concerned
about the enemy supply dumps at Tekrit, and ordered their destruction if it
appeared that the Turks were withdrawing past Tekrit. However Maude did advise Cobbe to slow down
and make a good plan rather than rush into the attack.
During the 4th November British air reconnaissance
and intelligence verified Turkish plans to evacuate Tekrit, and so Cobbe, whose
judgement Maude trusted, seized the opportunity to act decisively and quickly
on his own initiative. Tekrit was a
walled city standing on a bluff on the right (west) bank of the Tigris River;
the highest houses stood 45 metres above river level, and observation from them
was excellent. Twelve kilometres of
Turkish trenches surrounded the city and most forward trenches were elaborately
supported by strongpoints and two more lines of trenches to the rear. Three
Turkish Divisions, the 14th, 51st and 52nd,
defended Tekrit and their field guns and machine guns were well-sited to cover
the flat approaches to the city.
The plan of
attack
Cobbe deployed his Cavalry Division for flank protection,
and to contain the enemy in their northern trenches whilst the 8th
Infantry Brigade from the 3rd (Lahore)
Division made an assault on the southwest corner of the defences. The four battalions in 8th Brigade
were:
·
47th Sikhs. ·
59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier
Force). ·
2nd 124th Duchess
of Connaught’s Own Baluchistan Infantry. ·
1st Manchester Regiment.
The 19th Infantry Brigade from the 7th
Division was ordered to support the attack of the 8th Brigade and
the 4th Field Artillery Brigade supplied direct fire support to 8th
Brigade. The assault was going in on the
right bank but elements of Cobbe’s Corps advanced concurrently on the left bank
to provide fire support across the Tigris.
Major
General Sir V.B. Fane KCIE CB, commanding the 7th Division, ordered
that 8th Brigade should attack on a 550 metre frontage under an
artillery barrage that was to overlap the frontage by 130 metres on each
flank. 19th Brigade was to
exploit success by pushing through to the north as soon as the enemy trenches
had been taken.8th Brigade was deployed with 47th
Sikhs on the left, 59th Scinde Rifles on the right, 2nd
124th Baluchis in support and 1st Manchesters in
reserve.
Above: An Indian camp, Mesopotamia
Seizing the trenches
The
three Indian battalions in 8th Brigade advanced at 0530 hours 5th
November in order to enter the Jibin Wadi, a dry river bed, from where they
could mount a swift attack on the enemy trenches. Observing this impending attack the Turkish
artillery fired accurately and effectively in defence, constantly cutting the
telephone lines of the British artillery.Thewadi was reached successfully, and being about 2.5 metres deep and 70
metres wide it provided good cover from direct fire for the infantry, but the 7th
Battery, Royal Field Artillery, following
close behind lost men whilst entering the wadi because the steep sides slowed
down the gunners and their equipment, allowing the Turks to engage them.
In
the wadi the infantry deployed further forward, using nullahs (dry water
courses) to conceal their preparations.
During this period 728 Havildar Mastan Singh, 47th Sikhs, led a good
reconnaissance patrol and was awarded an Indian
Order of Merit, 2nd Class: For
conspicuous gallantry in the action on the 5th November 1917. Previous to the attack in the morning this non-commissioned
officer went on patrol and brought in most valuable information. He then drove out an enemy entrenched
picquet. During the subsequent attack he
took command of a platoon and showed great bravery, skill and determination.
The
attack should have commenced at 1030 hours but the cutting of the telephone
lines had slowed downthe
preparation of the British artillery fireplan, and 8th Brigade did
not commence its attack until 1130 hours. The knock-on effect of this delay was
that the hours of daylight ran out before all the designated British units
could be effectively deployed in the operation.
At
1130 hours the Sikhs, Scinde Rifles and Baluchis all advanced under a
supporting artillery bombardment; the enemy trenches could not be seen so the
advance was made using a compass bearing of 20 degrees. Observers noted that the Sepoys’ attack
formations were maintained with parade ground precision although enemy shell
and machine gun fire drastically thinned out the ranks of all three
battalions. The casualties were left
where they dropped whilst the momentum of the advance was maintained. After 700 metres of very unpleasant exposure
to incoming fire the enemy trenches were encountered and swiftly rushed, the Turks
there being killed if they did not surrender immediately. Pushing on, the second line of trenches was
quickly taken, and then the third, which was shallow and only partially
constructed. The enemy from the second
and third lines retreated to occupy some mounds 500 metres to the rear and laid
heavy fire onto the 8th Brigade trenches; also strongpoints and
machine gun posts not within the Brigade’s area of responsibility began
enfilading the Sepoys’ positions. Units
were now mixed up and a hurried re-organisation took place whilst under effective
enemy fire.
The advance to the trenches had been costly. The Baluchis’ Adjutant, Lieutenant A.G.
Lucas, 127th Baluch Light Infantry attached to 2nd 124th
Baluchis, was mortally wounded.
Before
he died 20 days later Arthur Geoffrey Lucas was awarded a Military Cross: For
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. His courage and energy under heavy
fire during an action furnished a splendid example to his men, and contributed
largely to the success of the attack.
Right: Sepoys in trenches, Mesopotamia
Other officers in that battalion excelled
themselves when the situation demanded acts of bravery. To quote the regimental history: ‘Noticeable
was an old and trusty Indian officer, Darweza Khan, a Khattack, immaculately
turned out, as he always was, who marched stiffly and smartly in front of his
company dressing the line with the walking stick he always carried’.
Subadar Darweza Khan was awarded an Indian Order of Merit, 2nd Class:
For conspicuous bravery and devotion to
duty on the 5th November 1917 when he led and handled his platoon under
heavy fire with marked coolness and skill, inspiring the young and
inexperienced soldiers composing the company to which he had been specially
attached. Always a reliable officer, he
rendered most valuable assistance throughout the operations. He also distinguished himself on a previous
occasion when although wounded he continued to command his platoon throughout
the action.
The Baluchis’ Subadar Major, Ali Nazar, was killed in
action after the taking of the trenches. Subadar Bhagwan Singh had taken over command
of his rifle company when Lieutenant William John Grimstead Marsh, 127th
Baluch Light Infantry attached to 2nd 124th Baluchis, was
mortally wounded during the reorganisation.
Bhagwan Singh was later awarded a Military
Cross: For conspicuous gallantry and
devotion to duty. When his company commander was wounded early in an engagement
he took command, and led the company with great courage and skill, setting a
most inspiring example to the men. Later, when the adjutant and the Subadar-Major
became casualties, he carried out their duties in addition to commanding his
company, and rendered invaluable assistance during the ensuing night.
After the battle Baghwan Singh was
officially appointed regimental Subadar Major.
Two other Khattacks, 702 Sepoy Sarwar Khan, 2nd
124th Baluchis, and 5564 Sepoy Mukhmad Shah, 126th
Baluchistan Infantry attached to 2nd 124th Baluchis, were
awarded Indian Orders of Merit, 2nd
Class: For conspicuous gallantry in action on the 5th
November 1917. Orders were given to put
out aeroplane signals at a time when heavy fire was sweeping over the captured
trench. Without hesitation or direct
order, Sepoy Mukhmad Shah stepped out of the trench with the signals and within
fifteen seconds was hit by three bullets and staggered back into the
trench. On his own initiative and
without hesitation Sepoy Sarwaz Khan deliberately completed the signal during
which he was also wounded. Both men
displayed conspicuous bravery and determination. Mukhmad Shah had been mortally wounded.
In
the 59th Scinde Rifles’ sector No. 3 Company Commander, Lieutenant
G.E. Hansen, was soon wounded and Lieutenant J.D. Twinberrow took over, winning
a Military Cross: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to
duty. He led his company in the attack on three consecutive lines of enemy
trenches with great courage and dash, and, though a very young soldier, handled
his men with coolness and skill.
During
the attack on the trenches the No. 2 Company Commander, Lieutenant Francis
Bernard Roseveare, Corps of Guides Infantry attached to 59th Scinde
Rifles, was hit through the head and mortally wounded. Subadar Sahib-i-Haq took over and was awarded
an Indian Order of Merit, 2nd
Class: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on 5th
November 1917. Though severely wounded
he continued to command his platoon with marked skill until severely
wounded. He has repeatedly been
recommended for gallantry and good work.
The
numbers of wounded were now considerable and Lieutenant Ratenshaw Nariman
Kapadia, Indian Medical Service attached to 59th Scinde Rifles,
received a Military Cross: For
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Exposed to heavy fire, he continued
throughout the action to collect and dress the wounded, who were much
scattered, thereby saying many lives.
Above: Indian advanced dressing station, Tekrit
The Turkish counter attacks
From noon onwards the position of 8th
Brigade deteriorated rapidly but the Indian battalions, now in a defensive
posture, held their ground. Enemy fire
increased on the Sepoys in the trenches and two serious Turkish counter-attacks
were mounted. The Divisional staff later
complained that they did not know where 8th Brigade was and what it
had achieved, as telephone lines were cut by enemy artillery fire as soon as
they had been repaired. The battalions
had been ordered to light flares to signal the locations of captured trenches,
but Turkish incoming fire was so heavy that commanders were reluctant to give
the Turkish gunners specific aiming points.
As none of the Divisional staff were anywhere near the brigade they
could not appreciate the situation and problems of the fighting troops.
On the left in the 47th Sikhs’ trenches,
machine guns in an adjacent Turkish strong point kept the Sikhs’ heads
down. Lieutenant James Leonard Courteney
Clarke, Indian Army Reserve of Officers attached to 47th Sikhs, was
killed in action and Subedar Kharak Singh was mortally wounded.
Subedar Mit Singh, IDSM and Bar, performed
acts of gallantry that earned him a Military
Cross: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When his company
commander was wounded during an engagement, he at once took command, and led
the company with great coolness and skill. By his excellent dispositions, he
repelled a counter-attack, and maintained the ground won. He set a magnificent
example to his men.
The battalion had absorbed very large drafts from the
35th and 36th Sikhs and two of these jawans were awarded Indian Orders of Merit, 2nd
Class at Tekrit.
The citation for
3420 Sepoy Bir Singh, 35th Sikhs attached to 47th Sikhs,
read: For conspicuous gallantry during an attack on the 5th
November 1917. When his company had
occupied the enemy’s second line he repeatedly went with messages over ground
swept by fire. Although wounded he
continued to carry on his duties as runner, all the other company runners
having become casualties.
The citation for 3489 Sepoy Sardara Singh, 36th
Sikhs attached to 47th Sikhs, read:
For conspicuous gallantry and
devotion to duty on the 5th November 1917. Although the remainder of his Lewis gun
section had become casualties, he succeeded in bringing his gun into action and
kept it in action single handed throughout the whole day, leaving the trench
many times under heavy fire to collect ammunition from the wounded. By his determined and skilful handling of the
gun he contributed largely to the repulse of a counter-attack.
In
the old Turkish third trench, now the 8th Brigade forward trench, a
gap had opened up between the Sikhs and the Scinde Rifles on the right. The
Rifles’ Adjutant, Captain W.H.H. Young, Indian Army Reserve of Officers
attached to 59th Scinde Rifles was seriously wounded and later
received a Military Cross: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to
duty in action. Whilst exposed to heavy fire he carried out his arduous duties
with efficiency and zeal. He was severely wounded.
Captain
Rainald Hugo Burne was also wounded and received a Military Cross: For
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led an attack in a most
courageous and determined manner, and showed the greatest coolness and skill.
His dispositions were excellent, and it was largely due to his splendid example
that the attack was successful.
Turkish
counter attacks were beaten back by Lewis gun and rifle fire and by supporting
artillery fire from the 4th Brigade, Royal Artillery. For gallantry displayed in the fighting three
of the Rifles’ jawans received the Indian
Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM):
3452 Havildar Devi Dyal, 4342 Havildar Niaz Gul, and 2696 Naik Dhanni
Ram.
The
gap in the centre of the line was filled by the 2nd 124th
Baluchis. The Baluchis’ signalling
officer, Lieutenant Richard Hellier Agard Evans, 127th Baluch Light
Infantry attached to 2nd 124th Baluchis, was killed in
action by artillery fire along with a party of his signallers whilst repairing
the telephone line back to Brigade Headquarters. Havildar Moti Singh was killed in action
leading a counter-attack to take the Hazara Company’s position that had been
overrun by the Turks.
3890
Sepoy Harnam Singh received an Indian
Order of Merit, 2nd Class: For
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on the 5th November
1917. When his company was temporarily
held up by heavy machine gun fire from a flank, he arose and advanced
alone. Stimulated by his fine example,
his platoon at once followed him and carried through the attack without further
check.
Besides the Military
Cross of Bhagwan Singh, three others were awarded to the Baluchis. Lieutenant A.G. Lucas, received his: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to
duty. His courage and energy under heavy fire during an action furnished a
splendid example to his men, and contributed largely to the success of the
attack.
Captain R.G.
Mountain, 127th Baluch Light Infantry
attached to 2nd 124th Baluchis, received his: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to
duty. He led his company in an attack with great courage and dash, though
wounded in the leg. Later, in an exposed salient of a captured trench, which
was heavily swept by fire from front and flank, he collected five Lewis guns
and brought harassing fire to bear on an enemy strong point, thereby greatly
assisting another attack made later in the day.
The Baluchis’ Medical Officer, Captain D.H.A.
Galbraith, Royal Army Medical Corps, worked ceaselessly on casualty evacuation,
and received his Military Cross: For
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He was wounded in the head whilst
attending to a wounded officer, and though in great pain, continued to carry
out his duties for the remainder of the day with zeal and determination.
Above: Indian infantry, Mesopotamia
As Tekrit was the last action fought in Mesopotamia by
the Baluchis a reasonable assumption is that these three men, listed in the
regimental history as being recipients of the IDSM in early 1918, won their awards at Tekrit: 4732 Havildar Nur Khan, 5425 Lance Naik
Kampoo Khan, 4442 Sepoy Bara Singh.
The
Commanding Officer of the 2nd 124th Baluchis, Lieutenant
Colonel W.J. Mitchell CMG, was appointed to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO):For conspicuous gallantry and devotion
to duty. He handled his battalion most
skilfully in the attack, and in spite of heavy casualties from a strong point
on his flank, succeeded in capturing his objective. His courage and perseverance on this occasion
were most marked. At 1245 hours 1st Manchesters was sent
forward to reinforce the right of the 8th Brigade line and during
the next three hours it held the right flank against a Turkish counter-attack
whilst the Sepoys to its left fought to dominate the web of defensive trenches
that they were occupying. By 1600 hours
the Divisional staff thought that they knew the layout of the battlefield and
sent 1st Seaforth Highlanders and 125th Napier’s Rifles,
both from 19th Infantry Brigade, in on the left of 8th
Brigade. This attack, delivered under a
heavy bombardment, was successful in stabilising the situation for the British;
the Turks withdrew during the hours of darkness.
The cavalry
The British cavalry kept the Turks in the northern
trenches under close observation and maintained sufficient pressure to prevent
the enemy commander from moving more of his men southwards. 3233 Lance Daffadar Kirpal Singh, 21st
Prince Albert Victor’s Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Daly’s Horse), was awarded
an Indian Order of Merit, 2nd
Class: For conspicuous gallantry and
devotion to duty on the 5th November 1917. During a reconnaissance of the enemy’s
position he led his patrol with remarkable coolness in the face of heavy fire,
to within a few hundred yards of the hostile trenches. Throughout the day he remained with his
patrol in observation in an advanced and critical position, sending back most
useful information.
In an attempt to assist the attack of the 1st
Seaforth Highlanders and 125th Napier’s Rifles the 13th
Hussars with a squadron of 13th Lancers charged along the enemy
trenches to join up with the infantry.
Then two squadrons wheeled left and charged a group of Turks forming up
1,000 metres away. The two squadrons
went through the enemy, turned about and went through the enemy again, finally
pulling up and fighting dismounted actions near the British infantry. This was a gallant effort but around 30%
casualties were sustained by the squadrons, including their commander who was
killed in the first charge.
8th Infantry
Brigade’s casualty figures
Casualty figures for all ranks recorded after the
Tekrit battle were:
·
47th Sikhs 28
killed and 293 wounded.
· 59th Scinde Rifles 25 killed and 230
wounded with 1 missing
· 2nd 124th Baluchistan
Infantry 40 killed and 269 wounded
· 1st Manchesters A total of 115
killed and wounded.
The total British casualty figure was 1,801 of which
161 were killed. One hundred and thirty
seven Turks were captured, and it was estimated that the total enemy casualty
figure was 1,500 with 300 of those being fatalities.
Next morning Tekrit was empty of Turks, and it was
also empty of supplies. The war
correspondent Edmund Candler, who was in the trenches during the battle, stated
in his book:
‘We found the place very
quiet. The customary white flag was
fluttering on every roof. The
townspeople, loitering in the streets, received us with assurances of good
will. A few Arabs were pilfering wood. But the Turk had left very little
behind. He had burned his aerodrome and
his ammunition and ordnance dumps. . . . Of supplies there was no evidence,
though Tekrit had been the enemy’s riverhead on the Tigris
all through the summer and autumn. The
Turk was living from hand to mouth, and he has a genius for spiriting stuff
away. In no place that we occupied,
however sudden and rapid the operations may have been, did we find enough food
to keep a brigade for half a day.’
The British did not want to permanently occupy Tekrit
so on 10th November General Cobbe withdrew his units to Samarrah. Some enemy stores in Tekrit had been
destroyed by the Turks themselves, and the opportunity for the Turks
to use the town as a forward supply depot in a future offensive had been
negated, but the fighting for Tekrit had been expensive in British and Indian
lives and in wounded casualties. Tekrit
was the last set-piece battle in the Mesopotamian campaign where enemy lines of
trenches were directly assaulted by troops who had to endure heavy attritional
defensive fire before reaching their objectives. During 1918 the pace of war in the theatre
visibly slackened and many units on both sides were sent to Palestine
where more severe military pressure was being applied on Turkey.
above: Sketch map of the Tekrit Battle
SOURCES:
Moberly,
Brigadier General F.J. Official History.
The Campaign in Mesopotamia 1914-1918, Volume
IV. (Imperial War Museum & Battery Press Inc.)
Candler,
Edmund. The Long Road to Baghdad, Volume II. (Cassel &
Company, 1919.) Downloadable at: https://archive.org/details/longroadtobaghd01candgoog
Anonymous.
47th Sikhs War Record, The
Great War 1914-1918. (Picton Publishing, Chippenham, 1992.)
Anonymous.
Regimental History of the 6th
Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles (Scinde), 1843-1923. (Naval
& Military Press.)
Chaldecott,
O.A. The Tenth Baluch Regiment.
(Times of India Press, Bombay, 1935.)
Rawlinson,
H.G. Napier’s Rifles. (Oxford
University Press, 1929.)
Duckers,
Peter. Reward of Valour. The Indian Order
of Merit, 1914-1918. (Jade Publishing, Oldham, 1999.)
Chhina, Rana.
The Indian Distinguished Service Medal.
(InvictaIndia 2001.)
Townshend,
Charles. When God made Hell. The British
invasion of Mesopotamia and the creation of Iraq, 1914-1921. ( faber and
faber 2010.)
Right: Sepoys in trenches, Mesopotamia
Above: Indian advanced dressing station, Tekrit
