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IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 


*  tt 

*••. 


IN    THE    CLOUDS 
ABOVE  BAGHDAD 


BEING  THE  RECORDS  OF  AN 
AIR  COMMANDER 


BY 

LT.-COL.  J.   E.   TENNANT,  D.S.O.,  M.C. 


The  Moving  Finger  writes ;  and,  having  writ, 
Moves  on ;  nor  all  Thy  Piety  and  Wit 
Shall  lure  it  back  to  cancel  half  a  Line, 
Nor^all  thy  Tears  wash  out  a  Word  of  It. 

— OMAR. 


CECIL         PALMER 

OAKLEY  HOUSE,  BLOOMSBURY  STREET 
LONDON,  W.C.i.  1920 


FIRST 
EDITION 
ig20 
COPY- 
RIGHT 


TO  MARK,  MY  BROTHER 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

FOREWORD               ....  xi 

I     EASTWARDS 3 

II     A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW  21 

III  THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD  55 

IV  BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND     .         .         .  109 
V     DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY    .         .         .  161 

VI     ON  THREE  FRONTS          ,        .      rs  207 

VII     A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR         .        .  255 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


ON  PATROL        .         .         .        Frontispiece 

MESOPOTAMIA             .....  i 

IN  THE  MEDITERRANEAN  .         .        .        .  4 

SHEIKH  SAAD     .         .        .         .  '       .        .  17 
BRITISH    POSITION   ON  THE    TIGRIS   FROM 

MAY  TO  DECEMBER  13™,  1916  .         .  32 

A  FLY-BOAT      ......  44 

TRANSPORTING  TROOPS  UP  THE  TIGRIS      .  44 
SKETCH  SHOWING  :  KHADAIRI  BEND,  DAHRA 

BEND,  HAI  SALIENT,  AND  SHUMRAN       .  69 

SUNSET  ON  THE  TIGRIS      .         .         .        .  72 

OUR  MULE  TRANSPORT      ....  72 

AN  AERODROME  IN  THE  RAINS    .         .        .  72 
LOOKING    UP    THE    TIGRIS     FROM     AP.AB 

VILLAGE      ......  77 

THE  LINES  AT  SANNAYAT  .         .         .,  77 

GERMAN  AIRMEN  ON  THE  TIGRIS  .               ^7  82 

MAUDE'S  MASTER-STROKE  ....  82 

CTE  SIPHON         ......  104 

GUNBOATS  APPROACHING  BAGHDAD     .         .  104 

JEBEL  HAMRIN,  MARCH  25™,  1917  .         .  125 

SKETCH  SHOWING  BATTLE  OF  ISTABULAT    .  148 

SAMARRA    .         .         .         .        .         .         .  151 

BATTLE  OF  BAND-I-ADHAIM        .        .        .  154 
GENERAL     MAUDE     WITH     BRITISH     AND 

RUSSIAN  STAFF  OFFICERS  .         .        .  157 

R.F.C.  HEADQUARTER  STAFF,  BAGHDAD      .  157 

SKETCH  SHOWING  ACTION  AT  RAMADI  .         .  201 

BATTLE  OF  TEKRIT    .....  223 


X  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing 
Page 

SIR  STANLEY  MAUDE 228 

NEJEF 230 

TOWER  OF  BABEL 230 

OPERATIONS  IN  JEBEL  HAMRIN,  DECEMBER, 

1917   -  ....  235 

KHAZIMAIN         ......  240 

IN  THE  WAKE  OF  A  STORM  ....  240 

HUN  AVIATORS 248 

BROWNING'S  ARRIVAL  AT  TEHERAN  .  .  258 
KITE  BALLOON  AND  ANTI-AIRCRAFT  GUN  IN 

THE  DESERT 266 

HIT 266 

FIRST  RACE  MEETING  AT  BAGHDAD  .  .  268 

ACTION  AT  KHAN  BAGHDADI  .  .  .  285 
COMPARING  NOTES  ON  CAPTIVITY  WITH 

TURKISH  COMMANDER  .  .  .  287 

THE  WADI  WHERE  WE  WERE  SHOT  DOWN  287 


Foreword 

As  I  write  'this  it  is  almost  two  years  to  a  day 
since:  the  date-palms  of  Fao  slipped  under  the 
horizon  and  'the  steamer  steadied  on  her  course 
down  the  Gulf.  The  white  torment  of  the  desert 
is  replaced  by  the  view  of  a  London  square  in 
Spring;  life  is  respectable  and  comfortable — 
and  safe.  The  majority  of  us  who  have  survived 
the  war  are  no  doubt  doomed  to  die  in  our  beds; 
when  that  moment  arrives  how  we  shall  envy  that 
gay  company  who  went  before,  sword  in  hand  and 
faces  to  the  enemy,  flower  of  a  generation  who  with 
Time  are  gradually  forgotten.  Meanwhile  we, 
their  old  companions,  will  not  forget;  we  work, 
play,  and  make  new  friends,  but  we  do  not  forget 
those  gentlemen  of  England. 

It  seems  a  long  time  since  we  fought  for  very 
existence,  so  long  that  to  perpetuate  my  recollec- 
tions of  the  campaign  in  Mesopotamia  I  have 
woven  these  few  records  together  for  my  own 
interest;  it  is  neither  Military  Work  nor  Literary 
Aspiration,  but  perhaps  will  bring  back  memories 
of  stirring  times  to  those  who  served  with  me.  If 
any  other  reader  peruse  these  pages,  the  honour  I 
esteem;  for  the  penmanship  I  apologise. 

J.   E.   T. 

LONDON, 

April,  1930. 


Chapter  L 

EASTWARDS. 

Ah,  my  Beloved,  fill  the  Cup  that  clears 

To-day  of  past  Regrets  and  future  Fears 

To-morrow  ? Why,  To-morrow  I  may  be 

Myself  with  Yesterday's  Sev'n  Thousand  Years. 

— OMAR. 


CHAPTER    I. 

IT  was  the  last  day  of  June  in  1916  when  the  shore 
folk  thronged  their  windows  and  house-tops  to 
wave  us  farewell,  and  the  roar  of  cheering  and 
hoots  of  sirens  from  'the  ships  in  harbour  echoed 
across  'the  water  and  faded  away  as  we  gradually 
drew  out  to  sea.  A  destroyer  slipped  into  station 
<5h  either  bow,  a  throb  in  the  ship  told  of  increased 
speed,  and  we  were  out  in  the  silence  and  evening 
mist  of  'the  Channel.  That  night  the  wireless 
droned  of  the  storm-burst  on  'the  Somme;  of  the 
waves  of  great  Englishmen  going  over  the  top 
kicking  a  football  in  front  of  them;  of  the  British 
pack  pressing  forward  to  the  sound  of  a  hunting 
horn — of  Hell  let  loose. 

We?  Destiny  had  beckoned  us  East  to  fight  in 
a  remote  land  far  from  the  mad  swirl  of  the 
Western  Front,  and  to  those  of  us  who  had  drunk 
deep  of  the  wet,  cold,  squalor,  and  desolation 
between  the  Sea  and  the  Somme,  this  new  venture 
was  a  relief.  Roving  is  part  of  the  heritage  of  our 
race. 

A  zigzag  course  was  steered  all  the  way  to  Port 
Said,  for  the  Mediterranean  was  a  thickly-infested 

3 


4         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

sea,  and  many  of  our  predecessors  had  gone  to  the 
bottom.  The  sea  was  calm,  and  they  were  hot,  idle 
days;  the  wonderful  nights,  with  sickle  moon  and 
lamp-like  stars,  were  fitter  background  for  Love 
than  lurking  Tragedy.  The  old  "  Jupiter,"  shade 
of  a  former  Channel  Fleet,  and  '  Espiegle," 
reminder  of  training  days  at  Dartmouth,  lay 
anchored  at  Port  Said;  the  war  had  resurrected 
many  a  good  old  ship.  It  was  odd,  after  previous 
acquaintance  wi'th  this  hot,  dusty  town,  to  see  flying 
machines  come  swooping  over  the  ship  into  the 
harbour.  Forty  miles  away,  at  El-Arish,  sat  the 
Turkish  Army  in  sullen  immobility,  having  failed 
in  their  attempt  to  invade  Egypt;  the  British  line 
lay  along  the  Canal,  on  which  thousands  of  troops 
were  encamped,  from  Suez  to  Port  Said.  A  great 
General  remarked  that  during  this  period  the 
Canal  was  defending  the  troops,  instead  of  the 
troops  defending  the  Canal. 

All  that  stifling  July  night  we  were  passing 
British  encampments;  many  of  the  Tommies  were 
floating  about  in  the  Canal,  trying  to  get  cool,  even 
at  i  a.m.  All  night  a  fusillade  of  questions  passed 
between  ship  and  shore;  the  details  aboard  were 
anxious  to  find  out  if  any  battalions  of  their  own 
units  were  ashore.  In  answer  'to  their  questions 
"Any  Welshmen?"  "Any  Leicesters?"  from 
the  dimness  of  the  banks  would  come  a  weary 
attempt  at  cheerfulness,  "  Any  beer  ?  "  The  men 
on  shore  seemed  'to  feel  forgotten  in  the  desert, 
and  weary  of  waiting  for  the  action  that  never 
came  their  way.  Far  on  in  the  night,  in  the  silence 


the  Mediterrannean 


EASTWARDS  5 

of  the  "  wee  sma'  hoors,"  a  voice  rang  out  from  the 
desert  in  accents  unmistakable,  "  Is  there 
onybody  there  fra'  Broomielaw?  "  a  breath  from 
home.  The  next  morning  we  passed  the  last 
British  soldier  on  the  bank,  a  solitary  figure  in 
helmet,  shorts,  and  shirt-sleeves,  surrounded  by 
the  shimmering  white  plain.  A  friendly  soul  on 
board  cried  out:  "  Stick  it !  "  a  fitting  farewell 
with  the  thermometer  at  100  deg.  Fahr.,  but  his 
reply  to  us  was  :  "  You'll  never  come  back." 

Steaming  down  the  Gulf  of  Suez,  the  sun  set 
in  a  fiery  glow  behind  the  Egyptian  hills,  and  the 
night  came  as  a  benediction  with  the  moon  nearly 
full.  I  sat  smoking  on  deck  under  the  stars,  and 
thought  of  the  little  shikari  Fetich  ibn  Sabeah  and 
the  ibex  we  had  hunted  together  four  years  before 
among  the  high  tops  of  Sinai,  just  visible  on  the 
port  bow.  The  days  of  peace  and  sport  seemed 
so  many  years  ago. 

The  Red  Sea  proved  no  disappointment;  the 
'  Briton  "  had  not  been  built  for  these  climates ;  the 
saloon  at  meals  was  like  an  Inferno,  and  it  was  too 
hot  to  sleep.  The  stokers  were  white  men,  and 
unable  to  carry  on  unsupported,  so  forty  volunteers 
were  called  for,  and  the  Welsh  Fusilier  ex-miners 
responded.  The  temperature  of  the  sea  rose  to 
92  deg.  Fahr.,  and  the  atmosphere  was  soaking. 
The  second  afternoon  the  ship's  doctor  died  of 
heat-stroke;  we  buried  him  over  the  poop  next 
morning  in  a  thick  haze  of  heat.  The  human 
frame  could  stand  little  more;  the  perspiration  ran 

from  head  on  to  deck  and  down  legs  into  boots. 
B 


6         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

No  sooner  had  we  buried  the  doctor  than  one  of 
the  crew  went  down  outside  my  cabin;  his  clothes 
were  taken  off,  and  we  put  him  close  to  the  side  of 
the  ship  to  get  any  air  there  might  be,  but  despite 
all  efforts  he  was  gone  in  two  hours.  Such  is  the 
Red  Sea  in  July. 

We  steamed  through  Hell's  Gate  on  the  fifth 
morning,  and  by  nightfall  were  off  Aden  and 
cooling  down.  The  South- West  monsoon,  with  a 
tumbling  sea  and  rain  squalls,  blew  fresh  life  into 
the  ship  and  bucketed  us  into  Bombay  harbour 
twenty-two  days  out  from  Plymouth. 

Bombay  is  unpleasant  at  the  height  of  the 
monsoon.  The  rain  lashes  down  on  to  the  pave- 
ment and  rises  up  in  steam ;  an  electric  fan  at  night 
just  keeps  one  dry.  The  drafts  on  board  dis- 
embarked for  Poona  and  Kirkee, there  to  acclimatise 
before  going  up  the  Gulf.  The  place  at  this  time 
was  a  busy  base  for  the  forces  up  the  Persian  Gulf 
and  in  East  Africa,  and  was  not  lacking  in  lurid 
details  of  either.  There  seemed  to  be  little 
encouraging  about  Force  D.  General  Gorringe 
had  gone  home  for  an  enquiry;  60  per  cent,  of  the 
force  were  sick  and  15,000  invalided  out  of  the 
country  in  June;  half  rations  at  the  front  due  to 
insufficient  transport;  and  new  river  transport 
despatched  from  Calcutta  by  sea,  instead  of  being 
shipped  in  sections,  had  either  gone  to  the  bottom 
in  the  monsoon  or  been  forced  to  return  for 
repairs;  no  fresh  food;  our  cheerful  friends  gave 
us  a  month  in  the  country. 

On  Tuesday,  July  25th,  in  company  with  1,600 


EASTWARDS  7 

Indian  troops  and  their  goats  and  40  Indian  Army 
officers,  we  set  sail  in  the  B.I.  steamer  "  Ellenga  " 
for  this  promised  land.  We  called  at  Muscat,  a 
god-forsaken  looking  spot  on  the  south-east  coast 
of  Arabia,  and  an  old  headquarters  of  piracy, 
slave  traffic,  and  gun-running.  It  was  an  important 
Portuguese  naval  station  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  but  attained  its  greatest  prosperity  under 
Arab  rule  two  hundred  years  later.  Abdul  Rezak 
left  on  record  here  in  1442  that  "  the  heat  was  so 
intense  that  it  burned  the  marrow  in  'the  bones,  the 
sword  in  its  scabbard  melted  like  wax,  and  the 
gems  which  adorned  the  hilt  of  the  dagger  were 
reduced  to  coal.  In  the  plains  the  chase  became 
a  matter  of  perfect  ease,  for  the  desert  was  filled 
with  roasted  gazelles !  '  Muscat  is  picturesque 
and  mediaeval,  with  its  watch  towers  and  large 
fort  commanding  the  bay,  but,  as  usual,  no  shade 
or  vegetation  to  be  seen  anywhere.  Here  we  left 
a  de'tachment  of  the  io8th  Native  Infantry,  as, 
although  nominally  independent,  the  Sultan  had 
appealed  to  the  British  for  protection  against  the 
Turk  and  hos'tile  tribes,  to  whom  his  Hinterland 
was  exposed.  There  had  been  fighting  here  in 
1915,  the  Indian  garrison  having  defeated  and 
driven  off  three  thousand  Arabs.  Little  did  the 
British  public,  more  immediately  affected  by  the 
greater  wars,  realise  how  forgotten  British  officers 
were  dying  in  nameless  fights,  or  rotting  with  fever 
in  distant  outposts,  "  unknown,  uncared-for,  and 
unsung." 

The  heat  of  the  Persian  Gulf  was  as  the  heat 


8         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

of  the  Red  Sea :  the  temperature  :>f  the  water 
reached  100  deg.  Fahr.,  and  one  grew  weary  for 
want  of  sleep.  At  Bushire,  a  Persian  town  on  the 
edge  of  low-lying  desert,  lay  H.M.S.  "  Juno,"  with 
forty  cases  of  heat-stroke  on  board;  existence  in 
a  small  cruiser  surrounded  by  steel  plating  in  this 
climate  would  seem  a  test  even  for  the  British  tar. 
All  the  way  to  Busrah  we  had  passed  a  string 
of  hospital  ships  bound  for  India,  a  testimony  to 
the  truth  of  what  they  had  told  us  in  Bombay.  On 
the  evening  of  July  3Oth  we  arrived  at  the  Shatt- 
el-Arab  lightship,  and  anchored  outside  the  bar 
for  the  night.  The  sea  here  is  very  shallow,  being 
only  'three  fathoms  in  depth,  and  the  land  at  the 
mouth  so  low-lying  as  to  be  practically  out  of  sight 
from  the  bar.  Here  in  1914  General  Delamain, 
with  a  brigade  of  troops,  made  his  landing  at  Fao, 
and  captured  the  fort  after  its  guns  had  been 
silenced  by  our  warships.  The  Shatt-el-Arab 
(Arab  river)  is  the  estuary  formed  by  the  junction 
of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  about  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  sea.  Next  morning  we  crossed  the  bar 
and  entered  the  river;  it  reminds  one  of  the  Nile 
with  the  date  palms  on  either  hand  and  white 
desert  beyond.  The  "  Shamal,"  a  red-hot  wind 
with  driving  sand,  made  one  seek  protection;  it 
blows  for  six  weeks,  and  is  regarded  as  a  welcome 
relief  in  the  long  monotony  of  the  hot  weather, 
sometimes  a  questionable  point ;  the  still  heat  of  an 
oven  or  a  fiery  blast  and  driving  sand ! 

Abadan,    once    a    considerable  port  on  the  sea 
coast,  now  about  forty  miles  up  river,  was  almost 


EASTWARDS  9 

invisible  in  the  fog  of  sand  and  scorching  wind. 
Here  were  'the  dockyard  for  the  river  gunboats  and 
the  terminus  of  the  hundred-mile  pipe  line  between 
the  oilfields  and  the  refineries  of  the  Anglo-Persian 
Oil  Company.  Just  above  Abadan  the  channel 
was  blocked  by  three  vessels  sunk  in  the  fairway 
by  the  Turks,  leaving,  however,  a  narrow  channel 
close  in  to  the  right  bank.  At  three  o'clock  that 
afternoon  we  came  to  the  end  of  our  voyage, 
Busrah,  the  base  and  G.H.Q.  of  Indian 
Expeditionary  Force  "  D." 

After  'the  Moslem  invasion  in  the  seventh 
century,  a  new  city  called  Al-Busrah,  said  to  mean 
"  the  black  pebbles,"  was  built  some  miles  inland 
from  the  Sassanian  city  Ubullah  on  the  feverish 
estuary;  the  former,  however,  has  passed  with  the 
ages,  and  the  modern  Busrah  occupies  the  site  of 
the  ancient  Ubullah. 

As  soon  as  war  broke  out  in  Europe  the 
authorities  in  Constantinople  sent  secret  tele- 
grams to  the  Nationalist  faction  in  Busrah  to  enlist 
feeling  against  the  Allies.  On  the  arrival  of  'the 
British  expedition  in  November,  1914,  many  of  the 
Arabs  joined  the  Turks  in  the  natural  desire  to 
defend  their  homes  and  incited  further  by  lure  of 
loot  and  other  Ottoman  promises.  Fortunately 
the  British  advance  was  rapid,  or  the  whole  country 
might  have  been  enlisted  against  us.  Busrah  was 
captured  on  November  22nd,  after  some  hard 
fighting. 

The  place  is  famous  at  least  for  its  climate ;  the 
humid  heat  hangs  heavy  on  the  lungs,  everything 


IO        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

is  saturated,  ink  runs  on  the  paper,  and  matches 
will  barely  strike.  Endure  the  day,  but  "the  night 
brings  no  relief.  There  is  no  freshness  in  a 
Busrah  summer,  and  the  ravages  of  prickly  heat, 
mosquito,  and  sand-fly  combine  'to  shrivel  all 
impulse  and  desire.  The  town  and  its  surroundings 
are  intersected  by  canals  and  lagoons,  and  densely 
sown  with  date  palms,  their  "  feet  in  water  and 
their  heads  in  Hell,"  as  the  Arab  saying  goes. 
Busrah  city  itself  is  some  way  up  a  creek, 
its  suburb  on  the  banks  being  called  Ashar. 

The  inhabitants  are  a  cosmopolitan  crowd : 
Baghdadi  Jews,  Greeks,  Swahilis,  Lurs, 
Bakhtiaris,  Abyssinians,  Chaldeans,  Zanzibaris, 
Armenians,  Persians,  Kurds,  Indians,  and  Arabs, 
jostle  each  other  in  the  bazaars.  In  the  stream 
were  rows  of  dhows  from  Indian,  African,  Persian 
and  Arabian  ports;  a  great  date  trade  has  been 
carried  on  for  centuries.  Time  does  not  seem  to 
have  changed  either  the  'trade  or  the  ships  and 
their  crews.  There  they  lay  as  of  old,  with  their 
graceful  lines  and  carved  woodwork;  the  Arab 
captain  and  his  friends  decorously  drinking  coffee 
in  the  stern,  and  the  negro  crew,  sons  of  the  slave 
trade,  bickering  in  the  bow;  Vasco  da  Gama  would 
have  seen  no  change.  In  utter  contrast  to  this 
were  the  six  huge  masts  of  'the  high-powered 
wireless  station  crackling  out  forty  words  a  minute 
to  the  other  side  of  the  world. 

As  at  Venice,  the  means  of  progression  at 
Busrah  is  by  water;  instead  of  the  gondola  there  is 
the  "  bellum,"  a  long  canoe  strongly  made  and 


EASTWARDS  1 1 

easily  capsized.  One  goes  to  the  bazaar  up  the 
Ashar  Creek,  past  rows  of  Arab  cafes  and  dancing 
saloons.  On  the  west  side  of  the  harbour  were  the 
merchants'  warehouses,  stores,  offices,  and  landing 
stages.  Many  of  these  buildings  had  been  appro- 
priated for  the  accommodation  of  G.H.Q.  and 
hospitals.  On  the  other  side  were  the  old  Turkish 
barracks,  flying  the  White  Ensign,  used  as  a  depot 
by  the  Royal  Navy,  but  soon  evacuated  except  for 
storage  purposes  on  account  of  disease.  The 
harbour  was  busy  with  small  craft  such  as  motor- 
launches,  dhows,  smart  Navy  boats,  tugs,  bellums, 
and  "  gufas,"  the  latter  circular  coracles  made  of 
tarred  mud  and  matting,  and  unchanged  since  the 
days  of  the  Bible.  A  curious  medley  of  all  ages 
and  all  races ! 

On  either  bank,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  the 
long,  lean  palm  trees  swayed  in  the  hot  wind; 
outside  the  white  desert  blazed  to  the  horizon. 

My  first  day  on  shore  I  had  an  interview  with 
General  Sir  Percy  Lake,  and  was  generally  busy 
learning  the  situation.  The  staff  at  G.H.Q.  looked 
tired  and  washed  out,  the  result  of  long  office  hours 
in  the  Busrah  hot  weather. 

The  strength  of  the  R.F.C.  at  this  time  in 
Mesopotamia  was  one  skeleton  squadron  at  the 
Front,  and  an  Aircraft  Park  at  the  base.  There 
was  also  a  Kite  Balloon  section  of  the  R.N.A.S. 
under  Commander  Wrottesly,  R.N. 

As  will  be  remembered,  Kut  had  fallen  on  April 
23rd  of  this  year,  in  spite  of  the  indescribable 
valour  and  devotion  of  the  relieving  force,  wEo, 


12         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

in  the  face  of  overwhelming  difficulties,  had  again 
and  again  striven  to  break  through.  There  had 
been  no  'time  to  lose,  and  brigades  straight  off  the 
sea  from  France  were  rushed  in  and  decimated  as 
soon  as  they  arrived.  The  enemy  still  held  the 
same  pqsition  at  Sannayat  on  the  left  bank  in  which 
he  had  withstood  our  attacks  in  April.  His  line 
was  'flanked  on  the  one  side  by  the  Suwaikieh 
Marsh,  and  on  the  other  by  the  river,  whose  bank 
from  Sannayat  to  Kut  was  also  entrenched.  On 
the  right  bank  of  the  Tigris  it  extended  from  a 
point  three  miles  N.E.  of  Kut  in  a  S.W.  direction 
to  the  river  Hai,  two  miles  below  its  junction  with 
the  Tigris,  and  thence  across  the  Hai  to  the  N.W.* 
The  line  of  the  Hai  was  occupied  for  several  miles 
with  posts  and  mounted  Arab  auxiliaries.  On  the 
left  bank  of  the  Tigris  our  trenches  were  within  a 
hundred  and  twenty  yards  of  the  Turkish  front 
line ;  on  the  right  bank  our  troops  were  established 
eleven  miles  up-stream  of  Sannayat,  with  outposts 
about  two  miles  from  those  of  the  Turk.  In  these 
positions  desultory  warfare,  with  intermittent 
artillery  and  aerial  activity,  was  carried  on.  An 
Indian  Division  occupied  Nasiriyeh  on  the 
Euphrates,  where  the  surrounding  tribesmen  were 
mostly  hostile ;  further  up  that  river,  where  Turkish 
influence  was  rife,  there  was  a  small  enemy  force. 
Railway  construction  had  already  been  commenced 
towards  Nasiriyeh. 

The  Aircraft  Park,  at  Tanooma,  on  'the  other 
side  of  Busrah  harbour,  was  a  collection  of  palm- 
leaf  huts  with  a  few  iron-roofed  brick  sheds, 

*  See  sketch  map. 


EASTWARDS  13 

surrounded  by  desert.  Here  such  arrears  of  work 
had  accumulated  that  it  was  hard  to  know  where 
to  begin,  and  the  men  who  were  left  had  little  life 
in  them.  It  was  only  possible  to  work  in  the  hours 
of  dawn,  for  by  nine  o'clock  the  sun  was  getting  up, 
and  any  remaining  energy  was  necessary  for  bare 
existence.  A  large  percentage  of  our  staff  were 
sick,  the  hospitals  were  overflowing,  and  very  few 
reinforcements  arriving  in  the  country  ever  reached 
their  units,  but  went  sick  at  Busrah,  taking  up 
valuable  room  in  hospital  that  was  needed  for  men 
evacuated  from  'the  front.  Lack  of  labour  was 
seriously  holding  up  the  unlading  of  stores 
urgently  required  by  the  force  up  river;  coolies 
were  few  and  difficult,  and  troops  were  not  to  be 
spared  from  drafts  for  the  fighting  forces,  fifty 
per  cent,  of  whom  had  gone  sick.  The  congestion 
of  shipping  in  Busrah  harbour,  as  a  result  of  this, 
was  serious  at  a  time  when  all  the  Empire's 
resources  in  tonnage  were  necessary  to  fight  the 
submarine  menace.  Some  ships  had  been  lying  in 
harbour  for  months,  and  it  was  said  that  others 
had  returned  to  India,  having  only  cleared  a  por- 
tion of  their  cargo  in  order  not  to  waste  time  when 
'there  was  any  space  available.  Nine  new  aero- 
planes which  had  been  waiting  a  month  to 
be  unloaded  were  not  got  ashore  till  several  weeks 
later.  The  base  at  Busrah  seemed  to  be  congested 
with  stores  of  every  description,  yet  owing  'to  lack 
of  labour  and  shallow  draft  river  transport,  the 
fighting  force  were  hard  pressed  to  maintain 
themselves. 


14         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Next  morning,  August  4th,  we  started  up  river 
in  'the  steamer  T3,  attached  to  the  Royal  Flying 
Corps;  'the  landscape  consists  of  grass  and  scrub 
dotted  with  Arab  villages,  dead  flat  to  the  horizon, 
and  rather  like  the  White  Nile. 

The  waters  of  the  Euphrates  flow  into  the  Tigris 
at  'two  places.  The  swamps  and  lakes  away  to  the 
West,  in  which  various  channels  of  the  Euphrates 
lose  themselves,  drain  into  a  common  stream  which 
empties  itself  at  Gurmat  AH,  about  five  miles  above 
Busrah.  Kurnah,  ano'ther  forty  miles  on,  is  the 
junction  of  the  Tigris  and  the  only  navigable 
Euphrates  channel.  On  the  spit  of  land  formed 
by  the  two  rivers  is  the  reputed  site  of  the  Garden 
of  Eden;  the  stranger  is  still  shown  the  Tree  of 
Knowledge  by  the  Arabs.  The  two  streams  flowing 
along  side  by  side  are  quite  distinct  before  they 
merge,  the  muddy  white  of  the  Tigris  on  the  one 
hand  and  the  clear  blue  of  the  Euphrates  on  'the 
other.  In  the  Middle  Ages  the  Tigris,  after  reach- 
ing Kut,  changed  from  its  original  and  modern 
course,  and  flowed  south  down  what  is  now  the 
Shatt-el-Hai,  losing  itself  as  that  river  does  in  'the 
swamps.  It  is  uncertain  when  the  river  changed 
back  into  its  present  course,  but  Ralph  Fitch  and 
John  Newberie,  two  Englishmen  who  had  come  to 
Baghdad  down  the  Euphrates  in  1583,  reached 
Busrah  by  boat,  passing  Kurnah,  "  a  castle  which 
standeth  upon  the  point  where  the  river  Furro 
(Euphrates)  and  the  river  of  Bagdet  (Tigris)  doe 
meet/'  These  Englishmen  eventually  reached  the 
court  of  Akbar,  the  Great  Moghul,  where  they 


EASTWARDS  15 

separated;  Newberie  was  murdered  in  the  Punjab, 
Fitch,  after  many  vicissitudes,  returned  up  the 
Tigris  in  1588,  and  succeeded  in  regaining 
England.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  the  hardships 
which  these  early  pioneers  must  have  endured. 

There  are  no  crocodiles  in  'these  rivers,  but  their 
place  is  taken  by  sharks,  and  tortoises  are  to  be 
seen  swimming  in  hundreds;  the  bird  life  of  the 
whole  country  is  wonderful. 

In  the  evening  we  passed  Ezra's  tomb  :  a  blue- 
domed  building  and  haunt  of  pilgrims  in  time  of 
peace.  Records  as  far  back  as  the  tenth  century 
A.D.  speak  of  this  place  as  renowned  through  the 
country  as  a  spot  where  prayers  were  answered. 
We  anchored  for  the  night  in  mid-stream,  for 
in  those  days  it  was  unsafe  to  tie  up  to  'the  bank. 
Jackals  howled  one  to  sleep.  The  following  after- 
noon we  crawled  into  Amara  against  a  Shamal  gale 
that  burnt  the  eyes  in  their  sockets.  Lieut.  Kelly, 
in  charge  of  the  R.F.C.  advanced  store  depot,  met 
us  here,  and  we  groped  ashore  to  have  a  look  at 
the  place  and  inspect  the  mule  transport  fitting 
out  for  the  front;  the  wheels  of  the  carts  had 
all  shrunk  away  from  their  tyres. 

Amara  is  a  large  town,  consisting  of  the  regu- 
lation Arab  houses  of  mud  bricks,  which  reach  to 
the  river  on  either  side;  the  two  banks  were 
connected  by  a  bridge  of  boats  left  behind  by  the 
Turks.  The  bazaar  is  famed  for  its  silver-work 
from  Damascus  to  Peshawur,  and  is  thronged  by 
Jews,  Chaldeans,  Arabs,  Persians,  Kurds,  and 
Indians.  The  place  must  have  been  infested  with 


1 6        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

spies.  There  were  two  miles  of  hospital  camps, 
and  most  of  the  available  buildings  had  been 
converted  into  hospitals;  hospital  'tents  even 
surrounded  the  gallows  in  the  square.  One  of  the 
Arab  houses  on  the  river  had  been  turned  into  an 
officers'  club,  and  here  it  was  possible  to  get  a  cool 
whiskey-and-soda  on  the  verandah  of  an  evening. 
Amara  had  been  captured  on  June  3rd,  1915,  by 
twenty-two  sailors  and  soldiers  who  sailed  up  the 
river  in  a  shallow- draught  gunboat  and  demanded 
the  surrender  of  the  town  with  its  garrison  of  seven 
hundred  Turks.  An  audacious  stroke  of  successful 
bluff,  as  the  Norfolk  Regiment  did  not  arrive  till 
the  next  day. 

The  day  after  leaving  Amara  we  grounded  on  a 
mud  bank  at  6  a.m.  The  Arab  crew  and  pilot  were 
useless,  but  we  managed  to  kedge  her  off  ourselves 
after  'three  hours,  only  to  go  aground  again  an  hour 
later.  In  spite  of  many  more  arduous  hours  spent 
in  the  heat  and  wind,  we  failed  to  find  a  channel, 
merely  moving  from  one  shoal  to  another;  but  at 
last,  after  dark,  another  steamer  came  down-stream 
and  hauled  us  into  deeper  water  by  a  heavy  wire. 
She  had  been  on  the  mud  herself  for  ten  hours. 
The  river  was  at  its  lowest  and  the  channels  con- 
tinually altering;  we  were  told  that  with  our  4ft.  3in. 
draught  it  was  doubtful  whether  we  should  get 
above  Ali-Gharbi,  twenty-five  miles  short  of  our 
destination,  Sheikh  Saad.  The  heat  during  the 
whole  of  the  journey  up-stream  had  been  terrific; 
the  two  batmen  who  had  started  with  us  were  both 
down,  one  with  dysentery,  the  other  with  heat- 


Boat  bridge,  Sheikh   Saad 


• 


Sheikh  Saad 


EASTWARDS  17 

stroke.  One's  apparel  consisted  of  shorts,  shirt 
sleeves  and  a  "  topi,"  without  shoes  or  stockings. 
In  the  evening  one  was  glad  to  hang  over  the  side 
of  the  ship  on  a  rope  and  be  towed  slowly  through 
the  water,  which,  though  thick  and  nasty  'to  taste, 
was  at  least  cool. 

Ali-Gharbi  proved  a  mere  collection  of  Arab 
shelters  and  the  tents  of  a  small  British  post ;  not  a 
tree  to  be  seen.  Here  we  left  T3,  as  she  would 
only  have  blown  on  the  shoals  in  the  shallow  and 
tortuous  channels  above.  I  shall  never  forget  going 
ashore  that  morning  in  this  god-forgotten  spot; 
bending  low  against  the  gale,  I  searched  for  a 
British  officer.  Eventually  'there  appeared  a  ragged 
individual  in  pyjamas  and  helmet;  he  had  been 
there  all  summer  and  had  long  since  lost  all  interest 
in  life.  The  arrival  of  fresh  blood  from  England, 
however,  cheered  him,  and  talk  of  London  over  a 
bottle  of  warm  beer  seemed  to  awaken  further 
desire  to  live. 

Our  intention  of  crossing  the  desert  to  Sheikh 
Saad  in  a  motor  was  not  advised  on  account  of 
possible  attack  by  Arabs,  so  a  telegram  was  sent  to 
squadron  H.Q.  for  their  motor-boat.  Captain 
Murray,  commanding  at  'the  time,  met  us,  and  we 
ran  up  to  Sheikh  Saad  in  four  hours  in  spite  of 
taking  several  shoals  at  twelve  knots. 

The  tents  of  a  squadron  of  Flying  Corps  and  a 
few  other  troops  were  the  sole  means  of  distinguish- 
ing Sheikh  Saad  from  Ali-Gharbi;  otherwise,  as 
spake  the  British  Tommy,  "  there  was  miles  and 
miles  and  miles  of  sweet  damn  all !  " 


Chapter  IL 

A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW. 

And  that  Inverted  Bowl  we  call  The  Sky, 
Whereunder  crawling  coop't  we  live  and  die, 

Lift  not  thy  hand  to  IT  for  help — for  IT 
Rolls  impotently  on  as  Thou  or  I. 

— OMAR. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  enemy's  aerodrome  was  at  Shumran,  a  few 
miles  above  Kut,  his  flying  unit  being  manned  by 
Germans  and  equipped  with  Fokker  and  Albatross 
machines.  Hitherto  their  sky  had  been  clear; 
with  only  an  occasional  old  B.E.,  Henry  Farman, 
or  Voisin  to  hinder  them,  their  morale  was  excel- 
lent. To  quote  Sir  Percy  Lake's  despatch :  "  As 
regards  aviation,  the  superiority  of  certain  of  the 
enemy  planes  over  any  of  our  machines  in  the 
matter  of  speed,  combined  with  a  large  reduction 
in  the  number  of  our  pilots  (due  to  sickness  partly 
attributable  to  overwork),  enabled  the  enemy  in 
May  and  June  to  establish  what  was  very  nearly  a 
mastery  of  the  air." 

It  was  essential  'to  destroy  that  morale,  as  in 
order  to  fulfil  the  role  of  close  co-operation  with 
cavalry,  artillery,  and  infantry,  and  carry  on  the 
photography  and  mapping  of  any  area  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  an  Air  Service  must  be  in  moral 
supremacy.  The  personnel  of  the  squadron  were 
severity  under  strength  and  most  of  them  sick 
men,  unable  to  leave  their  tents  many  days  of  the 
week.  More  machines  were,  however,  got  into 


21 


22        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

commission,  and  would  go  out  in  the  early  "hours 
of  the  morning  hunting  for  Huns.  The  effort  was 
not  in  vain,  and  within  a  week  Lieu'ts.  Lander  and 
Barr  shot  down  a  Fokker  that  had  come  up  from 
the  Shumran  aerodrome,  and  been  previously 
engaged  by  another  B.E.,  in  which  action  Lieut. 
Hon.  J.  Rodney  was  wounded.  After  this,  aerial 
combats  were  intermittent,  and  the  enemy  seemed 
to  lose  appetite  for  close  action. 

There  was  yet  another  way  to  shake  his  morale ; 
and  with  bombing  raids  he  was  harried  in  his  lair 
by  day  or  night. 

On  the  night  of  the  i4th  three  of  us  opened  the 
ball :  time  was  allowed  for  the  Turk  to  have  his 
supper  and  get  to  sleep ;  he  had  never  been  bombed 
by  night  before,  and  we  hoped  that  the  surprise  of 
this  little  jaunt  might  further  its  effect.  Just  after 
eleven  Captain  de  Havilland  left  the  ground  with 
a  cheery  wave  and  was  gone  in  the  darkness;  a 
few  minutes  later  came  "  Contact,  sir!'*  from  my 
mechanic,  and  I  was  away.  Our  course  took  us 
over  the  desert  west  of  the  river,  which  shone  like 
quicksilver  in  the  moonlight  far  to  starboard.  A 
strong  head-wind  made  progress  slow,  but  it  was 
pleasant  to  be  up  in  the  cool  vastness  of  the  night 
above  that  strange  country.  It  seemed  ever  so  long 
ago  that  I  had  left  England.  A  series  of  flashes  in 
the  distance  ahead  dispelled  reverie;  D.  H.  was 
attacking.  Gliding  slowly  with  engine  off,  I  arrived 
short  of  the  aerodrome  at  a  height  of  400  feet,  when 
suddenly  there  burst  a  storm  of  heavy  and  concen- 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW      23 

trated  rifle  fire  from  what  must  have  been  at  least 
a  thousand  rifles  under  well-directed  control.  It  had 
been  my  lot  during  the  war  'to  come  under  fusillades 
of  varying  intensity,  but  this  reception  was 
perhaps  the  warmest  up  'to  date  :  the  sound  was  like 
the  tearing  of  a  piece  of  calico.  After  dropping  the 
bombs  on  the  hangars  my  speed  down  wind  gave 
the  Turks  small  chance.  Captain  Herring,  who  had 
followed  me,  came  in  for  a  similar  reception,  but 
D.  H.  had  surprised  them  as  had  been  expected. 
The  results  were  unknown  in  the  uncertain  light 
and  dust  of  the  explosions;  'time  would  tell. 

The  evening's  airing  finished  with  a  cheery 
supper  by  the  Tigris  at  2  a.m.  off  sardines  and 
coffee  with  the  lads  who  could  not  sleep  for  sand 
flies.  The  sand  flies  at  Sheikh  Saad  defied 
description,  and  mosquito  nets  were  of  no  avail,  the 
net  specially  designed  against  these  pests  entailing 
a  mesh  so  small  as  'to  make  ventilation  impossible ; 
the  expedient  of  emptying  'the  kerosene  from  one's 
"  butti  "  (lamp)  over  bed  and  body  gave  relief  for 
perhaps  an  hour  till  it  had  dried  off,  and  the  torture 
started  again.  In  those  days  men  sold  their  souls 
for  kerosene.  There  is  a  place  called  Bor,  a 
thousand  miles  up  the  White  Nile;  those  who  have 
been  'there  and  sampled  its  mosquitoes  will  realise 
what  were  the  sand  flies  at  Sheikh  Saad.  They  came 
with  a  roar  at  sun-down,  sleep  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. During  the  night  desperate  humans  would  be 
seen  walking  about  the  camp  smoking  cigarettes; 
to  help  the  night  'through,  "  chota  pegs  "  and 


24        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

sandwiches  would  be  laid  out  under  the  moon.  In 
spite  of  all  this  we  were  a  cheery  crowd. 

There  was  "  Bert  " — sometime  cavalry  officer 
— planter  in  Burma — artillery  brigade  com- 
mander in  South  Africa;  now  hawk-like 
observer — mess  president — and  cocktail-mixer- 
in-chief;  there  was  little  that  "  Bert  "  did 
not  know  or  could  not  do;  his  joy  and  the  youth- 
fulness  of  his  heart  were  those  of  a  boy,  his  manner 
that  of  a  courtier.  "  Bert  "  became  famous  through 
the  land. 

Then  "  D.  H.,"  otherwise  "  Mark  2,"  being 
the  youngest  of  a  famous  pair.  Life  was  not  serious 
for  "  D.  H."  The  ground  hardly  knew  him,  but 
when  it  did  it  smiled;  he  feared  neither  God  nor 
Man.  His  mate  was  "Oo-Er,"  a  vermilion  machine 
and  the  terror  of  the  Turk.  When  by  chance  on 
the  ground,  he  would  play  golf  round  the  aero- 
drome, a  palpitating  tyke  following  in  his  train. 

In  the  dog  days  came  "  Chocolo,"  which  is  short 
for  "Chocololovitch"  (after  a  soldier  comedian  who 
sang  a  song  of  that  name),  a  broth  of  a  boy  with  a 
brogue  of  Fermanagh.  He  presented  himself  from 
his  Indian  unit  at  a  time  when  there  was  no  vacancy 
for  embryo  observers;  however,  as  a  result  of  'the 
difficulties  of  transport  for  his  return  and  a  deter- 
mination not  'to  budge,  "  Chocolo  "  remained  for 
two  years. 

Then  there  was  "  Bobby,"  an  imperturbable 
representative  from  Caledonia.  Bobby  was  stolid; 
when  threatened  with  expulsion  after  appalling 
crashes,  he  would  remain  quite  stoically  undisturbed 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SOPROW       2 5 

with  a  grin  on  his  face.  He  said  little.  The  only 
times  that  Bobby  blossomed  to  the  outside  world 
were  on  such  occasions  as  New  Year's  Eve  or  St. 
Andrew's  Night,  when  our  friend  would  become 
suddenly  brilliant,  the  central  figure  of  the  evening; 
after  which  he  would  retire  into  his  quiet  canny 
shell  until  another  Festival  came  round  on  which  he 
thought  it  fit  to  blossom  forth  once  more.  Later  on 
he  distinguished  himself  by  shooting  down  a  Hun  in 
aerial  combat  and  received  the  Military  Cross. 
Questioned  by  the  G.O.C.  as  to  how  many  he  had 
crashed,  Bobby  replied  :  "  Sixteen ;  fifteen  English 
and  one  German,  sir."  His  next  crash,  alas !  was 
his  las't. 

"  Anzac,"  transferred  to  us  from  the  Remounts ; 
his  youth  had  been  spent  astride  of  a  horse  in  the 
back-blocks  of  Queensland;  the  early  days  of  the 
war  saw  him  a  trooper  in  the  Bombay  Light  Horse. 
He  would  amuse  us  with  yarns  of  his  charging  troop 
on  the  sands  at  Colaba,  and  how,  when  they  had 
run  away,  he  wheeled  them  into  the  sea.  A  great- 
hearted Australian,  Anzac  had  never  been  to 
Europe.  We  shall  meet  more  of  this  gallant 
company  later;  'to  describe  them  all  would  require 
a  separate  volume. 

This  period  of  the  campaign  was  stagnant  as 
regards  the  land  force ;  sullen  trench  warfare  on  the 
left  bank  and  an  affair  of  outposts  on  the  right. 
The  Arabs  were  a  continual  source  of  worry;  in 
fact  'the  war  was  one  of  British  against  Turk,  the 
whole  surrounded  by  Arabs.  They  were  like  jackals 
hanging  about  both  camps,  and  woe  betide  the 


26       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Englishman  or  Turk  who  was  caught  alone.  All 
our  camps  had  to  be  fortified,  wired  in,  and 
defended,  for  the  marauders  were  out  on  a  foray 
every  night.  The  cunning  and  skill  of  the  Pathan 
on  the  North- West  Frontier  were  nothing  compared 
with  that  of  the  Bedouin.  Somehow  he  would  get 
through  the  wire  and  sentries  and  make  away  with 
a  rifle  from  under  a  sleeper's  pillow  without 
awakening  him;  it  seemed  supernatural.  The  wire 
was  thickened,  grenades  ready  'to  detonate  were 
hung  upon  it,  and  yet  these  Arab  thieves  would  be 
in  the  camp  by  bright  moonlight  carrying  off  arms 
and  ammunition.  If  alarmed  they  would  not 
hesitate  to  plunge  in  'their  long  knives,  and  several 
good  lives  were  lost  in  this  fashion.  Most  of  us 
slept  with  loaded  revolvers  in  our  hands;  this 
made  movement  about  the  camp  somewhat 
precarious  by  night,  and  walking  down  a  row  of 
tents  one  would  hear  "  click,  click,  click,"  the 
wakeful  sleepers  cocking  their  guns  !  Occasionally 
someone  would  blaze  off  a!t  a  shadow  in  the  middle 
of  the  stillness ;  one  night  a  poor  donkey  who  had 
strayed  too  far  took  two  holes  in  his  belly  as  a 
result. 

The  Arabs  on  the  Hai  river,  a  thickly  populated 
district,  were  in  sympathy  with  the  Turks  and  a 
nasty  thorn  on  our  left  flank.  Not  far  from  Sheikh 
Saad  was  Gussab's  Fort,  a  hotbed  of  these 
marauders.  We  bombed  it  most  mornings,  and 
after  several  direct  hits  its  occupants  retired  into 
the  various  villages  of  the  district.  These  Bedouins 
were  all  armed  and  well  mounted,  and  when 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW      27 

organised  proved  a  formidable  foe.  A  savage, 
cunning  folk,  they  would  dig  up  the  dead  to  get  the 
blankets;  torture  and  mutilation  were  regular 
practices,  withal  they  were  brave  men. 

It  was  my  fortune  once  to  witness  from  the  air  a 
battle  of  one  'tribe  against  another  to  the  north  of 
the  Suwaikieh  Marsh,  a  sideshow  quite  apart  from 
the  Turks  or  British.  But  it  was  an  Englishman 
who  led  one  side,  one  Englishman  alone  leading  a 
wild  savage  tribe  into  fierce  battle  against  Turkish 
friendlies  on  our  right  flank.  The  career  of  this 
Englishman  may  never  be  written,  yet  in  the  history 
of  the  world  there  is  probably  no  romance  that  can 
equal  it;  most  people  have  heard,  and  much  has 
worthily  been  sung,  of  Colonel  Lawrence,  of  Syrian 
and  Hedjaz  fame;  'the  story  of  Colonel  Leachman 
is  perhaps  even  stranger.  Before  the  war  Leachman 
spent  his  time  wandering  over  large  tracts  of  Arabia, 
and  when  British  forces  went  to  Mesopotamia  he 
was  employed  politically  in  the  desert.  His 
prestige  was  amazing,  and  his  name  known  to  every 
Bedouin  from  Aden  to  Mosul.  He  lived  in  that 
desert  from  January  to  December  dressed  as  an 
Arab,  and  with  his  boy  Hussein  wandered  about 
amongst  the  tribes,  perhaps  even  behind  the  Turks, 
organising,  compelling,  acquiring  priceless  informa- 
tion. There  was  a  price  on  his  head,  and  he  lived 
with  his  life  in  his  hands,  but  he  could  shoot  a  tribes- 
man dead  for  misdeeds  in  front  of  the  tribe  and  no 
hand  would  be  lifted  against  him.  Occasional 
visits  to  G.H.Q.,  and  he  would  be  gone,  riding  out 
to  the  horizon  on  his  little  Arab  pony  with  his  long 


28         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

legs  dangling  nearly  to  the  ground.  Eventually 
he  would  return  wizened  and  thin,  with  probably  a 
severe  dose  of  fever  after  months  in  the  desert  in 
the  heat  of  the  summer,  living  on  Arab  food  and 
water.  Throughout  Eastern  Arabia  the  people 
were  under  the  impression  that  it  was  Leachman 
who  commanded  the  British  forces,  and  even  that 
he  was  the  King  of  England.  On  special  cards 
that  were  printed  for  flying  officers,  to  produce  in 
the  event  of  coming  down  in  the  desert,  was  written 
his  name  in  large  Arabic  letters.  Such  was  the 
magic  of  his  personality.  When  I  left  Mesopotamia 
two  years  later,  I  had  not  seen  Leachman  for  several 
months ;  he  was  still  in  the  desert. 

The  days  at  Sheikh  Saad  were  a  heavy  strain  on 
bo'th  health  and  nerves,  the  former,  I  suppose,  being 
the  cause  of  the  latter.  Our  camp  was  situated  on 
the  river  bank  between  two  hospitals,  the  one  down- 
stream being  the  cholera  hospital;  a  mournful 
procession  of  funerals  at  nightfall  does  not 
tend  'to  elevate  the  spirits  of  a  fever-eaten  com- 
munity. There  was  no  fresh  food,  and  a  scale  of 
only  half  rations;  the  bully-beef  was  liquid  in  its 
tin,  and  had  to  be  poured  out.  The  only  cool 
drink  in  the  24  hours  was  the  water  in  a  "  chatti," 
hung  up  to  a  tent  rope  overnight  and  drunk  before 
the  sun  got  up.  The  porous  earthenware  jar  causes 
evaporation,  thereby  cooling  the  contents,  providing 
there  is  no  sun.  In  the  day  all  liquid  was  hot,  the 
glasses  got  almost  too  hot  to  hold.  Tinned  fruit 
was  issued  in  an  effort  to  combat  'the  scurvy,  but  was 
found  of  little  avail;  scurvy  and  jaundice  were  very 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       29 

rife.  As  usual,  the  British  troops  withstood  the 
climate  and  trying  conditions  far  better  than  the 
Indians,  who  went  down  like  flies.  The  war  was 
one  of  blockade,  and  the  resultant  inactivity  of  an 
army  employed  only  in  fighting  sand  and  sun  was  a 
factor  to  increase  sickness.  When  "  Turk  "  was 
added  to  these  adversaries  the  effect  was  contrary, 
spirits  improved  and  with  them  health.  Inactivity 
induces  disease. 

The  R.F.C.  were  lucky  in  being  under  "  double- 
fly  "  tents ;  most  of  the  army  had  to  sit  in  'their 
helmets   under   single-fly    8o-lb.   shelters    through 
which  the  sun's  rays  streamed,  making  the  tempera- 
ture intolerable.     Even  within  our  own  'tents  the 
thermometer  sometimes  stood  well  over  130  deg. 
Fahr.  during  the  day.     With  the  ceasing  of  the 
jackals'  howls  the  dawn  would  come  and  reveal 
for  a  few  minutes  the  Pusht-i-Kuh  away  to  the 
East  in  Persia;  to  the  rest  of  the  horizon  'there  was 
limitless  desert.     How  we  used  to  hate  watching 
the  sun's  rays  shoot  up  from  behind  these  hills, 
then  the  old  red  ball  would  top  the  summits  and  all 
animal  life  would  seek  cover. 

Horizons  vanished,  the  sky  became  steel 
coloured,  another  day  had  started  to  take  its  toll. 
About  nine  o'clock,  with  a  few  heralding  puffs  and 
"  sand  devils,"  the  Shamal  would  be  down, 
driving  the  sand  five  or  six  thousand  feet  high  till 
nightfall;  then  the  imagination  would  stray  to 
green  fields  of  England  or  soft  Highland  rain. 
We  at  least  thanked  our  stars  that  our  lot  did  not 
take  us  to  'the  trenches  at  Sannayat;  as  usual 


30        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

'throughout  the  war  the  "  enduring  "  was  done  by 
the  infantry. 

The  sand-grouse  were  a  great  feature  at  Sheikh 
Saad;  they  were  there  during  the  summer  in  tens 
of  thousands.  What  might  be  taken  for  a  distant 
black  cloud  in  the  early  morning  would  be  a  flock 
of  these  birds  congregating  at  the  river  to  drink. 
One  soon  learnt  their  regular  flights,  and  three 
guns  and  two  loaders  would  have  been  welcome, 
for  they  streamed  over  unceasingly.  Most  of  us 
had  guns,  but  cartridges  were  at  a  premium.  When 
there  were  enough  one  could  take  the  sporting 
shots,  /ocke'ters  at  any  angle;  but  if,  as  often 
happened,  only  a  dozen  cartridges  remained  in  the 
camp  they  would  be  handed  over  to  an  expert  in 
order  that  he  might  secure  the  only  available  form 
of  fresh  meat  for  the  mess  by  fair  means  or  foul. 
On  such  occasions  Paddy  Maguire  would  be  sent 
out  and  watched  intently  from  a  distance  stalking 
the  unsuspecting  birds  with  artful  cunning.  He 
would  wait  till  he  got  three  or  four  in  line  on  the 
ground,  and  then,  with  an  ancient  "  bundook  " 
that  he  had  brought  from  Co.  Clare,  rake  them 
with  deadly  effect.  With  a  fresh  consignment  of 
cartridges  three  or  four  guns  would  go  out  and 
have  splendid  shooting,  bringing  back  enough  to 
feed  the  whole  squadron,  a  welcome  change  for 
the  men  from  the  everlasting  tinned  food.  In 
winter  the  sand-grouse  disappeared. 

We  had  both  land  and  water  transport  at  this 
stage  of  the  campaign.  On  the  river  there  were 
loo-ft.  barges  divided  into  the  workshops,  dark- 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW      31 

rooms,  stores,  etc.,  essential  to  a  flying  unit.  These 
barges  remained  or  moved  with  their  flights,  for  it 
was  a  river  war,  and  the  Tigris  being  the  only 
artery  of  supply  and  communication  the  force 
could  not  move  far  from  it.  Plying  between 
Busrah  and  the  front  we  had  further  barges  'towed 
by  two  allotted  steamers,  the  T3,  a  river  boat  from 
India,  and  the  "  Bahmanshir,"  once  the  yacht  of 
the  Sheikh  of  Mohammerah.  The  T3  drew  too 
much  water,  and  she  spent  many  weary  hours 
aground ;  later  on  this  stopped  her  working  entirely 
in  the  higher  reaches  during  the  low  water  season. 
The  "  Bahmanshir  *  was  early  Victorian,  and  her 
bed-plate  in  the  engine-room  being  cracked  she 
could  never  steam  more  than  half  speed;  the 
engine  was  held  in  place  by  the  main  steam  pipe ! 
Despite  this  the  "  Bahmanshir,"  with  her  enter- 
prising Arab  skipper  and  Dago  engineer,  did 
many  a  rapid  scramble  over  the  shoals  'twix't  base 
and  front,  making  up  in  navigation  for  what  she 
lacked  in  power. 

At  Sheikh  Saad  there  was  also  a  "  mahala,"  a 
craft  similar  to  the  dahabeah  of  the  Nile,  used  for 
the  storage  of  petrol  and  bombs.  The  Arab  skipper 
of  this  mahala  came  one  day  to  my  office  tent.  I 
heard  someone  hovering  about  outside,  arid  calling 
out  to  ask  who  it  was  received  the  reply,  "  I  the 
mahala-walla-captain-sahib,  my  lighter  is  sinking  " 
(he  always  referred  to  his  craft  as  his  "  lighter  "), 
and  there  was  the  ruffian  beaming  from  ear  to  ear 
very  pleased  with  his  effort  at  English.  He  was  a 
genial,  friendly  soul  and  full  of  the  high  office  he 


32         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

held  with  the  British  Army.  Having  evidently 
become  tired  of  Sheikh  Saad,  and  desiring  to 
return  'to  his  wives  and  the  flesh  pots  of  Busrah,  he 
had  made  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  his  vessel,  which 
was  leaking  badly  and  afforded  good  excuse  to 
retire  to  dock;  he  also  asked  for  his  wages;  the 
inference  was  obvious.  However,  his  "  lighter  " 
was  an  unnecessary  luxury,  so  I  made  no  demur, 
and  after  great  ceremonial  and  assurances  of 
immediate  return  to  help  us  win  the  war,-  he  and 
his  chattering  crew  sailed  away. 

For  land  transport  we  possessed  three  light 
lorries,  a  Hupmobile  car,  and  fifty-six  Australian 
mules  to  haul  six  specially-constructed  waggons. 
This  mule  transport  was  the  great  pride  of  the 
R.F.C.,  the  personnel  were  Australians  assisted  by 
Madrassi  boys,  and  "  Anzac  "  was  in  charge.  It 
was  a  well-trained  unit;  eight  i6-hand  mules  would 
move  a  waggon  across  country  at  rattling  speed. 
For  exercise  in  the  evenings  we  would  harness  ten 
or  twelve  pair  to  a  waggon  and  manoeuvre  about  at 
a  canter. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  there  were  no  roads, 
so  that  the  motor  transport  had  'to  rely  on  picking 
its  way  across  the  desert.  A  narrow-gauge  railway 
was  built  from  Sheikh  Saad  out  to  Sinn,  the 
divisional  H.Q.  on  the  right  bank,  all  the  material 
having  been  shipped  from  India  to  Busrah  and  up 
'the  Tigris  in  barges.  This  railway,  twenty  miles  in 
length,  was  protected  along  its  southern  and 
exposed  side  by  a  chain  of  blockhouses  connected 
by  barbed  wire;  to  the  North  flowed  the  river. 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       33 

Sheikh  Saad  became  the  advanced  base  for  the 
force. 

In  August  the  Sannayat  position  was  garrisoned 
by  the  yth  and  the  right  bank  by  -the  3rd  Indian 
Divisions.  Tigris  Corps  H.Q.  were  close  behind 
Sannayat,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river;  in 
fact,  Corps  H.Q.  were  only  4,000  yards  from  the 
Turkish  front  line.  The  Turks  might  have  shelled 
the  camp  any  day,  but  they  apparently  were 
anxious  to  "  let  sleeping  dogs  lie." 

The  1 3th  Division,  the  only  British  Division  in 
the  Force,  came  back  to  Sheikh  Saad  and  marched 
on  south  to  Amara  to  train  and  reduce  the  ration 
strength  at  the  front.  Earlier  in  the  year  this 
Division,  from  Gallipoli,  and  the  3rd  and  yth 
Indian  Divisions,  from  France,  had  arrived  to  be 
plunged  straight  into  the  desperate  fighting  for 
the  relief  of  Kut.  Nasiriyeh,  on  the  Euphrates, 
and  its  L.  of  C.  were  garrisoned  by  the  i5th 
Indian  Division. 

The  dispositions  at  the  end  of  August  were 
thus  :- 

Tigris   Corps — Lieut. -General  A.   S.   Cobbe, 

V.C. 

3rd  Division — Major-General  H.  D'U.  Keary. 
7th  Division — Brig. -General  C.  E.  Norie. 
1 3th  Division — Major-General   W.   Cayley,    at 

Amara. 

1 4th  Division — Major-General  R.  G.  Egerton. 
1 5th  Division — Major-General  H.  T.  Brooking, 
at  Nasiriyeh. 


34         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Lieiit.-General  F.  S.  Maude  succeeded  Lieut- 
General  Sir  Percy  Lake  as  G.O.C.-in-C.  on  the 
latter  being  invalided. 

Forward  landing  grounds  were  made  at  Corps 
H.Q.  at  Dujailah  (i4th  Division),  and  at  Arab 
Village  (7th  Division)  to  aid  co-operation.  The 
strategic  situation  was  a  curious  one,  and  to  our 
advantage ;  the  enemy's  communications  on  'the  left 
bank  were  prolonged  and  exposed  to  our  force 
situated  on  the  right  bank.  The  Suwaikieh  Marsh 
protected  the  northern  flank  of  our  Sannayat 
position,  and  our  troops  were  so  disposed  on  the 
right  bank  to  prevent  any  attempt  on  our  left  flank, 
a  movement  which  would  have  meant  long  and 
hazardous  marches  for  the  enemy.  During  August 
a  flight  of  two  Voisins  and  two  Henry  Farman 
machines  was  sent  to  Arab  Village  to  co-operate 
with  the  artillery  of  the  7th  Division.  It  was  not 
practicable  to  detail  a  flight  for  Dujailah  for 
co-operation  with  the  I4th  Division,  as  Corps  H.Q. 
pointed  out  to  me  the  difficulty  of  feeding  the  force 
already  there  without  being  further  burdened. 
Dujailah  was  a  two  days'  journey  across  the  desert. 

Wireless  gear  was  fitted  in  all  machines,  and 
artillery  co-operation  practised  and  developed.  By 
the  end  of  August  the  work  of  registration  of  the 
enemy  positions  was  in  full  swing.  Great  diffi- 
culties had  been  experienced  by  the  force  due  to 
the  complete  lack  of  reliable  maps.  The  only 
method  of  mapping  a  hostile  country  is  by 
photography,  and  an  extensive  programme  in  this 
respect  was  carried  out  each  morning,  commencing 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW      35 

with  an  area  of  forty  square  miles  round  Kut.  A 
close  reconnaissance  of  the  whole  front  was 
maintained  daily,  and  distant  reconnaissances  were 
frequently  sent  to  Hai-Town  (Kut-el-Hai), 
Azizieh,  and  Mendali,  'the  latter  being  an  under- 
taking of  two  hundred  miles  across  waterless  desert 
with  a  complete  lack  of  landmarks,  no  mean 
performance  with  the  old  B.E.  aeroplane. 

We  did  not  know  what  Simla  or  the  War  Office 
intended  as  regards  the  Mesopotamian  campaign; 
some  thought  that  we  should  merely  hold  the 
enemy's  forces  where  we  were,  but  the  most 
prevalent  idea  was  that  we  should  capture  Kut  in 
the  cold  weather  and  wipe  out  the  stain  of  its  loss ; 
some  even  thought  that  we  might  evacuate  our 
present  positions  and  take  up  a  defensive  line 
somewhere  down  river.  How  lit'tle  we  guessed  the 
great  events  that  were  in  store ! 

A  system  of  Emergency  calls  from  all  wireless 
stations  and  "  Clear  line  "  telephone  calls  was 
established  to  signal  the  locality  of  enemy  aircraft 
as  soon  as  sighted.  While  the  weather  was  still  hot 
aerial  work  during  the  day  was  limited  to  the  early 
hours,  for  the  late  afternoon  was  as  hot  as  midday 
'till  the  sun  went  down;  then  it  was  dark.  Cooler 
air  was  not  to  be  found  under  an  altitude  of  3,000 
feet,  and  little  difference  could  be  felt  much  under 
5,000  feet.  Flying  in  the  night  one  would  start  in 
fairly  cool  atmosphere,  but  on  reaching  500  feet 
one  entered  the  hot  air  of  the  day.  It  was  a  curious 
phenomenon;  the  belt  of  hot  air  on  the  ground 
during  the  day  rose  up  at  night,  being  lighter  than 


36         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

the  air  cooled  by  the  radiation  of  the  earth.  Flying 
in  the  hot  weather  was  a  great  strain,  and,  after 
service  in  France,  it  was  odd  to  see  a  pilot  going  off 
for  a  long  flight  dressed  only  in  shorts,  stockings, 
and  shirt,  with  a  helmet  bound  down  on  to  his  head, 
for  at  5,000  feet  the  sun's  rays  are  as  fierce  as  on 
the  ground. 

An  attack  of  fever  s'tretched  me  out  at  the  end  of 
August,  and  I  was  laid  up  in  hospital  in  an  Arab 
house  on  the  banks  of  the  river  at  Amara.     It  was 
in  the  days  before  fans  and  when  the  supply  of  ice 
was  limited ;  the  wards  were  crowded  and  the  sand- 
flies  at  night  intolerable;  however,   it  was  active 
service  in  an  uncivilised  land,  and  the  nurses  were 
all  Florence  Nightingales.     We  lay  and  sweated 
and  shivered,  drank  tinned  milk  and  water,  cursed 
the  orderly  because  the  soda-water  was  hot  and 
Fate    had    sent    us    to    Mesopotamia.     Then    we 
staggered  out  on  to  the  verandah  of  the  officers' 
club  and  built  up  strength  to  go  down  river  to 
India  or  back  to  the  front.       A  large  percentage 
were  wont  to  get  clear  of  the  country  if  'they  could ; 
it  was  only  human  nature,  and  others  like  myself,  in 
fat  jobs  or  on  the  gilded  staff,  could  hardly  blame 
the  point  of  view  of  the  poor  infantry  subaltern 
who,    shaken    by    fever    and    dysentery    after    a 
miserable    existence    through    the    summer,    was 
tempted  by  the  thought  of  embarking  in  a  nice  white 
hospital  ship  for  other  climes  and  seeing  the  last 
of  this  fire  country.    For  the  Great  Cause,  however, 
it  was  necessary  to  stop  the  tremendous  wastage 
caused  by  the  wholesale  evacuation  of  personnel. 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       37 

Once  sick,  there  was  little  difficulty  for  those  who 
meant  to,  in  getting  out  of  the  country,  and  it  had 
become  rather  a  disease.  General  Maude  took  the 
matter  seriously  in  hand;  convalescent  camps  were 
developed,  and  any  case  of  evacuation  had  to  be 
approved  by  high  authority.  The  effect  was  satis- 
factory, and  many  more  patients  were  brought  back 
to  health  and  duty  without  leaving  the  country. 

A  large  Sheikh's  palace,  named  Beit  Naama, 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river  about  five  miles 
down  stream  from  Busrah,  served  well  as  an 
officers'  convalescent  hospital.  It  was  splendidly 
fitted  up,  and  became  a  popular  institution  under 
its  sporting  O.C.,  Major  Munro.  He  added 
attractions  to  the  place  till  it  rivalled  Harroga'te  or 
Strathpeffer :  fishing,  boating  on  the  river,  a  small 
desert  golf  course,  concerts  in  the  evening,  and 
comfortable  quarters  were  all  inducements  to 
health. 

By  September  the  nights  were  cooler,  and  the 
day  'temperature  seldom  went  above  no  Fahr. 
With  this  change  scope  expanded  and  style  was 
less  cramped.  Aeroplane  reconnaissance  showed 
considerable  work  being  carried  out  by  the  Turks 
on  two  jetties  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hai  River.  It 
was  thought  that  the  enemy  might  possibly  be 
building  these  jetties  as  a  means  of  diverting  some 
of  the  water  of  the  Tigris  down  the  Shatt-el-Hai. 
At  'the  time  there  was  only  just  sufficient  water  in 
the  Tigris  to  bring  the  rivercraft  up,  and  had  the 
Turk  succeeded  in  such  an  operation  the  effect 
might  have  been  disastrous.  We  kept  a  careful 
D 


38         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

watch  on  the  place,  which  was  examined  and  photo- 
graphed daily.  Fortunately  our  fears  were 
groundless,  and  later  inspection  of  the  site  proved 
the  enormous  difficulties  in  the  way  of  such  an 
undertaking. 

In  the  first  week  of  September,  Brigadier- 
General  W.  Salmond,  R.F.C.,  arrived  in  the 
country  and  spent  three  days  at  Sheikh  Saad 
inspecting  and  advising.  For  the  supply  of 
personnel,  special  stores,  and  certain  administrative 
purposes,  the  R.F.C  in  Mesopotamia  had  come 
under  and  formed  part  of  'the  new  Middle  East 
Brigade,  commanded  by  General  Salmond,  which 
included  the  units  in  Egypt,  Salonika,  Palestine 
(later),  Mesopotamia,  and  East  Africa.  Major 
MacEwen,  at  the  base  with  the  title  of  Assistant- 
Director  of  Aeronautics,  was  in  direct  touch  by 
cable  with  H.Q.  Middle  East  in  Cairo,  the  Air 
Board  in  London,  and  the  Port  Detachment 
in  Bombay.  The  spoke  of  communication  led 
direct  to  the  hub,  there  was  no  need  to  delay  or 
refer  to  others,  we  could  act  at  once;  'the 
process  was  invaluable.  Throughout  September, 
reconnaissance,  photography,  and  artillery 
co-operation  kept  all  available  machines  busy  each 
day.  A  web  of  intelligence  was  being  woven  and 
added  to  that  gathered  by  other  means  at  Tigris 
Corps  H.Q.  In  a  desert  country  with  efficient 
aerial  observation  it  is  impossible  for  an  enemy  to 
alter  his  dispositions  without  discovery;  the 
movement  of  a  few  tents  or  shelters  can  be  spotted 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       39 

at  once,  and  there  are  no  woods  or  buildings  in 
which  to  fyide  his  men. 

The  following  specimen  of  a  reconnaissance 
report  as  telegraphed  daily  to  Corps  H.Q.  may 
be  of  interest : — 

23/9/1916. 

Reconnaissance  6.30  to  8  a.m.  reports  :  At 
Shumran  aerodrome  two  machines  on  ground. 
One  hangar  damaged.  Jetties  opposite  Hai 
mouth  are  joined  completely  into  continuous 
dam  from  Tigris  right  bank  to  sand  bank  in 
mid-stream.  No  sign  of  work  on  channel  North 
of  sand  bank.  Suwada  camp  area  unchanged, 
camps  being  similar  in  pitching  and  number  of 
tents  to  these  pribr  to  yesterday.  Shumran 
camp  area  left  bank  unchanged.  Kut  camp 
area  40  'tents  at  356  7/7  reduced  to  10  and  50 
at  36  C  2/8  reduced  to  25.  Narwhan  area 
unchanged.  Shumran  right  bank  area  30  tents 
at  35  C  0/4.  Hai  bridge  area  camps  as  follows  : 
40  tents  at  36  B  3/2,  10  at  36  C  2/3,  10  at  35  D 
9/1,  40  and  transport  animals  or  horses  at  46  B 
3/5.  Total,  100  tents;  50  empty  pontoons  along 
right  bank  at  35  B  42;  6  laden  pontoons  floating 
downs'tream  just  west  of  TC  41.  Shipping — 3 
steamers,  3  barges,  3  mahelas.  At  Narwhan 
N.W.  gun  position  is  occupied.  West  position 
is  covered  oven  East  position  is  empty.  New 
gun  position  at  16  A  5/6;  2  pits  containing  'tents 
and  2  empty;  2  or  3  pits  occupied  B  17.  No 
indication  of  any  considerable  withdrawal  of 
troops  or  alterations  in  dispositions. 


40         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

The  Arabs  on  our  flanks  were  also  closely 
watched,  and  any  threatening  concentration  dealt 
with  by  bomb  and  machine-gun  fire.  These  attacks 
had  great  moral  effect,  and  often  caused  the  tribes- 
men to  strike  their  tents  and  leave  'the  district 
altogether.  Raids  continued  on  the  Shumran 
aerodrome,  and  Turkish  deserters  reported  that  it 
came  as  a  great  surprise  >to  them  that  machines 
could  fly  by  night,  and  that  much  consternation  was 
caused  thereby.  The  enemy  made  "  dug-out " 
hangars  for  his  machines,  and  placed  dummy 
aeroplanes  on  his  aerodrome.  He  also  organised  a 
system  of  flares  along  all  routes  of  possible 
approach  by  our  aeroplanes.  These  flares  would 
be  lit  as  we  passed,  and  so  give  warning  to  the  next 
station  ahead,  till  his  aerodrome  took  up  the  tale 
and  could  prepare  accordingly.  It  was  not 
encouraging  to  the  pilot  to  watch  these  flares  as 
he  continued  on  his  way,  and  wondered  what  sort 
of  reception  was  in  store  for  him. 

I  think  the  most  notable  of  these  expeditions  was 
that  by  Lieut.  Hon.  J.  S.  Rodney  and  Second- 
Lieut.  J.  S.  Windsor,  who  arrived  at  the  Turkish 
aerodrome  at  dawn  on  September  23rd,  and 
dropped  their  bombs  from  a  height  of  under  100 
feet.  Lieut.  Rodney's  attack  was  practically  a 
surprise,  and  he  met  with  little  opposition.  Second- 
Lieut.  Windsor  had  drawn  the  second  place  and 
started  ten  minutes  later;  the  enemy  were  waiting 
for  him.  With  a  splendid  dash  he  went  right  down 
from  the  mirk  of  the  dawn  into  a  tornado  of  rifle 
and  machine-gun  fire,  placed  his  bombs  with 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       4! 

accuracy,  and  got  away.  It  was  a  glorious  bit  of 
cutting-out  work,  and  on  the  slow  old  B.E.  the 
odds  against  him  were  very  great.  As  a  result  of 
this  raid,  one  enemy  aeroplane  was  destroyed 
and  one  badly  damaged.  Both  these  officers 
received  the  Military  Cross — it  seems  sad  that  this 
decoration  was  so  often  given  during  the  war  for 
mere  clerical  work  far  removed  from  the  field  of 
battle,  and  entailing  no  danger  whatever;  after  all, 
there  is  little  more  the  individual  can  do  than  offer 
his  life — the  reward  for  those  who  do  it  should 
surely  be  kept  exclusive. 

Co-operation  with  the  artillery  on  both  sides  of 
the  Tigris  entailed  heavy  work.  Including  the 
registration  of  enemy  positions,  a  systematic 
programme  for  the  destruction  of  enemy  gun-pits 
behind  Sannayat  was  begun,  and,  as  the  outcome 
of  the  keenness  and  friendly  relations  between  the 
Artillery  and  the  Air,  the  results  gradually  became 
somewhat  destructive  to  the  Turk.  Ammunition 
dumps  were  blown  up,  and  Turkish  guns  received 
direct  hits  more  often  than  they  could  afford.  On 
the  morning  of  the  23rd,  while  Captains  Herring 
and  King-Harman  were  spotting  for  the  guns,  'they 
observed  the  "  enemy  aircraft  "  signal  at  one  of 
the  ground  stations;  immediately  shaping  course 
in  their  old  "  Voisin,"  they  five  minutes  later  picked 
up  a  suspicious  looking  machine  at  about  6,000 
feet.  In  'turning  to  get  between  them  and  the  sun 
it  showed  up  the  black  crosses  clearly,  and  the 
two  machines  passed  left  hand  to  left  hand  about 
150  yards  apart.  The  enemy  could  walk  round  the 


42        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Voisin,  and,  with  rudder  control  shot  away,  the 
British  machine  went  down  in  a  spinning  nose  dive 
amid  a  hail  of  bullets  from  the  Hun.  With  great  cool- 
ness Herring  pulled  her  out  when  near  the  ground, 
and  only  crashed  his  under-carriage.  Herring 
and  King-Harman  got  back  to  Arab  Village, 
took  up  a  Henry  Farman,  and,  directing  the  fire, 
obliterated  the  target  from  which  they  had  been 
interrupted.  Alas !  King-Harman  met  his  end 
in  a  crash  with  Lieut.  Hayward  a  few  weeks  later. 

At  the  end  of  September  it  was  necessary  for  me 
to  journey  to  Nasiriyeh  to  arrange  regarding  the 
despatch  of  an  R.F.C.  de'tachment.  I  started  down 
the  river  for  Busrah  in  a  steamer  full  of  Indian 
sick;  there  was  even  less  depth  in  the  thick  grey 
trickle  than  on  the1  journey  up,  and  many  hours 
were  spent  on  the  mud.  On  these  journeys  one  had 
to  take  one's  own  food,  and  my  boy  "  Charlie  r' 
was  almost  a  wizard  in  the  way  he  would  produce 
a  three-course  dinner  out  of  practically  nothing  at 
all,  at  any  'time  or  place. 

After  a  day  at  Busrah,  and  an  interview  with 
General  Maude,  MacEwen  and  I  left  the  ground 
early  one  morning  to  fly  to  Nasiriyeh.  The  whole 
way  we  were  passing  over  swamps  and  lakes. 
Above  the  Hamar  Lake  the  water  stretched  to  the 
horizon  and  we  seemed  to  be  crossing  the  sea ;  this 
water  coming  from  the  Shatt-el-Hai  and  Euphrates 
drains  into  the  Tigris  by  the  channels  at  Gurmat- 
Ali  and  Kurnah.  The  land,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
see,  is  intersected  by  canals,  covered  with  vegeta- 
tion, and  thickly  populated;  a  very  different 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       43 

country  from  the  Tigris.  The  Arabs  were  hostile, 
and,  apart  from  the  impossibility  of  effecting  a 
landing  anywhere,  it  would  have  been  a  sorry 
affair  to  have  had  to  come  down.  Some  time  before 
two  flying  officers  while  crossing  this  country  had 
made  a  forced  landing,  and  been  murdered.  We 
spent  the  day  wi'th  General  Brooking,  and  made 
arrangements  for  a  detachment  of  two  machines, 
with  wireless  and  photography  equipment,  to  join 
him. 

Nasiriyeh  was  like  a  garden  after  Sheikh  Saad, 
and  the  force  stationed  there  lived  on  the  fat  of 
the  land,  with  fresh  meat,  vegetables,  and  fruit. 
The  fish  supply  also  was  abundant,  being  a  regular 
trade  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town.  The  British 
troops  had  just  returned  from  battle,  six  miles  to 
the  North- East,  having  routed  five  thousand 
Arabs,  whose  losses  were  436  killed  and  some  800 
wounded. 

It  struck  one  on  arriving  at  Nasiriyeh  that  the 
place  was  in  a  state  of  siege;  the  town  was 
surrounded  by  defences,  outside  of  which  it  was 
dangerous  to  proceed  unless  with  strong  escort; 
the  means  of  egress  and  ingress  with  Busrah  being 
by  river  convoy.  These  convoys,  after  leaving 
Kurnah,  proceeded  by  the  Euphrates  channel  as  far 
as  the  Hamar  Lake ;  here  the  water  was  only  one  or 
two  feet  deep,  and  men,  guns,  baggage,  and  stores 
were  transferred  into  "  bellums."  Two  or  >three 
days  were  then  spent  sitting  cramped  in  these  craft 
under  the  fierce  sun,  poling  and  paddling  along  out 
of  sigh't  of  land.  Eventually  another  Euphrates 


44         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

channel  was  reached  where  one  of  the  two  or  three 
small  steamers  which  had  got  up  to  Nasiriyeh 
during  the  flood  would  give  them  a  tow.  Among 
this  small  Nasiriyeh  fleet,  cut  off  from  the  Tigris 
till  the  next  year's  flood,  was  a  river  gunboat. 
These  flat-bottomed  monitors  were  of  two  classes  : 
the  smaller,  known  as  "  fly-boats,"  being  of  shallow 
draught  and  mounting  a  four-inch  gun  in  addition 
to  machine-guns ;  the  larger  class  were  more  power- 
fully engined  and  armed  with  two  six-inch  guns. 
The  fleet  consisted  of  five  large  and  twenty  small 
boats,  all  manned  by  officers  and  bluejackets  of  the 
Royal  Navy.  The  material  for  the  "  fly-boats  :) 
was  shipped  from  England  and  the  vessels  built 
at  Abadan.  The  larger  class,  which  had  been 
optimistically  designed  for  the  Danube,  were  towed 
out  to  the  Gulf.  It  was  possible  only  for  the  "  fly  ' 
class  'to  get  up  to  Nasiriyeh  in  the  floods. 

With  a  favourable  wind  we  covered  the  hundred 
miles  back  to  Busrah  in  an  hour  and  a  quarter. 
The  next  day  I  left  Busrah  by  air  at  2.50  p.m.,  and, 
helped  by  a  south  wind,  was  at  Sheikh  Saad  by 
5.10  p.m.,  a  somewhat  different  passage  to  my  first 
voyage  up.  This  was  the  first  of  many  a  flight  up 
and  down  the  Tigris.  Aeroplanes  had  hitherto 
been  sent  to  the  front  packed  in  barges,  thus 
utilising  valuable  tonnage.  This  had  been  on 
account  of  the  authorities'  fear  of  forced  landings 
and  the  probable  loss  of  machines,  and  even  pilots ; 
practice  showed  that  delivery  by  air  was  a  safe 
enough  and  more  efficient  method. 

As  soon  as  I  had  left  Nasiriyeh  the  G.O.C.  wired 


A 

Fly   Boat  ' ' 


Transporting   troops    up    the    Tigris 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       45 

that  he  expected  to  be  attacked  on  the  8th,  and  that 
an  aeroplane  would  be  of  the  greatest  assistance. 
They  had  as  yet  no  petrol  or  oil  at  Nasiriyeh,  so 
Lieut.  Somers-Clarke  left  Aircraft  Park  at  Busrah 
with  one  light  tender  of  supplies,  a  couple  of  men 
and  a  machine-gun.  He  went  by  rail  as  far  as 
Gabashieh,  the  railhead  sixty  miles  west  of  Busrah, 
and  thence  by  desert  route  south  of  the  floods  to 
Nasiriyeh,  arriving  there  without  opposition,  a 
performance  not  unattended  by  risk.  The  first 
week  in  October  the  squadron  moved  forward  to 
Arab  Village,  less  one  Flight  at  Sheikh  Saad  for 
bombing  work  and  the  detachment  en  route  for 
Nasiriyeh.  The  supply  of  oil  and  stores  for  the 
latter  detachment  continued  to  be  limited  on 
account  of  the  difficulties  of  the  fifty-mile  journey 
across  desert  from  the  railhead,  but  improvement 
was  expected  with  the  advance  of  the  railway  and 
'the  autumn  floods  in  the  Hamar  Lake,  which  made 
the  channel  navigable  for  river  steamers. 

On  the  6th  October  the  R.N.A.S.  kite  balloon 
broke  away  in  a  strong  squall  with  two  officers  in 
the  basket,  and  drifted  into  the  desert.  An  aero- 
plane went  in  search,  located  it,  and  remained  flying 
round  as  guard  till  cavalry  arrived.  On  the  same 
night  one  of  our  machines  did  not  return  from 
reconnaissance.  Captain  Herring,  who  was  out 
searching,  located  it  by  moonlight;  his  Very 
light  was  answered  by  the  pilot  signalling  up  with 
an  electric  lamp  that  all  was  "  O.K."  A  guard  of 
six  men  and  an  officer  went  to  the  rescue  by  motor- 
car. 


46  IN 'THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

When  the  white  man  chooses  to  penetrate  into 
regions  and  climates  which  were  made  for  a  different 
humanity,  he  will  surely  pay  a  toll.  Heat  and 
sickness  make  the  blood  run  thin,  and  for  some  of 
us  seven  active  days  in  the  week  were  seldom 
realised.  After  a  short  time  in  my  tent  at  Arab 
Village  with  fever  and  dysentery,  I  was  carried 
forth  'to  a  field  ambulance,  and  later  a  jolty  ride  in 
a  cavalry  ambulance  took  me  to  the  river  steamer, 
for  the  medical  men  had  decreed  that  I  was  for 
"  down  river."  One  does  not  thrive  on  rice  water, 
and  things  were  looking  rather  as  if  the  sages  at 
Bombay  had  been  correct,  and  my  little  sojourn 
with  Force  "  D  "  was  over.  We  lay  in  rows  on  the 
deck  in  various  stages  of  adversity  and  weakness, 
and  counted  the  flies  crawling  up  the  awning  as  the 
ship  chugged  downstream.  It  was  mid-October, 
and  the  breeze  was  cool.  Four  stalwart  Gurkhas 
carried  me  ashore  at  Sheikh  Saad,  where  I  was  put 
into  a  hospital  tent,  and  lay  faithfully  attended  by 
a  Hampshire  orderly.  Of  that  hospital  tent  in  the 
desert  I  seem  to  remember  nothing  but  waking  up 
with  a  coating  of  sand  all  over  my  face.  In  spi'te 
of  breathing  and  swallowing  it  the  brew  of  rice 
water  must  have  been  good,  for  things  began  to 
look  up,  and  Horlick's  Malted  Milk  and  brandy 
completed  the  cure,  and  I  soon  crawled  forth.  I 
went  no  further  down  river,  but  back  to  the  front. 
The  weather  by  the  end  of  October  became  cold  at 
night;  a  hot  day  would  be  followed  by  an  immediate 
drop  of  'twenty  degrees,  and  one  would  shiver 
within  a  few  minutes  of  sweltering  in  the  sun.  At 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUtf  AND  SORROW       47 

noon  the  temperature  was  95  and  at  night  only  40, 
a  difference  of  55  degrees  !  On  the  morning  of 
the  26th  Captain  King-Harman  and  Lieut. 
Hay  ward  were  killed  while  starting  out  on  recon- 
naissance in  a  Voisin ;  it  was  one  of  those  accidents 
with  no  evidence  to  give  any  clue  as  to  the  cause. 
These  splendid  fellows  were  a  great  loss  to  the 
squadron.  They  lie  in  the  desert  close  to  the  Tigris. 

The  hills  far  to  the  East,  known  as  the  Pusht-i- 
Kuh,  were  the  home  of  warlike  Persian  nomads, 
governed  by  an  independent  potentate,  the  Wali 
of  Pusht-i-Kuh.  His  political  tendencies  were 
uncertain ,  he  loathed  'the  Russians,  but  at  the  same 
time  found  much  profit  in  supplying  the  British 
Army  with  sheep.  His  wife  was  ill,  and  he 
employed  a  German  nurse  and  an  English  doctor 
in  his  winter  camp  among  the  foothills.  Down  the 
ages  Pusht-i-Kuh  had  never  been  conquered  by 
any  monarchy  :  Assyrian,  Achaemenian,  Sassanian, 
or  Arab.  There  is  little  known  about  this  wild, 
mountainous  region  which  lies  away  from  all  main 
routes.  It  was  necessary  to  maintain  friendly 
relations  with  the  Wali,  who  was  a  source  of  supply 
and  also  a  possible  threat  on  our  right  flank.  To 
impress  him,  six  of  us  flew  out  one  fine  morning  in 
close  formation  to  locate  his  camp,  a  row  of 
different  coloured  tents,  and  executed  "  stunts  " 
over  the  top.  There  was  obviously  great  excite- 
ment below;  it  was  the  first  time  'these  folk  had 
seen  a  flying  machine. 

The  moral  effect  of  our  aeroplanes  was  gradually 
growing ;  it  must  have  been  with  eyes  searching  the 


48        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

horizon  that  any  Turk  or  Arab  column  moved  out 
into  the  desert.  On  the  25th  October  a  machine 
on  reconnaissance  observed  a  column  of  horsemen 
and  mule  carts  moving  south  along  the  Hai.  The 
pilot  came  down  low  and  dispersed  the  convoy  in 
all  directions.  An  agent  later  reported  that  nine 
were  killed,  several  wounded,  and  that  the  carts, 
which  were  loaded  with  ammunition  for  Arab  levies 
on  the  Hai,  turned  back  to  Kut  after  the  attack. 
One  morning  a  report  was  received  from  Sheikh 
Saad  that  Arabs  had  raided  and  ridden  off  with 
some  of  our  camels  towards  the  hills.  Two 
machines  went  in  pursuit,  and  found  the  party 
taking  cover  in  the  nullahs.  They  were  driven  out 
by  Lewis  gunfire,  and,  abandoning  the  camels,  rode 
hard  for  the  foothills.  It  was  fine  sport  for  our 
men.  A  squadron  of  cavalry  arriving  on  the  scene 
regained  the  camels. 

Enemy  aircraft  were  fairly  active,  and  com- 
menced a  half-hearted  campaign  against  our 
aerodrome  at  Arab  Village;  they  dropped  their 
bombs  from  a  great  height,  their  shooting  was 
inferior.  Sometimes  one  dropping  into  the  river 
would  provide  fish  for  the  camp.  The  old  B.E.'s 
gave  chase,  but  there  was  small  chance  of 
bringing  them  to  action  before  they  got  down  to 
their  aerodrome  at  Shumran.  Any  raid  was 
answered  within  a  few  hours  by  one  of  double  the 
magnitude.  Six  or  seven  of  us  would  go  off  in 
formation  and,  taking  our  time,  bomb  Shumran 
scientifically.  One  bomb  would  be  dropped  on 
each  run  up  wind  over  their  hangars  and  sights 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       49 

corrected  each  time.  Their  anti-aircraft  fire  was 
inaccurate,  and  they  never  attempted  to  come  up 
and  engage.  With  all  this  practice  the  skill  of  the 
pilots  increased,  and  the  shooting  became  remark- 
ably accurate.  The  enemy  became  dismayed;  on 
the  approach  of  our  aeroplanes  he  would  begin 
:<  taxying  "  his  own  round  the  aerodrome  to  make 
our  shooting  difficult.  It  was  an  interesting 
spectacle. 

"  D.  H."  took  especial  delight  in  this  persecution 
of  the  Hun;  he  spent  hours  hung  up  in  the  wind 
on  the  top  of  Shumran,  spreading  "  eggs  "  on  the 
aerodrome,  eventually  sending  down  a  20  Ib.  bomb 
from  6,000  feet  clean  through  the  fuselage  of  an 
Albatross  on  the  ground.  This  was  no  chance  shot 
but  sheer  skill,  and  the  reward  of  long  practice. 
Irrefutable  proof  of  this  brilliant  shot  was  gained 
later  in  the  advance  when,  captured  among  other 
documents  of  the  enemy  air  unit,  was  found  a  snap- 
shot of  the  wrecked  machine  with  German  officers 
standing  round  it.  We  learnt  the  names  of  some  of 
their  pilots.  Schutz  was  a  fine  fighter,  and  a 
gentleman.  Sometimes  he  would  drop  a  note  on 
the  aerodrome;  he  asked  us  to  send  over  'the 
:e  Sketch  "  and  the  "  Bystander,"  and  stated  that 
they  were  tired  of  the  records  captured  with  a 
gramophone  at  Kut,  would  we  send  them  some 
new  ones,  especially  "  Tipperary  " ;  in  return  for 
this  they  would  drop  us  fresh  vegetables  from 
Baghdad.  Unlike  the  Hun,  he  seemed  a  sportsman 
and  possessed  a  sense  of  humour.  To  prisoners  he 
was  kind  and  courteous. 


50         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

At  this  time  there  were  many  aerial  combats,  but 
the  Hun  would  never  close,  and  with  only  B.E/s 
it  was  impossible  to  press  a  decision.  Propaganda 
was  also  dropped  by  both  sides ;  the  following  is  a 
specimen  : — 

(Translation.) 

WITHDRAWAL  OF  THE  TURKS  FROM 
EL-ARISH. 

On  the  i Qth  December  the  Turkish  troops 
occupying  El-Arish,  on  the  Egyptian  Frontier, 
were  driven  out  of  El-Arish  by  the  English,  and 
on  the  23rd  a  decisive  battle  was  fought  at 
Magdhaba,  which  is  35  kilometres  S.E.  of  El- 
Arish.  The  Turkish  Force  was  routed  and  prac- 
tically destroyed,  and  1,350  prisoners,  7  guns,  a 
large  number  of  rifles,  100,000  rounds  of  gun 
ammunition,  horses,  camels,  and  a  quantity  of 
telephones  and  warlike  stores  were  captured. 

Further  South-West  of  this  defeat  British  troops 
moved  through  'the  Milta  Pass  and  destroyed  the 
Turkish  defences  at  the  Eastern  end  and  burnt 
their  camps  at  Sudral-Hoitan,  about  60  kilometres 
East  of  Suez. 

Observe  how  the  Germans  are  powerless  to  aid 
their  friends.  They  are  asking  for  peace  because 
they  are  at  the  end  of  their  resources ;  on  the  other 
hand,  the  English  strength  is  now  beginning  to 
reach  its  full  development. 

We  learnt  more  of  the  enemy  from  exchanged 
prisoners,  as  two  armistices  were  arranged  for  the 


A  LAND  OF  SAND,  SUN  AND  SORROW       51 

latter  purpose.  Suspension  of  arms  would  take 
place  from  4  a.m.  'till  7  p.m.,  a  flag  of  truce  was 
shown  over  the  trenches  at  Sannayat,  and  a  British 
staff  officer  met  a  Turkish  officer  in  "  No  Man's 
Land."  The  Turkish  and  British  officers  would 
board  a  river  steamer  full  of  Turkish  prisoners, 
which  would  then  proceed  pas't  the  lines  as  far  as  the 
Magasis  Bend,  where  the  sick  were  exchanged, 
either  party  being  prevented  from  looking  out  by 
side  curtains  round  the  ship.  Though  rigid 
formality  was  observed  on  these  occasions,  con- 
versation would  be  carried  on  in  French,  it  was 
a  field  day  for  the  Intelligence  Department. 

Some  jolly  days  were  spent  in  the  desert  prac- 
tising co-operation  with  other  arms.  The  squadron 
possessed  several  useful  remounts,  and  "  Anzac," 
"  Bert,"  and  others  would  ride  out  with  me,  fifteen 
miles  there  and  fifteen  miles  back  in  the  clear,  crisp 
weather,  to  assist  from  the  ground.  Returning  to 
the  camp  in  the  late  afternoon  and  sitting  down  to 
a  large  meal  gave  one  the  same  glorious  feeling 
that  comes  after  a  day's  hunting. 

On  7'th  November  there  was  a  cloud  in  the  sky, 
the  first  we  had  seen  since  our  arrival  in  the  country- 
three  and  a  half  months  before.  It  was  a  fluffy 
white  blob  of  cumulus  about  5,000  ft.  up.  I  got 
into  my  machine  and  climbed  into  it ;  i't  was  good  to 
be  in  the  mist  again.  Later  in  the  day  there  was  a 
shower  of  rain. 

I  made  one  more  visit  to  Nasiriyeh  by  air. 
German  aeroplanes  had  never  been  seen  over  the 
place,  but  as  I  was  starting  off  in  a  car  to  have  a 


52         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

look  at  the  ruins  of  Ur  (of  the  Chaldees)  the  drone 
of  two  Mercedes  engines  was  unmistakable  over- 
head. I  had  come  in  a  new  Martinsyde,  and 
dashing  back  to  the  aerodrome  got  off  and  chased 
up  the  Euphrates.  But  the  Huns  had  gone  back 
to  Kut  by  the  Hai,  where  they  apparently  came 
from.  We  had  suspected  them  from  Samawa.  I 
lost  a  good  chance,  for  my  machine  had  the  legs 
of  them.  Curiously  enough,  among  papers  captured 
later  was  found  a  photograph  taken  from  these 
aeroplanes  on  this  visit.  On  the  back  was  the  date, 
and  on  the  ground  was  my  machine.  I  have  that 
photograph. 

By  the  end  of  the  month  a  stream  of  reinforce- 
ments had  arrived  up  the  Tigris,  and  a  large 
concentration  of  stores  and  war  material  had  been 
accumulated  at  Sheikh  Saad,  the  Advanced  Base. 
The  1 3th  Division  returned  to  the  Front,  and  with 
the  i4th  formed  another  corps  under  General 
Marshall,  who  had  arrived  from  Salonika.  There 
were  now  two  corps,  the  is't  and  3rd;  by  some  trick 
of  officialdom  there  was  no  second  corps.  About 
this  time  G.H.Q.  moved  from  Busrah  and  came  up 
river  to  a  standing  camp  at  Arab  Village,  nick- 
named "  'the  White  City."  The  weather  was  cool, 
comparing  favourably  with  a  fine  spring  at  home; 
our  health  was  good  and  spirits  splendid,  for  it 
looked  as  though  further  developments  were 
intended  in  Mesopotamia. 


Chapter  IIL 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD. 

'Tis  all  a  Checquered-Board  of  Nights  and  Days 
Where  Destiny  with  Men  for  Pieces  plays ; 
Hither  and  thither  moves,  and  mates,  and  slays, 
And  one  by  one  back  in  the  Closet  lays. 

— OMAR. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ONE  morning  an  orderly  came  to  my  office  on  the 
barge  bidding  me  to  a  conference  at  G.H.Q.     I 
remember  the  scene  so  well ;  we  went  into  a  tent, 
dark   after   the   glare   outside,    and   waited   there 
for    General    Maude,   a  strong   sense   of   coming 
events      hanging      over      us.       Here,      gathered 
together    in     the     gloom,     were     the    heads    of 
departments  to    be    told    the    future    plans    for 
an  Army  tried   to   its   utmost   by  heat,    disease, 
inaction ;  fretting  against  what  it  felt  to  be  a  stain, 
the  fall  of  Kut,  and  longing  to  be  at  the  Turk 
again.    The  ill  effects  of  the  hot  weather  had  been 
shaken  off  and  the  troops  renewed  by  health  and 
reinforcements,  and,  spurred  by  the  great  deeds  of 
their  brothers  in  France,  were  spoiling  for  a  fight. 
The  facts  were  put  clearly  before  us  :     the  3rd 
Corps  on  the  right  bank  was  to  move  and  secure 
possession  of  the  Hai  river,  whilst  the  ist  Corps 
bombarded  the  Turkish  'trenches  on  the  left  bank, 
to  give  the  impression  that  an  attack  on  Sannayat 
was  intended.       Bigger  events  vaguely  hinted  at 
would  doubtless  follow;  perhaps  another  patch  of 
red  was  to  be  added  to  'the  map.    With  the  great 

55 


56        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

secret  we  emerged  into  the  sunlight;  the  die  was 
cast,  and  in  two  days*  time  the  British  Army  would 
move.  Meanwhile  no  curiosity  must  be  aroused 
among  'the  force  or  inevitably  it  would  reach  the 
Turk.  Both  sides  continued  with  their  stagnant 
blockade. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  i2th  December  the  Army 
knew;  after  eight  months'  inaction  the  effect  was 
electrifying. 

That  evening  the  3rd  Corps  marched  and  con- 
centrated in  the  forward  area  on  the  right  bank. 
The  movement  was  carried  out  under  cover  of 
night;  no  tents  were  put  up  next  morning,  and  the 
troops  were  kept  hidden  away  in  nullahs.  General 
Headquarters  moved  out  to  Sinn,  on  the  right  bank, 
leaving  the  "  White  City J:  standing  at  Arab 
Village.  I  flew  Brig.-General  Lewin  low  along  the 
Hai  river  'to  examine  the  banks  for  the  crossing  of 
his  40th  Brigade  the  next  day.  The  Sannayat 
position  was  heavily  bombarded  to  give  the 
impression  that  an  attack  was  intended,  and  the 
sudden  gunfire  must  have  come  as  a  surprise  to  the 
Turk  after  'the  many  long  uneventful  months. 

The  anti-aircraft  system  of  observation  posts, 
wireless  and  telephone  calls  had  been  perfected, 
for  one  Hun  over  our  lines  would  have  exposed  our 
movements;  it  was  an  anxious  time,  and 
pilots  sat  in  their  machines  ready  to  leave 
at  the  word  "  Go !  '  An  Aviatik  that  came 
out  to  ascertain  what  was  up,  was  chased  back  over 
his  lines  by  Paddy  Maguire,  who  closed  to  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  and  let  him  have  a  drum 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       57 

of  ammunition;  the  Hun  went  down  to  his  own 
country  in  a  steep  dive.  That  was  their  only  effort 
during  the  day,  and  our  concentration  on  the  right 
bank  remained  undetected. 

The  Cavalry  Division,  encamped  opposite  our 
aerodrome  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  were  to 
move  that  night.  I  went  over  in  my  motor-launch 
to  see  some  friends  before  they  left  and  to  make 
any  final  aerial  arrangements  necessary.  They 
were  in  fine  fettle  and  glorious  spirits;  the  officers 
packing  their  ki'ts  and  donning  their  equipment  "as 
happy  as  schoolboys  off  for  the  holidays.  Life  was 
good.  They  marched  after  dark. 

The  enemy's  bridge  of  boats  spanned  the  Tigris 
at  Shumran ;  if  this  could  be  cut  he  would  be  with- 
out efficient  means  of  reinforcing  his  troops  on  'the 
right  bank  when  our  move  was  discovered.  That 
night  three  of  us  attacked  the  bridge  with  heavy 
bombs  from  600  feet ;  a  pontoon  bridge  is  a  narrow 
mark ;  we  hit  a  pontoon  but  did  not  cut  it.  There 
was  a  bright  moon,  and  to  avoid  detection  we  made 
a  detour  round  the  Suwaikieh  Marsh,  approaching 
Shumran  from  the  North.  I  made  for  what  seemed 
the  bend  in  the  river  which  marks  Shumran,  but  it 
proved  to  be  a  similar  bend  twenty  miles  higher  up ; 
by  the  time  I  got  back  to  the  Turkish  bridge  it  was 
light  in  the  East,  and  my  attack  was  made  under  a 
heavy  fire.  The  beauty  of  the  flight  back  was 
ethereal;  the  morning  clear  and  cold,  the  sky 
cloudless.  To  the  North  shone  the  snows  of  the 
Persian  hills;  ahead  the  Tigris  wound  into  the 
approaching  day  and  'then  toppled  over  the  horizon 


58         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

as  if  on  the  lip  of  some  great  waterfall ;  to  the  right 
lay  the  Hai  river  like  a  long  wriggling  snake ;  and 
behind  was  the  gloom  of  'the  fast-vanishing  night. 
High  up  in  that  wonderful  dawn  it  seemed  that 
the  aeroplane  was  stationary,  the  movement  so 
smooth;  one  sang  for  the  very  joy  of  living,  and 
the  song  harmonised  with  the  rhythmic  hum  of  the 
engine.  Far  below  the  nullahs  and  trenches 
occupied  by  the  enemy  were  disclosed  by  the  char- 
coal fires  on  which  they  cooked  their  coffee.  The 
situation  was  as  plain  as  draughts  on  a  board;  it 
all  seemed  so  simple. 

The  Cavalry  Division  and  part  of  the  3rd  Corps 
had  crossed  the  Hai  without  opposition  by  6  a.m., 
and  were  moving  northwards  up  that  river.  The 
enemy's  advanced  troops  were  surprised  and  driven 
back  on  to  a  strongly-held  entrenched  position. 
Two  pontoon  bridges  which  had  been  brought 
across  the  desert  from  Arab  Village  were  thrown 
across  the  Hai  at  Atab  and  Basrugiyeh. 

Our  cavalry  out  on  the  flank  reconnoitred  almost 
to  the  Tigris  above  Shumran,  and  Sannayat  was 
again  bombarded  to  confuse  the  Turk.  The 
squadron  spent  the  day  in  the  air,  maintaining 
contact  and  communication  with  our  far-flung  line, 
watching  for  an  artillery  opportunity,  attacking 
parties  of  the  enemy,  and  on  distant  reconnaissance. 
Mac,  on  his  pony,  met  machines  as  they  landed  at 
the  advanced  ground  at  Sinn,  and  after  close 
examination  of  the  pilot  and  observer,  galloped 
back  to  deliver  'the  reports  direct  to  the  Army  Com- 
mander. G.H.Q.  were  thus  enabled  to  keep  in 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       59 

touch  even  to  the  furthest  cavalry  patrol,  with  a 
situation  which  otherwise  must  have  been  obscure. 
I  spent  the  typical  day  of  an  Air  Commander, 
immersed  in  a  sea  of  maps  and  MSS.,  glued  to  a 
telephone  receiver. 

These  records  are  no  place  for  technical  details, 
but  the  lay  reader  may  not  know  that  an  aero-engine 
can  only  run  a  certain  number  of  hours  without 
overhaul;  in  our  case  it  was  usually  a  hundred 
hours.  It  was  impossible  'to  forecast  for  how  long 
this  full  power  would  be  required  by  the  Army; 
economy  in  the  use  of  machines  was  therefore 
essential.  The  conditions  on  the  Western  Front 
were  different.  There  an  aeroplane  could  be 
replaced  in  a  night ;  a  wire  was  sent  and  a  new  pilot 
and  machine  would  arrive  next  morning.  A  pilot 
did  six  'to  nine  months  at  the  Front,  after  which, 
if  he  survived,  he  returned  to  England  for  a  spell 
of  other  work.  In  Mesopotamia  'there  were  a  few 
reserve  machines  at  Amara  and  Busrah  which  could 
be  flown  up  in,  say,  a  couple  of  days  by  pilots  sent 
back  from  the  front;  outside  'these  the  nearest 
source  of  supply  was  Egypt,  three  weeks  away! 
There  was  no  certainty  of  any  relief  owing  to  high 
demand  elsewhere,  and  a  fresh  man  from  England 
might  take  anything  up  to  eight  or  ten  weeks  to 
reach  us.  The  Mediterranean  route  had  been 
closed,  so  troops  and  material  came  half-way  round 
the  world,  via  the  Cape,  with  perhaps  long  delays 
at  Durban  and  Bombay.  It  frequently  happened 
that  reliefs  went  sick  at  one  of  these  places,  or  even 
after  getting  so  far  as  Busrah,  and  never  reached 


60        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

us  at  all.  The  overworked,  feverish  individual, 
anxiously  carrying  on  with  visions  of  England, 
Home  and  Beauty,  would,  after  an  extra  whiskey- 
and-soda,  resign  himself  to  his  fate,  and  with  the 
sympathy  of  his  fellows  go  off  again  on  reconnais- 
sance "  for  the  millionth  time,"  still  praying  that 
his  luck  might  hold  till  perhaps  some  day  fresh 
blood  reached  the  Squadron.  It  can  be  understood 
then  how  necessary  it  was  to  husband  our  resources, 
and  in  these  opening  days  of  action  there  was  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  restraining  eager  pilots.  Work 
— there  was  work  for  three  squadrons,  but  in 
December,  1916,  the  Western  Front  absorbed  new 
units  ere  they  were  hardly  formed.  We  had  to 
manage  as  best  we  could. 

It  was  common  in  the  great  deeds  perpetrated  in 
France  for  the  best  part  of  a  squadron  to  be  put 
out  of  action  before  nightfall.  Here  in  this  far 
land,  where,  without  aerial  observation,  shot  might 
as  well  not  be  fired ;  where  maps  were  insufficiently 
accurate  for  'troops  to  march  by;  and  where, 
unless  guarded  and  forewarned  by  the  Air  unit, 
men  might  walk  into  unknown  and  ambushed 
nullahs;  it  would  have  been  a  sorry  tale  to  tell 
G.H.Q.  that  there  could  be  no  flying  on  the  morrow 
because  of  casualties  to-day.  The  risks  had  to  be 
taken  and  we  backed  our  luck;  it  never  failed.  A 
feature  of  the  country  that  considerably  promoted 
the  efficiency  of  close  co-operation  was  the  fact 
that  a  good  pilot  could  generally  land  by  the  unit 
itself,  give  them  their  accurate  position  and  inform 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       6 1 

the  commander  of  the  situation  personally.  It  was 
done  on  many  occasions. 

On  this  first  day  of  fighting,  enemy  aircraft  made 
another  attempt  to  come  out,  but  was  met  over  Kut 
by  D.  H.,  who  chased  it  down  on  to  its  own 
aerodrome  in  a  steep  nose-dive ;  whereupon,  taking 
steady  aim,  he  dropped  a  bomb  which  dropped  only 
ten  yards  from  its  tail  as  soon  as  it  had  landed. 

In  the  evening  a  message  came  through  that 
Lieuts.  Chabot  and  Browning  had  been  forced  to 
land  in  front  of  our  cavalry  with  a  main  strut  shot 
away.  For  the  benefit  of  the  fresh  air  I  flew  out 
with  a  spare  in  order  to  get  them  back.  The  sun 
was  setting  as  I  arrived  over  the  rearmost  patrols, 
retiring  by  troops  to  their  positions  for  the  night; 
I  could  see  Arab  horsemen,  showing  up  well  in  their 
flowing  garments,  hovering  about  on  the  flanks;  I 
could  also  see  the  damaged  aeroplane  being 
dragged  back  by  the  cavalry.  The  ground  was 
very  broken,  and  it  was  necessary  to  land  among 
the  rear  party,  who  were  retiring  steadily  in  open 
formation.  As  I  came  low  one  of  the  horses  took 
fright,  threw  its  "  sowar,"  and  bolted,  dragging  the 
rider  over  the  stony  ground;  he  mus't  have  been 
killed.  Events  moved  rapidly.  It  had  been  my 
intention  to  land,  hand  them  the  strut  to  take  back 
to  the  machine,  and  clear  off  without  stopping  my 
engine.  But  the  engine  unfortunately  stopped  as 
I  landed.  A  "  sowar  "  galloped  up  and  took  the 
strut  while  I  endeavoured  to  start  the  engine  single- 
handed.  The  last  few  "  sowars,"  thinking  I  was 
about  to  start,  were  retiring  past  me  to  the  right 


62        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

and  left,  occasionally  turning  round  to  fire  back  at 
the  "  Buddoos  "  (Arabs),  who  were  blazing  off  their 
old  "  bundooks  "  and  spitting  up  the  sand  all 
round.  It  was  rapidly  growing  dark,  and  the 
situation  was  unpleasant;  in  a  moment  I  should  be 
alone  with  these  howling  savages  all  round.  As  I 
was  exerting  my  best  strength  to  start  the  propeller, 
a  British  officer  fortunately  came  galloping  back. 
Major  Seeker,  of  the  I4th  Hussars;  he  had  been 
an  aerial  observer  in  France.  I  leapt  into  my  seat 
and  he  s'tarted  me  off,  thereby  saving  an  awkward 
situation.  The  damaged  aeroplane  was  never 
recovered;  the  cavalry  dragged  it  five  miles,  but 
to  do  so  had  to  hack  off  its  wings ;  the  machine  had 
to  be  left  outside  protection  on  account  of  a  deep 
nullah  filled  with  water;  when  the  engine  was 
regained  it  had  been  damaged  beyond  repair  by 
Arabs. 

That  night  of  the  1 4th/ 1 5th  December,  Captain 
Herring  went  out  on  a  moonlight  reconnaissance  to 
trace  any  move  the  enemy  might  contemplate  under 
cover  of  darkness.  He  discovered  that  the 
Turkish  pontoon  bridge  had  been  dismantled, 
and  was  being  towed  in  sections  further  up-stream 
by  a  steamer.  As  a  result  of  the  continual  bombing 
the  steamer  repeatedly  slipped  her  'tow,  and  the 
pontoons  drifted  down  into  the  banks;  the  steamer 
went  ashore  herself  several  times.  The  pilot  twice 
returned  to  Arab  Village  to  replenish  his  bombs, 
and  the  same  'thing  happened  again.  As  a  result 
the  steamer  accomplished  nothing  for  six  hours. 
Captain  Herring  dropped  twenty-four  bombs 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       63 

during  the  night  from  a  height  of  from  two  to  four 
thousand  feet,  under  continuous  rifle  fire.  The  day 
broke  to  find  the  enemy  without  communication 
between  their  forces  on  either  bank,  and  the  pon- 
toons were  not  collected  or  the  river  bridged  till 
later  in  'the  day.  It  was  an  achievement  of  great 
magnitude  for  one  individual. 

Up  'till  the  1 8th,  the  3rd  Corps  gradually 
advanced  north-west,  keeping  pressure  on  the 
enemy's  Hai  position.  Our  aeroplanes,  co-operat- 
ing with  the  artillery,  succeeded  in  destroying  their 
pontoon  bridges  over  the  Hai,  besides  engaging 
many  other  targe'ts.  The  work  went  on  with 
vigour,  and  the  enemy  was  harassed  night  and  day. 
From  midnight  till  dawn  of  the  i6th  he  was  kept 
awake;  his  camps  were  bombed  and  machine- 
gunned,  two  bombs  making  direct  hits  on  barges. 
Lieut.  Windsor,  on  the  night  of  the  i8th,  hit  a 
steamer,  the  explosion  loosened  her  moorings,  and 
the  current  swung  her  round  on  to  a  bank.  It  was 
rumoured  that  Khalil  Pasha,  the  G.O.C.  of  the 
Turkish  army,  had  been  on  board  en  route 
down  river  from  Bghailah.  During  the  day  any 
column  that  was  caught  in  the  desert  would  almost 
certainly  be  spotted  and  attacked  from  the  sky,  its 
horses  stampeded  and  casualties  inflicted.  Tents 
hit  by  bombs  were  demolished,  and  in  one  camp  a 
bomb  exploded  in  the  centre  of  a  crowd  of  200 
men.  On  the  iS'th  the  Cavalry  Division  operating 
westward,  above  Shumran,  drove  the  enemy  from 
his  trenches  and  shelled  his  shipping.  Having 
marched  at  night,  owing  to  complete  lack  of 


64         IN  THE  CI OUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

landmarks  great  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
finding  their  way,  and  care  was  necessary  to 
prevent  blundering  on  to  the  river  at  the  wrong 
place,  or  into  a  Turkish  position.  Our  aeroplanes 
would  find  them  halted,  and  land  to  give  them  their 
position,  which  was  often  a  few  miles  different  to 
their  calculation.  A  hundred  feet  up  and  every- 
thing was  obvious,  but  once  on  the  ground  even 
the  pilot  who  had  just  descended  might  lose  his 
bearings.  The  same  day  the  3rd  Corps  gained  the 
river  bank  opposite  Kut,  thus  severing  the  Turkish 
position  on  the  right  bank  and  isolating  the  garrison 
in  the  Khadairi  bend,  who  had  the  river  behind 
them  and  only  a  few  pontoons  for  communication 
with  the  other  side.  An  Aviatik  was  out  on  the 
ig'th,  but  he  was  chased  by  D.  H.,  and  after  a 
short  running  fight  dived  for  his  own  aerodrome. 

On  the  20th  the  cavalry  carried  out  another  raid 
to  the  Tigris  above  Shumran,  and  a  column  of  all 
arms  endeavoured  to  bridge  the  river  while  the 
Kut  and  Sannayat  areas  were  heavily  bombarded. 
This  column,  after  a  long  night  march  with  the 
bridging  train,  arrived  to  find  the  far  bank  strongly 
entrenched;  a  gallant  attempt  was  made  to  launch 
the  pontoons  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire  till  they 
were  ordered  to  withdraw. 

These  raids  were  a  constant  threat  to  the  enemy's 
communications  as  far  as  thirty  miles  behind  his 
Sannayat  position  and  must  have  been  a  con- 
tinual source  of  anxiety  to  the  higher  command. 
D.  H.  and  I  spent  the  afternoon  bombing  camps 
and  shipping  at  Bghailah,  a  small  town  45  miles 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       65 

by  river  above  Kut.  A  336  Ib.  bomb  rather  spoilt 
the  appearance  of  the  river-front,  and  the  persecu- 
tion of  a  tug  under  weigh  caused  her  crew  to  run 
her  ashore  and  abandon  her. 

Over  Shumran,  Lieut.  Merton  sighted  an 
Albatross  at  about  800  yards  range.  The  hostile 
machine  dived  for  his  aerodrome,  but  Merton 
gained,  and  closing  to  a  range  of  fifty  yards  opened 
fire ;  the  hostile  observer  was  hit  and  collapsed  over 
his  gun,  and  the  machine  went  down  in  a  vertical 
dive.  Merton  held  on,  firing  close  behind;  the 
enemy  hit  the  ground  heavily,  bounced  up  again, 
then  landed,  apparently  without  being  totally 
wrecked.  By  this  time  Merton,  who  was  at  a  height 
of  only  2,000  leet,  came  under  heavy  rifle  and 
machine-gun  fire  from  the  ground;  his  engine  was 
badly  hit,  and  he  only  just  managed  to  land  inside 
our  advanced  lines  on  the  Hai.  An  agent  reported 
the  enemy  observer  killed,  the  pilot  wounded,  and 
the  machine  crashed.  Later  on,  at  Baghdad,  we 
found  the  fuselage  of  this  aeroplane  in  the  work- 
shops; the  observer's  cock-pit  was  drenched  with 
blood. 

Consolidation  of  our  position  on  the  Hai  went 
on;  the  Cavalry  Division  were  ever  on  the  move 
harassing  the  Turkish  communications  and  making 
punitive  raids  on  Arab  encampments ;  marching  by 
night  and  skirmishing  by  day  sorely  tried  the  horses. 
It  was  a  hard  life  for  the  Cavalry.  But  the  enemy 
would  not  move ;  General  Maude  must  have  hoped 
that  his  threat  to  their  communications  would 


66        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

cause  Khalil  Pasha  to  make  some  move  from 
Sannayat  and  give  him  an  opening;  Khalil  Pasha 
sat  doggedly  firm.  The  air  offensive  went  on;  a 
ton  of  bombs  was  dropped  on  Bghailah  on  the  2ist, 
and  three  machines  again  visited  the  place  that 
night;  the  work  of  registration  from  all  the  new 
artillery  positions  allowed  no  respite.  On 
Christmas  Eve  the  cavalry  attacked  and  burnt 
the  Arab  stronghold  Gussabs  Fort,  and  D.  H. 
reconnoitred  the  river  as  far  as  Baghdad;  it  was 
the  first  time  since  the  battle  of  Ctesiphon  that  a 
British  aeroplane  had  been  over  the  city;  we  heard 
later  what  consternation  it  caused.  He  came  back 
with  wonderful  tales  of  gardens  and  vegetation, 
railway  station,  tram-lines,  and  buildings — it 
sounded  all  very  civilised  to  us  in  the  desert. 

Christmas  Day,  1916,  in  Mesopotamia  was  I 
expect  much  more  cheerful  than  in  England ;  work 
was  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  a  great  feast  had 
been  prepared,  after  which,  heavily  laden  with  good 
food  and  drink,  the  squadron  held  athletic  sports. 
It  was  a  day  full  of  fun,  officers  from  every  unit 
wandering  round  each  other's  camps  and  exchang- 
ing greetings.  The  Force  was  a  happy  family;  men 
under  these  conditions  get  to  know  and  understand 
each  other  in  a  different  fashion  to  normal  times; 
on  active  service  there  can  be  little  convention  or 
artificiality;  the  soul  is  stripped,  and  the  man 
stands  out  in  a  genuine  form  for  better  or  for 
worse.  Life-long  friendships  are  founded  in  a 
short  space  of  time ;  in  the  ordinary  humdrum  days 
of  peace  and  security  we  are  apt  to  pass  by  some  of 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       67 

the  greater  bounties  of  Life.  Bobby  had  invented 
a  special  dope  for  the  occasion,  and  the  Mess  was 
packed  with  merry  individuals.  One  could  hardly 
see  across  the  tent  in  the  thick  fog  of  tobacco 
smoke;  song  and  chorus  rang  out.  The  cheer  of 
the  day  was  kept  up  far  into  the  night. 

The  weather  broke  at  last;  operations  had  been 
purposely  hurried  on  before  the  commencement  of 
the  rains,  for  the  terrible  experiences  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  when  the  country  was  flooded  most  of 
the  winter,  and  the  wounded  were  even  drowned 
before  it  was  possible  to  pick  them  up,  were  still 
fresh  to  our  minds.  Rain  converted  the  country 
into  a  quagmire,  and  it  was  well  known  that  any 
operations  would  be  stopped  thereby.  The  weather 
was  a  more  difficult  proposition  to  General  Maude 
than  the  Turk,  and  it  must  have  been  with  sad 
misgivings  that  the  G.O.C.  saw  the  clouds  bank 
up  and  heard  the  deluge  splash  down  on  his  tent. 

For  many  weeks  we  had  been  collecting  from 
down-river  all  the  date-palm  matting,  known  as 
"  Chittai,"  that  could  be  squeezed  on  to  the  already 
overladen  barges,  with  the  idea  of  spreading  it  over 
the  aerodrome  to  give  the  wheels  of  the  machines 
a  grip  when  the  wet  weather  came;  unfortunately 
our  labours  were  useless,  for  the  experiment  proved 
unsuccessful.  High  southerly  winds  and  rain 
during  the  last  weeks  in  December  and  the  first 
week  of  the  New  Year  flooded  the  country,  but 
flying  took  place  whenever  possible  in  order  to 
continue  the  work  of  mapping  the  country  behind 
the  lines,  for  registration  of  targets  and  reconnais- 


68        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

sance.  Two  hangars  were  blown  down,  but  the 
machines  saved.  The  river  rose  eight  feet  in  a 
fortnight,  and  all  hands  were  turned  on  to  the  con- 
struction of  "  bunds  "  to  keep  it  from  inundating 
the  entire  country,  which  would  have  left  the 
British  force  in  a  sorry  plight. 

There  are  two  periods  of  flood  in  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates;  'the  first  starts  about  the  second  week 
in  November,  and  is  caused  by  'the  autumn  rains  in 
the  hills,  the  volume  varying  each  year  according 
to  the  wetness  of  the  season;  the  second  comes 
down  in  April  as  a  result  of  the  snows  melting  in 
the  Caucasus,  and  is  the  greatest,  not  subsiding 
until  June.  Then  the  rivers  course  past  in  a  yellow 
spate,  against  which  it  is  difficult  for  any  craft  to 
make  headway ;  the  waters  drop  until  they  are  about 
their  lowest  in  August,  September,  and  October. 
It  is  hard  for  the  persecuted  white  man,  in  the 
furnace  of  a  Mesopotamian  June,  to  imagine  the 
thick  flood  racing  past  as  the  thaw  off  glaciers  a 
thousand  miles  away. 

The  period  of  bad  weather  was  not  altogether 
unwelcome  to  the  R.F.C.,  for  it  gave  us  a  breathing 
space  in  which  to  overhaul  aeroplanes  and  engines, 
relieve  personnel  due  for  England  by  drafts 
arrived  at  Busrah,  and  allow  pilots  and  observers 
a  rest  from  the  intensive  flying  that  had  been 
going  on. 

The  enemy  had  taken  up  a  strong  position  in  'the 
Khadairi  bend  on  the  right  bank  of  'the  Tigris, 
where  he  meant  to  stay;  it  was  important  that  we 
should  move  him,  as  he  could  open  the  "  bund/' 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       69 

and  in  a  high  flood  cut  our  communications  to  the 
Hai,  which  were  being  linked  by  an  extension  of 
the  light  railway  from   Sinn.     The  3rd   Division 
had  a  slow  and  difficult  task  before  them,*  as,  like 
most  fighting  in  Mesopotamia,  it  lay  across  open 
country;   there   was  no  cover  except   a  fringe   of 
scrub  along  the  left  flank.    The  rain  had  stopped 
by  the  6th  January,  and  the  British  troops  worked 
hard  sapping  out  to  the  Turkish  position.    On  the 
9th,  after  a  sharp  hand-to-hand  figh't,  Gurkhas  and 
Mahrattas  reached  the  river,  while  on  the  right  the 
Manchesters  and   59th   Rifles  succeeded,   against 
fog  and  counter-attack,  in  clearing  the  trenches  and 
nullahs,  incurring  heavy  loss  on  the  enemy.    From 
here  an  attempt  made  during  the  next  two  days  to 
drive  the  Turks  out  of  their  position  failed  owing 
to  our  attacking  parties  being  enfiladed  from  both 
sides;  but  the  Highland  Light  Infantry  had  forced 
the  enemy  back,  steel  to  steel  and  inch  by  inch,  only 
a  remnant  living  to  tell  the  tale  of  their  glory  in 
the  depot  at  Hamilton.     A  week  was  spent  con- 
structing    covered     approaches      and      assembly 
trenches  from  which  to  launch  the  final  assault. 
The  fighting  for  the  enemy's  advanced  posts  was 
severe;  redoubts  were  lost  and  won  several  times 
over;  by  the  i8th  the  last  one  had  fallen.    We  got 
ready  for  the  supreme  effort  on  the  morrow,  which 
was  to  clear  the  enemy  out  of  the  Khadairi  bend ; 
a    message    dropped    from  the  air  asked  him  to 
surrender,  but  during  the  night  he  retired  across 
the  river,  leaving  us  masters  of  the  situation. 
On  account  of  the  weather  the  co-operation  of 

*  See  sketch  map. 


70        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

the  R.F.C.  in  this  fighting  was  of  little  help;  gaps 
in  the  mist  afforded  only  occasional  chances  for 
the  artillery  spotters.  Three  machines  were  held 
up  at  the  advanced  ground  at  Sinn  one  stormy 
night;  the  next  morning,  though  clear  at  Sinn, 
there  was  a  thick  fog  at  Arab  Village,  and  it  was 
only  just  in  time  that  a  message  got  through 
stopping  them  from  attempting  the  passage.  A 
possible  catastrophe  narrowly  averted. 

The  ist  Corps  now  cleared  the  enemy  from  the 
east  bank  of  the  Hai,  and  to  'the  west  the  3rd 
Corps  advanced  another  mile.  Gradually  we 
were  creeping  forward  towards  his  communications, 
but  the  price  was  heavy. 

A  re-organisation  of  the  R.F.C.  took  place. 
MacEwen's  appointment  as  Assistant-Director  of 
Aeronautics  was  abolished,  and  he  unfortunately 
left  us.  D.  H.  took  command  of  the  squadron, 
and  I  set  up  my  headquarters  at  Sinn. 

The  Hai  salient  was  the  next  series  of  fortifica- 
tions barring  our  progress  against  the  enemy's 
communications.*  This  salient  was  defended  by  the 
most  effective  gun  emplacements  and  a  strong 
trench  system.  From  the  25th  the  fighting  to  clear 
the  Turk  from  the  right  bank  was  terrific;  'the 
gallantry  on  both  sides  was  great  and  the  casualties 
telling.  By  the  26th  we  had  secured  a  firm  foot- 
hold in  his  first-line  trenches.  A  Flight  was 
detached  to  Sinn  to  co-operate  with  the  3rd  Corps 
in  this  offensive.  They  had  become  artists  in 
artillery  co-operation,  and  flew  till  their  eyes  hung 
heavy  in  their  heads.  The  enemy  air  force  became 

*  See  sketch  map. 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       71 

more  active  and  much  bolder;  new  blood  seemed  to 
have  arrived  among  them.  Day  after  day  Merton 
and  his  men  would  go  up  with  a  long  and  difficult 
artillery  programme  and  the  certainty  of  interrup- 
tion ;  yet  neither  Weather  nor  Boche  interfered  with 
the  achievement  of  this  Flight,  which  accomplished 
the  work  of  a  squadron. 

On  the  27th  January,  Lieut.  Baldwin  and 
"  Anzac,"  in  a  B.E.,  were  attacked  by  a  Fokker 
and  Albatross;  their  petrol  tank  was  blown  open 
and  engine  hit,  but  "  Anzac  "  drove  off  both  Huns 
with  his  rear  gun,  damaging  one  so  that  it  dived  for 
home.  Our  machine  managed  to  land  the  right 
side  of  the  line.  On  the  2Oth  January,  a  raid  of 
three  machines  had  gone  to  Baghdad  and  bombed 
the  citadel,  completely  wrecking  a  workshop  and 
some  houses. 

The  Cavalry  Division  marched  back  to  Arab 
Village  in  order  to  operate  against  the  enemy's  rear 
round  the  north  of  the  Suwaikieh  Marsh,  via 
Bedrah  and  Jessan,  a  surprise  movement  to 
synchronise  with  the  attack  of  the  3rd  Corps  on  the 
Hai.  The  scheme  entailed  long  desert  marching, 
the  man-handling  of  guns  and  waggons  over  rough 
country,  and  difficulties  of  supply  and  communica- 
tion. It  was  ambitious,  but  had  it  succeeded  the 
results  might  have  been  far-reaching,  for  the 
enemy's  position  at  Sannayat  must  have  been 
imperilled.  General  Maude  explained  the 
operations  to  me  personally;  the  Turk  having,  so 
far,  not  moved  an  inch  from  Sannayat  in  spite  of 
our  threats  in  his  rear,  we  must  try  something  fresh, 


72        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

perhaps  this  would  shift  him.  Luck  was  against  us. 
The  cavalry  had  got  well  out  on  their  night  march 
when  a  heavy  thunderstorm  burst;  the  ground 
became  a  marsh  and  the  dry  nullahs  rushing  tor- 
rents; guns  and  limbers  sank  in  to  their  axles; 
horses  floundered,  and  in  the  inky  darkness 
progress  in  either  direction  was  impossible.  The 
attempt  was  abandoned;  with  the  coming  of  the 
dawn  they  extricated  themselves,  and,  drenched  to 
the  skin  and  worn  out,  regained  Arab  Village. 

The  struggle  on  the  Hai  continued.  On 
February  ist  the  two  armies  swayed  backwards 
and  forwards  in  fierce  conflict.  Just  before  the  zero 
hour  "  Bobby '''  and  Lieut.  Beevor-Potts  were 
directing  'the  final  storm  of  artillery  fire  before  it 
lifted  for  our  men  to  go  over,  when  a  Fokker  came 
down  like  a  thunderbolt  on  their  tail.  Bobby  turned 
sharp,  and  the  German  passed  in  front  of  him,  so 
seizing  the  opportunity  he  made  his  machine  sit  up 
on  its  tail  and  got  his  forward  gun  to  bear.  The  Hun 
went  down  in  one  last  long  dive,  turning  over  and 
over  like  a  leaf.  A  cloud  of  dust,  smoke,  and  flame 
marked  his  pyre  just  behind  the  Turkish  front  line. 
Our  army,  crouching  down  below  with  rifle  and 
bayonet  ready  for  the  assault,  had  been  watching 
the  duel.  Bobby  had  chosen  his  moment  well. 
They  went  over  with  a  yell  of  triumph,  the 
Cheshires  on  the  east  bank  cleared  the  enemy  from 
their  trenches  and  succeeded  in  stopping  there. 
On  the  west  bank  'the  battle  was  grim.  The  36th 
and  45th  Sikhs  charged  across  the  open,  raked  by 
machine-gun  fire  from  their  left  flank,  and  cap- 


Sunset  on  the  Tigris 


Our  mule  transport 


An   aerodrome  in    the   rains 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       73 

tured  the  Turkish  trench.  They  met  the  counter- 
attack in  the  open  with  a  glorious  charge;  the 
conflict  was  hand-to-hand.  Forced  back  by  sheer 
weight  of  numbers,  stabbing  and  clubbing  the 
enemy,  these  bearded  warriors  retired,  but  only  a 
small  remnant  of  the  two  splendid  battalions 
regained  their  own  trenches. 

The  3rd  Corps  extended  their  line  north-west, 
and  a  renewal  of  the  attack  on  the  3rd  gained  us 
the  first  two  lines  of  enemy  trenches.  On  this 
day  Lieuts.  Baldwin  and  Hannay  forced  an  Aviatik 
to  land  near  Bghailah;  it  was  reported  later  that 
the  pilot  had  been  wounded.  The  last  of  the 
enemy  on  the  eas't  of  the  Hai  withdrew  to  the 
west,  and  during  the  night  of  the  4th  fell  back  to 
the  Liquorice  Factory  and  a  line  across  the  Dahra 
Bend  in  the  Tigris.*  They  had  lost  heavily  in  dead 
and  prisoners,  besides  the  arms,  ammunition  and 
stores  that  we  had  captured.  Their  hold  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Tigris  was  being  wrested  from 
them,  and  further  possibilities  were  opening  out; 
our  troops  were  in  fine  fettle.  A  parade  of  the 
remnant  of  the  36th  and  45th  Sikhs  was  held,  and 
General  Maude  made  a  speech  in  English,  which 
was  then  translated  and  delivered  in  Hindustani. 

Sinn  was  conveniently  situated  midway  between 
the  two  Corps  in  the  Sannayat  and  Hai 
areas.  Here,  in  rows  of  little  forty-pound  tents, 
lived  the  Headquarter  Staff.  A  forty-pound  tent 
is  an  economical  form  of  housing,  and  can  be 
packed  up  and  carried  away  at  a  moment's  notice; 
yet  it  is  a  warm  and  comfortable  domain  when  the 

*  See  sketch  map. 


74        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

interior  has  been  dug  down  four  feet  to  give  head 
room  and  keep  out  draught.  There  is  just  sufficient 
space  for  a  camp  bed,  and  the  double  layer  of 
canvas  keeps  out  sun  and  rain.  It  was  character- 
istic of  General  Maude  that  he  should  live  under 
the  same  conditions  as  the  rest  of  the  army;  he 
never  considered  his  personal  comfort,  and  refused 
to  allow  himself  extra  luxury  by  reason  of  high 
office.  His  thoughts  were  ever  with  the  rank  and 
file  and  the  arrangements  for  their  welfare.  There 
might  be  a  limited  supply  of  oil  stoves  for  the 
winter,  but  General  Maude  and  his  staff  would 
shiver  among  their  maps  and  papers  till  a 
sufficient  supply  had  first  been  provided  for  those 
he  considered  more  in  need.  There  was  no  extra 
provision  for  G.H.Q.  in  Mesopotamia. 

It  was  a  happy  camp  at  Sinn;  the  weather  was 
bracing;  the  work  hard  and  the  life  active  and 
healthy  for  all  except  those  whose  misfortune  tied 
them  completely  to  an  office.  On  a  quiet  evening 
there  were  black  partridge  in  the  scrub,  or  sniping 
the  Turk  across  the  river  from  behind  sandbags  in 
Magasis  Fort;  or,  after  a  long  day's  work,  an 
evening  ride  into  'the  desert  to  restore  the  brain- 
weary  staff  officer.  The  wire  fencing  and  block- 
house system  south  of  the  railway  was  carried  on 
to  the  Hai  to  keep  the  Arab  raiders  out  of  the 
occupied  area;  but,  in  spite  of  every  device,  they 
would  get  through  and  back  between  the 
blockhouses  with  even  camels  and  'tents. 

The  Flight  at  Sinn  were  a  few  minutes'  gallop 
from  my  own  headquarters,  so  that  within  twenty 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       75 

minutes  I  could  be  at  any  point  by  air,  and  a  wire- 
less station  rigged  at  the  office  tent  enabled  me  to 
listen  to  the  machines  working  on  the  line. 
Hertzian  waves  were  as  food  and  drink  to 
"  Huxley,"  my  wireless  officer,  a  most  progressive 
individual. 

The  Turkish  Force  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Tigris  were  now  confined  entirely  to  the  Liquorice 
Factory  and  Dahra  Bend.  The  initiative  remained 
in  the  hands  of  General  Maude,  and  he  never  gave 
them  a  chance  to  wrest  it  away. 

Carrying  straight  forward  after  the  victory  on 
the  Hai,  the  Liquorice  Factory  was  fiercely 
bombarded,  and  on  the  gth  February  the  whole  line 
was  attacked.  The  Worcesters  and  King's 
Own  both  captured  the  enemy's  line  at  different 
points,  out  of  which  the  Turks  failed  to  dislodge 
them.  The  next  day  the  Factory  fell,  and  we 
gradually  closed  in  on  the  enemy,  who  had  retired 
to  a  second  line  across  the  bend.  S'trong  south- 
easterly winds  and  heavy  rain  retarded  progress 
and  made  aerial  reconnaissance  difficult,  but  on  the 
loth,  in  spite  of  these  conditions,  an  aeroplane 
directing  a  sixty-pounder  gun  damaged  the  enemy 
bridge  over  the  Tigris  at  a  range  of  9,800  yards, 
and  sunk  a  barge  more  than  five  miles  away.  The 
aerodrome  at  Sinn  and  Arab  Village  became  a 
marsh,  but  on  only  one  day  was  flying  actually 
impossible.  On  this  day  the  Corps  H.Q. 
rang  up  Merton's  Flight  and  enquired  if  he  was 
sending  anything  up ;  Captain  Merton  replied  that 
his  present  difficulty  in  the  raging  gale  was  keeping 


76        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

his  machines  on  the  ground.  The  state  of  the 
ground  further  hindered  the  supply  of  rations  and 
ammunition  along  our  ever-lengthening  line  of 
communication. 

For  three  days  all  our  guns  were  concentrated 
against  the  enemy's  left,  and  on  the  i5th  a  feint 
attack  brought  down  his  barrage  on  our  right,  thus 
disclosing  the  massing  of  his  artillery,  as  we  had 
desired,  on  that  point  of  the  line.  Then  the  3rd 
Corps,  launching  their  main  attack  against  the 
centre,  carried  all  before  it.  The  Turks  tried  to 
reinforce  the  centre  from  their  left,  where  the  main 
body  was  collected,  but  our  barrage  made  this 
impossible.  For  three  days  the  plan  had  been 
elaborated;  its  success  was  complete. 

The  enemy  attempted  to  escape  across  the  river, 
but  few  reached  the  other  side.  The  R.F.C.  were 
waiting  in  the  sky,  and  the  artillery  had  the  range 
of  every  ferry  point.  Bomb  and  shell  tore  the 
pontoons,  and  the  flood  did  the  rest.  By  the  i6th 
February  the  Dahra  Bend  was  cleared  and  2,000 
prisoners  had  been  captured.  It  was  a  night  of 
great  rejoicing.  D.  H.  celebrated  the  occasion  by 
obtaining  a  direct  hit  on  a  steamer  at  Bghailah. 

What  would  be  our  next  move  and  how  far  were 
we  to  be  allowed  to  go?  Force  "  D  "  awaited  the 
word  of  its  chief  like  hounds  straining  at  the  leash. 
Torrential  rain  on  'the  i6th  and  i?th  did  its  best 
to  damp  their  ardour;  camps,  trenches,  bivouacs, 
and  aerodromes  were  flooded,  canvas  hangars  could 
not  keep  it  out  and  aeroplanes  became  saturated. 

The    British    Force,    after    two   months'    hard 


Looking  up  the  Tigris  from   Arab  Villag; 


The  lines  at  Sannayat  between    marsh    and   river  from   the 
British  side 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       77 

fighting,  had  swept  the  Turk  entirely  off  the  righ't 
bank  of  the  Tigris.  To  close  with  him  again  we 
must  either  cross  the  river  or  come  to  grips  frontally 
against  his  lines  at  Sannayat.  He  had  worked  for 
a  year  making  this  position  into  a  maze  of 
successive  lines  of  trenches  on  a  narrow  front, 
firmly  secured  by  river  and  marsh  on  the  flanks. 
The  way  seemed  effectively  barred  on  the  left 
bank;  but  for  forty  miles  from  Sannayat  to 
Shumran  our  force  was  a  constant  threat  on  his 
flank,  and  the  3rd  Corps,  opposite  Shumran,  were 
very  near  his  communications.  Yet  Khalil  showed 
no  sign  of  stirring.  Perhaps  he  relied  on  the 
impregnability  of  Sannayat  or  the  sodden  condition 
of  the  country  and  further  rain  to  immobilise  the 
rest  of  the  British  Army?  The  experience  of  the 
previous  year  would  almost  justify  his  reasoning. 
Perhaps  he  considered  a  surprise  crossing  in 
strength  an  impossible  contingency.  The  river 
was  sweeping  down  in  full  spate,  it  would  be  a 
long  and  hazardous  operation  to  bridge  it;  mean- 
while sufficient  force  could  be  concentrated  at  the 
threatened  point.  So  Khalil  waited. 

General  Maude  intended  to  cross  the  river  as  far 
west  as  possible;  it  was  therefore  important  to 
keep  the  enemy's  attention  about  Sannayat,  and 
orders  were  issued  to  'the  ist  Corps  to  attack  on 
the  1 7th  February.  It  was  a  year  since  Sannayat 
had  been  attacked ;  the  same  troops  who  had  thrown 
themselves  at  the  enemy  in  vain  endeavour  to 
break  through  to  Ku't,  had  held  the  same  ground 
for  eleven  months,  sweated  through  the  hot 


78        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

weather,  and  were  now  in  the  trenches  waiting  for 
the  signal  to  attack.  To  ensure  surprise  there  was 
no  artillery  preparation;  a  short  tornado  on  their 
wire,  and  the  guns  would  lift  for  the  assault.  I 
remember  waiting  in  suspense  outside  my  office 
tent  for  the  opening  crash.  The  two  aeroplanes 
for  locating  active  enemy  guns  were  humming 
high  above,  having  made  a  detour  preparatory  to 
turning  down  wind  over  Sannayat  on  time,  no 
earlier.  Suspicion  must  not  be  aroused.  It  was 
a  peaceful  afternoon,  the  desert  green  with  recent 
rain  and  heavy  banks  of  cloud  threatening  further 
downpour.  One  thought  of  the  men  fixing  their 
bayonets  in  the  trenches  and  their  hearts  hammer- 
ing off  the  last  few  minutes.  Suddenly  great 
spurts  of  desert  began  flying  in  'the  air,  and  the 
booming  of  cannon  rolled  across  the  intervening 
plain  to  where  I  was  watching ;  Hell  had  descended 
on  Sannayat. 

I  was  glued  to  my  telephone  when  General 
Maude,  standing  close  outside,  came  in  to  talk  to 
the  ist  Corps  H.Q.  The  Gurkhas  and  Punjabis 
had  captured  the  first  two  lines  on  a  narrow  frontage 
with  little  loss,  but  were  being  heavily  counter- 
attacked. The  men  from  India  and  Nepal  were 
unable  to  withstand  the  onslaught,  and  most  of 
their  British  officers  had  been  killed.  The  General 
urged  that  a  British  battalion  should  be  sent  in  at 
once.  The  Black  Watch,  ordered  to  support,  were 
baulked  in  getting  out  of  their  trenches  by  the  rush 
of  native  troops  tumbling  back  in.  The  enemy 
regained  his  lost  line,  except  for  a  small  party  of 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       79 

Gurkhas  on  the  river  bank,  who  stuck  there  till 
dusk.  At  least  these  operations  had  turned  the 
enemy's  attention  to  Sannayat. 

The  next  day  D.  H.,  while  at  his  customary 
occupation  of  bombing  the  enemy  aerodrome,  was 
interfered  with  by  a  Fokker  which  had  ascended 
to  try  conclusions  with  him.  The  Martinsyde 
scout  out-manoeuvred  the  German,  who,  spattered 
by  bullets,  went  down  vertically  like  a  stone,  one 
wing  carried  away  and  the  rest  buried  itself  in  the 
ground  7,000  feet  below.  The  German  aviators 
watched  the  duel  from  their  aerodrome,  but  no 
other  candidate  accepted  'the  challenge. 

Daily  artillery  barrages  were  put  down  on 
Sannayat  in  order  to  keep  confusing  Khalil  and 
induce  him  to  accept  'these,  unaccompanied  by 
infantry  attacks,  as  part  of  our  usual  routine. 
When  all  seemed  quiet  and  peaceful,  these  intense 
bombardments  would  suddenly  rend  the  air  at  any 
'time  of  the  day.  The  long  six-inch  guns  of  the 
Naval  flotilla  in  the  river  would  chime  in  as  double 
bass  to  the  general  racket,  and  Sannayat  would  be 
obliterated  in  a  fog  of  flying  sand,  debris  and 
smoke.  The  behaviour  of  the  Turkish  gunners  on 
these  occasions  was  remarkable.  From  the  air  we 
could  see  them  continue  fighting  their  guns  in  the 
most  gallant  fashion,  keeping  up  a  rapid  fire  in 
spite  of  their  pits  being  blown  up  all  round  them. 

All  the  time,  secretly,  quietly,  methodically, 
General  Maude  prepared  for  the  passage  of  the 
Tigris  about  Shumran,  twenty  miles  away.  The 
river  was  in  highest  flood,  and  the  country  water- 


80        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

logged,  but  drying.  All  movement  and  work  was 
carried  out  under  cover  of  night.  Pontoon  rowers 
were  selected  and  trained,  men  of  Norfolk  and 
Hampshire;  Gurkhas  and  Norfolks  were  to  be 
landed;  the  tiny  Gurkhas,  too  small  to  row  the 
pontoons,  had  "to  be  rowed;  their  heads  barely 
appeared  above  the  gunwale. 

Again,  on  the  22nd,  Sannayat  was  assaulted  after 
a  terrific  bombardment.  The  Seaforths  and  92nd 
Punjabis,  with  few  casualties,  found  themselves  in 
possession  of  a  wrecked  front  line.  The  aero- 
artillery  co-operation  blew  the  Turkish  counter- 
attacks to  bits  as  fast  as  they  formed.  The 
Leicesters,  5ist  and  53rd  Sikhs  supported  and 
extended  to  the  right.  By  nightfall  our  men  had 
dug  themselves  in  opposite  the  enemy's  fourth  line 
and  consolidated  the  position.  A  hundred  and  'ten 
miles  away  at  Baghdad  they  heard  it  on  the  wire, 
and  the  German  population  started  packing  their 
baggage.  That  night  the  British  Army,  flushed 
with  their  taste  of  success,  learnt  of  the  plans  for 
the  morrow ;  after  a  year  a  decision  was  to  be  forced. 

While  the  battle  had  been  raging  at  Sannayat 
the  3rd  Corps  were  apparently  engaged  in  bridging 
operations  opposite  Kut  under  cover  of  a  heavy 
bombardment  of  the  town.  After  dark  a  party  of 
Punjabis  and  Sappers  pulled  across  the  river  at 
Magasis,  raided  the  Turkish  trenches,  and  returned 
with  a  trench  mortar  as  a  souvenir.  A  picquet  had 
been  driven  in  and  given  the  alarm;  one  can 
imagine  the  chaos  caused  throughout  the  enemy 
camps  by  this  sudden  appearance  of  British  troops 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD        8 1 

on  their  side  of  the  river  in  the  middle  of  the  night. 
This  daring  bluff  by  a  handful  of  men  across  a 
rushing  torrent  half  a  mile  wide  in  inky  darkness 
served  its  purpose  well,  and  they  returned  with 
trifling  casualties.  Fifteen  miles  higher  up, 
opposite  Shumran,  Sappers,  Norfolks,  Gurkhas, 
and  Gunners  looked  for  the  dawn. 

Owing  to  the  high  flood  and  consequent 
difficulties  of  bridging,  it  had  been  decided  that  the 
operation  by  night  was  impracticable.  The 
"  forlorn  hope  "  were  to  lead  over  as  the  darkness 
turned  to  grey. 

Our  barges  were  loaded ;  the  steamers  lay  along- 
side ;  aeroplanes  stood  out  in  readiness  to  leave  the 
ground;  the  army  awaited  the  word  to  trek.  We 
slept  lightly  that  night. 

An  aerial  barrage  had  been  up  all  day  to 
frustrate  any  curiosity  displayed  by  the  Hun;  one 
had  evaded  us  and  learnt  all  about  the  activity 
opposite  Kut ;  special  food  that  had  been  designed 
for  their  consumption;  it  was  well.  Orders  had 
been  given  me  by  General  Maude  'that  no  German 
must  leave  the  ground  on  the  23rd;  co-operation 
was  also  essential  with  all  arms,  and  there  was  only 
our  one  little  squadron  for  the  task,  but  officers  and 
men  were  told,  and  were  pleased  there  was  no 
other,  for  the  responsibility  remained  in  their 
keeping. 

Just  before  the  day  of  the  23rd  February  the 
first  aeroplanes  left  the  ground;  at  the  same  time 
pontoons,  loaded  with  Norfolks  and  Gurkhas, 
pushed  out  into  the  flood  at  three  separate  points 


82        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

in  the  Shumran  Bend.  The  first  batch  of  Norfolks 
using  the  up-stream  ferry  were  practically  across  in 
the  half-light  before  'the  enemy  on  the  other  side 
realised  that  anything  unusual  was  happening. 
The  two  lower  ferries,  Gurkhas  rowed  by 
Hampshires,  were  met  by  a  hail  of  bullets  and 
suffered  heavily.  Some  of  them,  however, 
succeeded  in  forcing  their  way  ashore,  where  they 
met  the  Turks  hand  o  hand.  An  incessant  barrage 
from  the  British  artillery  and  machine-guns  across 
the  river  made  the  enemy  keep  their  heads  under 
cover,  and  enabled  our  storming  parties  to  land 
and  assault  a  loop-holed  bund.  The  casualties 
became  so  severe  at  these  two  lower  ferries,  and 
left  so  few  of  the  Hampshire  rowers  alive,  'that 
they  were  both  abandoned  and  the  passage  confined 
to  the  top  ferry,  which  the  bend  in  the  river  better 
protected  from  enfilade.  By  7.30  about  700 
Norfolks  and  Gurkhas  had  established  'themselves 
on  the  far  bank;  every  inch  had  been  fiercely 
contested  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet;  the  footing 
gained  enabled  the  Sappers  to  launch  the  first 
pontoon  of  the  bridge.  Under  peaceful  conditions 
this  would  have  been  no  small  undertaking;  there 
were  four  hundred  yards  of  a  deep  five-knot  flood 
to  span;  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  the  task  was 
colossal.  The  Sappers  worked  like  men  possessed. 
The  site  had  been  well  chosen,  the  Turkish 
gunners  had  no  means  of  locating  it,  and  a 
Martinsyde  scout  kept  flying  round  and  round  their 
aerodrome  to  force  to  the  ground  any  Hun  who 
attempted  to  leave.  This  watch  on  the  aerodrome 


i  »,";'; :.*:»'%:.' 


German  Airmen  on  the  Tigris 
This  photograph  was  captured  during  the  advance  to  Baghdad 


Maude's   master-stroke.     The  bridge  at  Shumran 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       83 

was  maintained  all  day,  machines  relieving  each 
other  on  the  scene  of  action.  There  were  only 
sufficient  aeroplanes  for  one  to  work  at  a  time,  yet 
our  sovereignty  of  the  air  was  complete  till  5  p.m., 
when  one  German  escaped ;  but  it  was  'too  late,  the 
bridge  and  half  a  division  were  across.  These 
pilots,  knowing  well  of  the  gallant  souls  dying  at 
the  crossing,  maintained  their  lonely  beat  cease- 
lessly, unerringly,  over  the  enemy  aerodrome. 
Whenever  any  activity  was  displayed  away  would 
go  a  bomb  with  a  whistling  sigh  and  a  crash ;  a  dive 
and  a  s'tammering  machine-gun  finished  the  work, 
and  the  sentry  above  resumed  his  beat  alone  and 
applauded  only  by  the  patter  of  shrapnel  and 
high  explosive.  About  n  a.m.  an  ammunition 
dump  shot  up  in  a  cloud  of  black  smoke  somewhere 
opposite  Magasis;  it  was  evident  that  the  day  was 
going  in  our  favour,  and  that  the  Turk  meant 
to  evacuate  Sannayat.  Here  patrols  of  the  7th 
Division  entered  the  enemy's  third  line,  but  were 
prevented  from  advancing  further  by  a  strong 
counter-attack.  The  enemy  evacuated  during  the 
night,  and  the  ist  Corps  pushed  forward,  occupying 
the  battered  trenches,  which  were  choked  with 
corpses,  the  ground  a  shambles  of  dead  and  crying 
wounded.  The  night  was  spent  in  bridging  the 
'trenches  and  clearing  a  way  for  the  guns  and 
waggons  to  advance  on  the  morrow. 

The  bridge  at  Shumran  was  completed  at  4.30 
p.m.,  and  three  infantry  brigades  were  across  before 
dark.  All  night  the  3rd  Corps  poured  over  a  stream 
of  guns,  waggons,  horses,  men,  and  mules  without 


84        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

end.       The  Cavalry  Division  bivouacked  close  by 
and  looked  to  their  sabres. 

The  excitement  was  intense,  and  all  night  long 
G.H.Q.  camp  buzzed  with  the  subdued  sound  of 
work  at  high  pressure.  The  task  of  the  Supply  and 
Transport  service  appeared  almost  insuperable. 
General  Maude,  imperturbable  as  ever,  crouching 
over  his  maps  by  the  light  of  a  little  electric  lamp, 
in  the  pit  of  his  4olb.  tent,  discussed  the  plans  for 
next  day,  and  gave  me  carte  blanche.  An  army 
on  the  run  over  flat  desert  and  the  complete  mastery 
of  the  air,  one's  wildest  dream  had  come  true.  The 
weary  pilots  got  in  to  snatch  a  few  hours'  sleep, 
while  the  mechanics  spent  the  night  loading 
machines  with  bombs  and  overhauling  engines. 

The  crossing  had  been  a  masterpiece,  a  clever 
conception  brilliantly  carried  out.  The  Turk  never 
knew  where  the  main  blow  was  to  fall  till  'too  late. 
By  sheer  generalship  the  enemy  was  outwitted. 
First  the  hammer  blow  at  Sannayat  induced  him  to 
march  his  reserves  in  that  direction  from  the  Kut 
area;  after  marching  all  night  the  peril  at  Shumran 
became  apparent.  Khalil  ordered  them  to  counter- 
march, but  too  late.  Maude's  tactics  kept  these 
reserves  marching  and  counter-marching  out  of  the 
battle  on  either  front.  They  were  only  able  to  drag 
themselves  clear  with  the  general  retreat. 

The  next  day,  the  24'th  February,  our  troops  on 
the  Shumran  Peninsula  resumed  the  attack;  the 
enemy  fought  stubbornly.  By  nightfall,  after 
severe  casualties,  we  had  gained  a  thousand 
yards,  and  the  cavalry  and  practically  the 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       85 

whole  3rd  Corps  were  on  the  other  side. 
The  main  Turkish  Army  was  in  full  retreat 
covered  by  this  tenacious  rearguard,  who 
frustrated  an  attempt  by  the  cavalry  to  break 
through  and  enabled  the  Sannayat  troops  to  cross 
our  front  and  get  away.  In  the  evening  I  could  see 
the  Horse  Artillery  of  the  Cavalry  Division  in 
action  against  the  enemy  rearguard,  which  had 
withdrawn  north-west,  and  sent  down  a  message 
to  the  Divisional  H.Q.,  giving  the  dispositions.  If 
the  cavalry  had  only  worked  further  to  'the  north 
the  rearguard  would  have  been  outflanked.  It  was 
a  wonderful  sight  from  the  air,  the  retreat  orderly 
and  well  controlled,  and  low-flying  aeroplanes  came 
under  heavy  fire.  Flying  home  over  Kut  just 
before  dark  I  met  the  Gunboat  Flotilla  coming  up 
full  speed  from  Sannayat,  their  decks  cleared  for 
action,  and  White  Ensigns  spread  out  by  the  breeze 
made  a  proud  and  inspiring  picture  against  the  last 
glow  of  the  Arabian  sunset,  the  battle-line  of 
England  surging  forward. 

Sixteen  hundred  prisoners,  four  field  guns,  and 
a  large  number  of  rifles,  ammunition,  and  stores 
had  been  captured.  The  Turkish  rearguard  with- 
drew out  of  the  Shumran  Peninsula  during  the  night 
of  the  24th,  having  effectively  covered  the 
westward  passage  of  their  army.  On  the  morning 
of  the  25th  early  reconnaissances  located  the  mam 
body  at  Bghailah,  their  rear  party  with  about  twenty 
guns  occupying  a  long  nullah  extending  north 
from  'the  river  near  Imam  Mahdi ;  to  us  in  the  air 
it  seemed  inconceivable  that  the  cavalry  did  not 

G 


36        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

make  round  the  enemy's  northern  flank;  but  there 
they  were,  immobile  down  below,  held  up  and  being 
shelled  by  the  Turks.  The  vanguard  of  the  I3th 
Division  in  their  stiff  fight  to  eject  the  enemy  from 
this  position  nearer  the  river  were  helped  by  the 
long  guns  of  the  Navy.  The  exhausted  cavalry, 
who  had  hardly  been  out  of  their  saddles  for  forty- 
eight  hours,  rode  back  to  water  and  bivouac;  the 
Turk  had  given  them  the  slip.  General  Maude's 
instructions  necessitated  reporting  every  hour  by 
wireless ;  a  field  wireless  station  takes  some  time  'to 
erect  and  dismantle;  perhaps  this  cramped  their 
Commander's  movement,  but  some  would  have 
risked  incurring  displeasure  for  this  chance  of  a 
thousand  years.  After  the  crossing  of  the  river 
the  ghost  of  every  cavalry  leader  down  the  ages 
must  have  looked  longingly  beyond  Shumran.  For 
had  they  ridden  hard  to  the  flank  they  could  have 
gained  the  river  behind  the  Turks ;  it  seemed  even 
worth  the  risk  of  losing  their  horses,  for  what  has 
ever  been  achieved  without  risk?  And  the  com- 
plete obliteration  of  the  Turkish  Army  was  worth 
more  than  the  cavalry  horses.  At  the  end  of  the 
day,  instead  of  being  behind  the  Turkish  Army  the 
Cavalry  Division  were  five  miles  behind  their  own 
infantry. 

Ninety-four  bombs  were  dropped  that  day  on 
fleeing  Turks  and  enemy  shipping;  sixty-five 
pounders  exploding  among  retreating  masses  make 
a  grim  trail  for  a  pursuing  army.  D.  H.  and  I 
found  a  tug  towing  sections  of  the  enemy's  pontoon 
bridge.  It  was  a  fine  target,  and  the  captain  of  the 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       8^ 

tug  considered  it  advisable  to  part  with  his  pon- 
toons, which  went  drifting  down-stream  while  the 
vessel  ran  for  shore  and  the  crew  for  cover. 

The  Turkish  retreat  was  rapid ;  they  threw  their 
guns  and  heavy  encumbrances  into  'the  river  and 
ran  for  all  they  were  worth.  On  the  26th  they 
outstripped  our  infantry,  who  made  a  forced  march 
across  eighteen  miles  of  waterless  plain;  but 
Captain  Nunn,  R.N.,  with  his  river  flotilla,  were 
racing  after  them.  His  orders  also  had  been  to 
report  to  G.H.Q.  hourly  by  wireless,  but  Nunn  and 
his  men,  Commanders  Sherbrooke,  Buxton,  and 
Cartwright  in  the  "  Tarantula,"  "  Mantis,"  and 
"  Moth,"  did  the  Nelson  touch,  and  crashed  on 
up-stream  through  a  hail  of  Turkish  bullets  from 
the  banks.  At  the  sharp  Nahr  Kellak  bend  they 
were  raked  on  either  side  by  Turkish 
batteries  and  machine-guns,  and  returned  the 
fire  with  six-inch  guns  and  Maxims  at  point- 
blank  range.  The  quarter-master  and  Arab 
pilot  of  the  "  Mantis  "  were  both  shot 
dead,  and  Buxton  rushed  into  the  conning- 
tower  just  in  time  to  save  his  ship  from  taking  the 
bank  at  fifteen  knots.  The  river  here  ran  alongside 
the  road  where  the  Turkish  force  was  retreating; 
the  guns  of  'the  flotilla  turned  the  retreat  into  a 
rout,  it  became  sauve  qui  peut. 

The  flotilla  held  on,  and  gradually  drawing  into 
range  with  the  flying  Turkish  river  boats  brought 
their  bow  six-inch  guns  into  action.  The  rear  ship 
was  sunk,  and  the  "  Busrah,"  with  seven  hundred 
wounded  and  other  Turks  and  Germans  on  board, 


88        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

was  run  ashore  by  a  captured  and  badly-wounded 
British  officer,  Lieut.  Cowie,  of  the  Black  Watch. 
Another,  the  "  Pioneer,"  burning  fiercely  but  still 
fighting  her  guns,  ran  aground.  On  went  Nunn 
after  the  "  Firefly/'  a  British  gunboat  captured  in 
the  retreat  from  Ctesiphon.  The  Navy  were  intent 
on  getting  her  back ;  after  a  long  fight  her  captain 
ran  her  ashore,  and  she  was  recaptured.  It  was  a 
great  day  for  the  Senior  Service;  they  suffered 
heavy  casualties  and  were  riddled  by  shell  and 
machine-gun  fire,  but  by  wonderful  fortune 
none  were  sunk.  Three  ships  and  a  thousand 
prisoners  had  been  captured ;  one  enemy  ship  sunk ; 
the  army  routed ;  and,  above  all,  the  lost  "  Firefly," 
or,  as  the  Turks  had  re-christened  her,  "  Sulman 
Pak,"  recaptured.  All  that  morning  General  Maude 
walked  up  and  down  wondering  what  the  gunboats 
were  doing,  and  "  why  the  devil  they  didn't  report 
as  instructed?  '  That  night  the  Navy  reported. 

The  G.O.C.  and  his  staff  embarked  on  board  the 
paddle-boat  53;  she  had  been  partitioned  off  by 
canvas  into  the  various  offices  necessary  to  an 
advancing  and  mobile  G.H.Q.,  and  arrived  at 
Shumran  in  the  afternoon  of  the  26th.  The 
squadron  occupied  the  enemy  aerodrome.  At  Kut 
the  Union  Jack  was  flying,  having  been  run  up  by 
the  bluejackets  of  the  "  Mantis  "  the  day  before; 
the  town  was  badly  knocked  about  by  shell  fire,  the 
result  of  our  recent  bombardment  and  that  of  the 
enemy  when  Townshena  was  besieged;  within  it 
there  was  no  living  soul  save  innumerable  cats 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       89 

prowling  about  among  the  dead  bodies ;  the  stench 
was  nauseating  and  the  silence  uncanny. 

It  was  interesting  to  walk  about  'the  enemy  aero- 
drome, which  we  had  known  so  well  from  the  air, 
and  examine  his  dug-outs  and  the  holes  made  by 
our  bombs.  The  place  was  littered  with  fragments, 
and  it  was  easy  to  trace  'the  results  of  one's  own 
shooting  on  the  different  occasions.  The  next 
morning  I  witnessed  for  myself  what  the  gunboats 
had  achieved. 

Flying  towards  Azizieh  the,  spectacle  was 
amazing  and  horrible;  dead  bodies  and  mules, 
abandoned  guns,  waggons  and  stores  littered  the 
road,  many  of  the  waggons  had  hoisted  the  white 
flag,  men  and  animals  exhausted  and  starving  lay 
prone  on  the  ground.  Few  of  'these,  if  any,  survived 
the  attentions  of  the  Arab  tribesmen,  hanging 
round  like  wolves  on  their  trail.  Further  on  I 
came  up  with  the  rear  party  on  the  march.  Flying 
along  about  ten  feet  from  the  road  I  mowed  down 
seven  with  one  burst  of  machine-gun  fire;  it  was 
sickening ;  they  hardly  had  'the  strength  to  run  into 
the  nullahs  and  fire  back;  those  hit  just  crumpled 
up  under  their  packs  and  lay  still ;  others  waved  in 
token  of  surrender  and  supplication  for  rescue.  All 
along  the  road  they  staggered  in  twos  and  threes. 
Could  'this  have  been  the  fine  army  to  which  a 
British  force  of  seven  thousand  had  surrendered, 
and  which  had  held  us  in  check  for  a  year?  No 
scene  can  be  so  terrible  as  a  routed  army  in  a  desert 
country.  I  turned  home  sickened. 

The  gunboats  had  hauled  in  close  to  the  stranded 


90       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

'  Busrah,"  which  was  seething  with  prisoners  and 
flying  a  large  white  sheet  from  'the  mast.  Coming 
down  low  I  could  make  out  my  sailor  friends,  and 
dropped  them  a  greeting.  It  was  all  perhaps  as 
strange  a  spectacle  as  one  will  ever  see  in  the  course 
of  a  morning. 

In  the  evening  the  "  Moth,"  en  route  to  the  base 
for  repairs,  ran  down-stream  and  anchored  for  the 
night  at  Shumran.  I  dined  on  board  with  Cartwright 
and  heard  his  story  over  a  bottle  of  champagne. 
He  had  buried  two  of  his  crew,  but  the  rest  were  in 
magnificent  form;  he  himself  and  his  officers  were 
all  wounded,  and  on  the  set'tee  lay  Gowie  of  the 
Black  Watch,  shot  in  five  places,  including  the 
stomach;  nevertheless  he  insisted  on  toasting  the 
;c  Moth  "  :  the  cupful  of  champagne  almost  caused 
his  decease.  He  however  survived  to  'tell  the  tale 
of  being  blown  up  by  a  bomb  at  Sannayat  during 
a  raid  the  day  before  the  attack,  and  subsequent 
nightmare  periods  of  consciousness  with  the  routed 
Turks;  the  chase  in  the  "  Busrah,"  and  the  British 
shells  through  his  cabin,  the  panic  aboard,  and  his 
assistance  in  running  her  ashore  though  he  could 
barely  crawl.  We  celebrated  the  glory  of  the 
British  Navy  far  into  the  night,  and  I  can  see  now 
the  little  smoke-filled  ward-room,  the  bandaged 
Naval  officers  in  front  of  the  stove  listening  to  the 
gramophone;  the  bullet-holes  through  the  plating 
and  the  Highland  officer  lying  on  the  couch  looking 
mighty  pleased  with  everything.  It  was  life  with 
a  big  L. 

The  "  Busrah  "  came  down  river,  the  white  flag 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  LAGHDAD       91 

at  the  fore.  One  could  almost  scent  her  coming. 
She  was  packed  with  wounded  Turks,  and  almost 
to  a  man  their  wounds  had  turned  to  gangrene. 

On  the  ist  of  March  the  cavalry  reached  Azizieh, 
where  'the  pursuit  was  broken  off.  The  3rd  Corps 
and  the  gunboats  concentrated  here  while  the  ist 
Corps  cleared  the  battlefields  and  protected  the  line 
of  march  from  the  Arab  hordes  who  appeared 
like  vultures  out  of  the  "  blue."  The  captures 
since  the  crossing  included  :  4,000  prisoners,  39 
guns,  32  'trench  mortars,  u  machine-guns,  H.M.S. 
"  Firefly,"  the  river  boats  "  Sumana,"  "  Pioneer/' 
and  *  Busrah,"  many  barges,  and  an  immense 
quantity  of  rifles,  ammunition,  and  stores.  Much 
more  material  of  war  lay  scattered  over  the  eighty 
miles  of  desert,  or  had  been  thrown  into  the  river. 
The  enemy  streamed  on  towards  Baghdad. 

General  Maude  and  his  H.Q.  on  board  the 
P.S.  53  were  at  Azizieh  soon  after  the  cavalry; 
he  towed  one  of  the  Flying  Corps  barges  along 
with  him,  and  the  others  were  pushed  up  by  tugs. 
The  tortuous  course  of  the  Tigris  and  the  slow 
progress  against  the  strong  current  made  it 
impossible  for  'the  squadron  transport  to  keep  up 
with  the  machines;  two  fast  motoi -boats  and  three 
light  lorries,  however,  usually  managed  to  fetch  up 
at  the  forward  landing  ground  at  night  to  supply 
the  squadron  with  fuel.  The  General  had  his  nose 
to  the  trail  and  pressed  forward  relentlessly.  The 
supply  services  were  tried  to  the  breaking  point  but 
never  broke ;  it  was  a  marvellous  feat  of  genius  in 
organisation.  The  base  was  three  hundred  and 


92        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

fifty  miles  away  by  river,  and  the  return  to  Sheikh 
Saad  of  the  stores  and  ammunition  accumulated  in 
the  Hai  area  employed  men  urgently  required  at 
the  front.  River  craft  were  limited  and  could  only 
move  a  certain  distance  before  returning  for  or 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  fuel.  Yet  by  the  3rd  of 
March  one  cavalry  and  'three  infantry  divisions  were 
into  Azizieh.  If  you  have  seen  the  fodder 
necessary  for  the  horses  of  a  Cavalry  Division  in 
one  day  alone,  and  realise  that  every  wisp  of  hay 
had  to  be  brought  from  India,  it  will  afford  a  guide 
to  the  colossal  achievements  of  the  Quartermaster- 
General  and  Inspector- General  of  Communica- 
tions. 

It  seemed  doubtful  whether  'the  enemy  had  any 
aerial  force  left  until  Lieut.  Lloyd,  on  reconnais- 
sance over  Baghdad,  forced  a  Fokker  down  on  the 
aerodrome.  On  the  way  up  river  the  old  R.F.C. 
store  barge  that  had  been  captured  at  Kut  was 
recaptured.  It  was  laden  with  German  flying 
stores,  engines,  and  bombs.  Fourteen  of  our 
machines  landed  at  Azizieh ;  all  hangars  and  heavy 
material  had  been  left  behind ;  pilots  slept  under 
their  planes  and  carried  their  food  in  their  pockets. 
There  was  an  R.F.C.  office  on  board  the  G.H.Q. 
ship,  where  "  Chocolo  "  presided,  producing  food 
and  drink  surreptitiously  from  the  messes  of 
Generals  for  our  famished  men,  who,  after  long 
hours  in  the  air,  might  wait  in  vain  for  'the  uncertain 
arrival  of  tins  of  bully-beef.  cc  Chocolo  "  became 
a  demi-god,  for  they  were  hungry  days,  and  the 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       93 

most  friendly  units  would  not  trust  one  another 
where  the  acquisition  of  food  was  concerned. 

The  Turkish  telegraph  wire  from  Kut  to 
Baghdad  had  been  torn  down  in  their  retreat,  and 
lay  in  festoons  on  the  ground.  But  the  posts  were 
still  standing.  When  no  authority  was  looking  the 
hungry  Tommy  would  cut  one  down  to  chop  into 
firewood  for  his  evening  meal,  the  only  possible 
fuel  to  be  found.  It  became  a  serious  offence,  for 
they  were  supporting  a  fresh  line  behind  us.  Yet 
hunger  was  the  matter  of  the  moment,  and  the 
marching  soldier  cared  little  for  the  communications 
in  rear  when  his  eyes  were  on  Baghdad.  They 
had  to  be  strictly  guarded,  else  they  disappeared 
uncannily. 

The  concentration  of  supplies  went  on  for  three 
days  at  Azizieh.  Even  'then  General  Maude 
had  no  word  from  England  as  to  whether  he  was 
to  advance  still  further.  The  pent-up  feelings  and 
enthusiasm  of  the  force  were  boiling  over.  The 
men  were  hard,  lean,  and  fit  with  the  long  marching 
and  fighting,  and  Baghdad  shone  like  an  El  Dorado 
in  the  north  with  only  a  routed  army  between.  The 
name  Baghdad  was  in  every  mouth,  it  was  the  sole 
topic  of  conversation,  and  the  army  was  ready  to 
endure,  starve,  and  die;  anything  but  be  'told  to 
retire.  The  brains  in  Whitehall  meanwhile 
balanced  our  fate  against  the  memory  of 
Townshend's  advance  to  the  walls  of  the  city  and 
his  subsequent  finale  at  Kut. 

The  eagerly  awaited  orders  were  issued  on  the 
night  of  the  4th :  the  British  army  was  to  push  on. 


94        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

The  ist  Corps  had  come  up,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  5th  March,  with  a  swinging  step,  the  expedi- 
tion went  forward.  I  reconnoitred  early  as  far  as 
the  Diala  in  a  gale  of  wind,  which,  wiping  the  dust 
in  dense  masses  off  the  ground,  obscured 
observation  of  the  intricate  maze  of  nullahs.  The 
cavalry  were  passing  Zeur  when  I  landed  in  the 
desert  on  their  flank  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
remainder  of  the  squadron  from  Azizieh.  About 
ii  a.m.  the  I3th  Hussars,  near  Lajj,  suddenly 
sighted  the  enemy  through  the  thick  mist  at  close 
range;  in  the  buffeting  wind  it  was  difficult  to  see 
or  hear,  but  Colonel  Richardson  led  his  regiment 
in  at  a  gallop  and  got  home  with  the  sabre.  The 
Hussars,  however,  encountered  a  devastating  fire 
from  a  second  line,  and  being  unable  to  locate  the 
flank  of  'the  position,  held  a  nullah  all  day  under 
heavy  shell  and  machine-gun  fire,  at  the  cost  of 
nine  officers  and  eighty-five  men.  Both  Colonel 
Richardson  and  his  second  in  command,  Major 
Twist,  were  wounded.  The  Turks  evacuated  the 
position  during  the  night. 

Two  Martinsydes  had  been  caught  by  a  squall 
and  crashed  on  landing  at  Zeur.  It  was  unfor- 
'tunate,  as  the  nearest  spare  machine  was  far  away 
at  Amara,  and  we  were  some  distance  from  the  river, 
without  mechanics  or  protective  troops.  Before 
nightfall  we  had  man-handled  the  aeroplanes 
across  rough  country  to  within  the  outpost  lines  by 
the  river.  The  storm  blew  throughout  the  next  day. 
The  road  was  particularly  sandy,  and  the  army 
marched  enveloped  and  choked  by  solid  clouds  of 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD       95 

sand.  It  was  a  following  wind,  and  as  it  became 
stirred  up  the  dust  floated  forward  with  troops  and 
waggons.  To  keep  in  touch  with  the  troops  I 
accompanied  the  3rd  Corps  in  my  Hupmobile  car; 
the  G.H.Q.  ship  would  be  out  of  touch  'till  nightfall 
owing  to  the  extraordinarily  tortuous  course  of  the 
river.  I  shall  never  forget  that  ride  forward  with 
the  column.  The  ground  was  intersected  by 
nullahs  and  cut  up  by  the  columns  in  front. 
Jammed  in  by  guns  and  transport,  it  was  impossible 
to  move  forward  at  more  than  five  miles  an  hour; 
it  was  almost  dark  with  the  intensity  of  the  driving 
sand,  and  one  could  see  only  a  few  yards  in  front 
when  occasionally  one  opened  one's  eyes  for 
fleeting  glances.  Native  troops  could  not  be 
distinguished  from  British,  the  grey  dust  made  all 
men  alike.  Spread  out  in  marching  echelons,  with 
heads  muffled  up  as  if  in  'the  Arctic  regions,  the 
army  stumbled  on  in  the  gale.  The  enemy  in 
Baghdad  must  have  watched  with  misgiving  the 
vast  cloud  rolling  on.  The  rapidity  of  the  advance 
prevented  his  making  a  stand  in  a  carefully  pre- 
pared position  and  fighting  another  battle  at 
Ctesiphon,  for  the  cavalry  were  hard  on  his  heels 
and  reconnoitred  to  within  three  miles  of  the  Diala 
during  'the  day.  One  pilot  carried  out  a  useful 
reconnaissance  in  the  gale,  and  reported  to 
Cavalry  and  I3th  Division  Headquarters.  I 
managed  to  get  across  the  river  with  this  report 
and  intercept  the  G.H.Q.  ship,  which  hauled  into 
the  bank. 

The  3rd  Corps  and  Cavalry  Division  bivouacked 


96        IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

for  the  nigh't  of  the  6th  March  about  Bustan, 
having  marched  17  miles.  P.S.  53,  with  General 
Headquarters,  also  arrived.  General  Maude  was 
giving  his  troops  a  lead  in  the  front  line,  and  no 
tired  unit  felt  inclined  to  lie  down  when  they  saw 
the  mast  and  funnel  of  the  vessel  steaming  up  river 
ahead  of  'them. 

We  were  close  to  the  ruins  of  Ctesiphon.  This 
gigantic  work  of  ancient  man  was  the  only  land- 
mark in  the  flat  treeless  waste.  From  within  its 
arch  the  Parthian  Kings  had  ruled  over  their 
dominions  two  thousand  years  ago.  Since  then, 
Romans,  Arabs,  Turks,  and  British  had  fought  and 
fallen  outside  its  walls  over  man's  everlasting  lust 
for  sovereignty. 

The  squadron,  protected  by  a  company  of 
infantry,  remained  at  Zeur  over  the  6th  and  7th 
March,  repairing  one  of  the  crashed  Martinsydes 
and  dismantling  the  other  for  despatch  down  river 
to  Busrah. 

General  Maude  put  forward  'the  proposition  that 
as  no  doubt  the  enemy  were  evacuating  their  heavy 
stores  and  guns  from  Baghdad  to  Samarra  by  the 
railway,  the  interruption  of  that  line  might  have 
far-reaching  results.  So  on  'the  7th  two  specially 
selected  Engineer  officers,  Captains  Cave-Brown 
and  Farley,  with  charges  of  dynamite,  left  the 
ground  piloted  by  Lieuts.  Windsor  and  Morris. 
They  managed  to  land  within  200  yards  of  a  railway 
culvert  and  kept  their  engines  running.  An  Arab 
village  lay  about  800  yards  away,  and  as  soon  as 
the  R.E.  officers  got  out  of  the  machines  Arab 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD      97 

horsemen  came  galloping  down  on  them.  They 
bolted  half-way  to  gain  the  culvert,  but  seeing  that 
the  game  was  obviously  impossible,  and  also 
realising  that  their  charges  were  insufficient  to 
wreck  the  structure,  they  turned  and  ran  back  to 
the  aeroplanes  under  fire  from  the  Arabs.  Both 
pilots,  with  their  Lewis  guns  firing,  took  off  straight 
into  the  enemy  and  got  away.  It  was  a  near  shave 
to  losing  the  lot. 

I  went  on  with  G.H.Q.  in  the  P.S.  53  up  river 
to  Bawi,  and  we  tied  up  to  the  bank  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  7th.  The  gunboats  were  just  ahead 
and  the  3rd  Corps  streaming  past.  Soon  after  we 
arrived  there  .was  a  'terrific  explosion,  and  the  ship 
was  showered  with  debris.  An  ammunition  limber 
had  exploded  in  the  middle  of  a  column,  and  bits 
of  mules  and  men  lay  scattered  on  the  bank.  We 
had  just  succeeded  in  pulling  many  live  men  clear 
of  the  shambles,  and  were  cutting  some  mules 
adrift,  when  a  bombardier,  seeing  another  limber 
smouldering,  called  out  'to  get  clear.  Hardly  a 
moment  elapsed  before  there  was  another  ear- 
splitting  crash,  and  some  more  mules  were  blown 
sky-high.  It  was  a  sorry  job  going  round  with  a 
revolver  and  shooting  these  poor  mutilated  animals. 

Our  artillery  and  gunboats  were  engaging  the 
enemy  guns  on  'the  other  side  of  the  Diala,  so  I 
ran  on  in  my  motor-launch  to  the  "  Mantis,"  and 
joined  Buxton  in  action.  His  bow  six-inch  was 
firing  at  long  range,  and  we  sat  on  "  monkey 
island  "  spotting  the  bursts  through  our  glasses. 
The  Turkish  guns  were  ranging  inaccurately,  their 


9         IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

shells  merely  sending  up  great  columns  of  water 
in  the  river  some  way  ahead.  It  was  a  pleasant 
spring  evening's  entertainment,  and  hard  to  realise 
that  we  were  in  action,  and  that  the  Turkish  shells 
were  not  part  of  a  "  show."  Unfortunately  a  stray 
enemy  shell  burst  in  the  midst  of  a  party  watering 
their  horses  on  the  bank ;  a  few  more  would  mourn 
in  distant  homes. 

The  squadron  landed  at  Bawi  and  Bustan,  their 
barges  "  chugging  "  on  up-stream  after  them.  An 
enemy  aeroplane,  the  first  we  had  seen  for  many 
days,  hummed  round  to  take  note  of  our  disposi- 
tions. 

That  night  of  the  7th,  the  King's  Own,  rowed 
by  volunteers  from  the  rest  of  'the  Lancashire 
Brigade,  made  an  attempt  to  cross  the  Diala. 
Before  the  first  pontoon  had  been  launched  every 
man  was  shot  down;  the  second  got  out  into  the 
stream,  when  all  its  fifteen  occupants  were  killed 
and  the  pontoon  drifted  down  the  Tigris ;  the  third 
was  blown  up  by  a  bomb  and  sank  with  all  hands ; 
a  similar  fate  attended  the  fourth  and  the  fifth 
from  a  withering  machine-gun  fire.  Next  morning 
the  pontoons  floating  down  past  us  with  their 
cargoes  of  dead  spoke  of  the  deeds  of  the  night. 
The  Lancashire  men  had  not  abandoned  the 
attempt  till  all  their  five  pontoons  had  gone  and 
'their  glorious  comrades  with  them. 

On  the  8th  the  aeroplanes  were  busy  fixing  the 
exact  enemy  dispositions  in  front  of  Baghdad. 
The  Diala  seemed  well  defended,  and  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Tigris  they  were  in  position  some  six 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD      99 

miles  S.S.W.  of  the  city.  A  pontoon  bridge  was 
therefore  thrown  across  the  river  just  south  of  Bawi 
and  the  is't  Corps  and  cavalry  crossed.  Some 
of  the  3rd  Corps  were  ferried  over  higher  up  to 
enfilade  the  Diala  position.  On  the  night  of  the 
8/9th,  after  an  intense  bombardment,  the  Loyal 
North  Lancashires  dashed  for  the  Diala,  and  while 
the  smoke  of  the  barrage  had  yet  to  clear  they 
gained  a  footing  on  the  other  side;  but  the  party 
who  launched  out  to  support  them  after  the  air  had 
cleared,  were  blown  to  bits  by  machine-guns,  and 
the  seventy  men  of  Lancashire  were  left  isolated 
on  the  north  side  of  'the  river.  With  their  backs 
to  the  Diala  they  occupied  a  loop  in  'the  recently 
dug  river  bund  and  resisted  attack  after  attack  for 
two  nights  and  a  day.  Intermittent  artillery  fire 
was  maintained  to  support  the  grand  resistance  of 
this  gallant  band. 

Although  within  shouting  distance  of  our  troops 
on  the  south  side,  an  attempt  by  rocket  failed  to 
get  a  cable  across  for  ferrying  ammunition.  The 
next  night  a  swimmer  half-way  over  with  a  line 
was  forced  to  return,  the  officer  paying  out  the 
in-shore  end  being  killed.  They  fought  at  'the  point 
of  the  bayonet  all  'through  the  second  night,  and 
forty  survivors,  exhausted  and  reduced  almost  to 
their  last  cartridge,  kept  the  Turks  at  bay  till 
rescued  at  daylight  on  the  loth.  More  than  a 
hundred  enemy  dead  were  counted  lying  round  the 
parapet.  The  story  of  the  passage  of  the  Diala  will 
go  down  to  posterity  with  the  landing  at  Gallipoli, 
for  the  shores  at  both  places  are  hallowed  by  the 


100       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

blood  of  Lancashire.  A  crossing  higher  up  the 
river  was  effected  during  the  night  of  the  Qth  by 
the  Wiltshires  and  East  Lancashires.  Enfiladed 
from  'the  opposite  bank  of  the  Tigris,  and  with  his 
left  flank  turned,  the  enemy  fell  back. 

Two  motor  barges  loaded  with  infantry  had  also 
gone  up  river  during  the  night  in  order  to  make  a 
landing  above  'the  Diala  and  take  the  enemy  in  the 
rear;  but  'they  ran  on  a  shoal,  and  never  reached 
their  destination.  I  was  lying  asleep  on  the  deck 
of  P.S.  53  when  this  disconcerting  news  came  in. 
Staff  officers  were  routed  out,  and  General  Maude 
awakened  from  his  short  sleep.  The  Navy  took 
the  situation  in  hand,  and  Sherbrooke,  of  the 
"  Tarantula,"  went  up  river  full  speed  'to  the 
rescue.  They  were  towed  off  just  before  the:  dawn 
which  would  have  put  them  at  the  mercy  of  the 
Turkish  guns. 

During  the  Qth  aeroplanes  dropped  forty-seven 
bombs  on  the  railway  station,  aerodrome,  and 
hostile  troops.  D.  H.  blew  the  roof  off  the  station 
and  destroyed  a  train  at  Khazimain  with  a  sixty- 
five  pound  bomb.  The  ist  Corps  and  cavalry 
engaged  'the  enemy  S.W.  of  Baghdad,  and  drove 
him  out  of  his  first  position ;  the  cavalry  advancing 
again  were  saved  from  walking  into  an  unsuspected 
second. line  by  a  timely  report  from  the  air.  The 
Turks  held  this  second  position  till  nightfall,  and 
caused  heavy  casualties  to  our  troops  by  enfilade 
fire  from  the  other  side  of  the  river ;  his  right  flank 
extended  far  into  the  desert,  and  the  cavalry  were 
unable  to  turn  it  owing  to  exhaustion  and  the 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD      IOI 

necessity  of  returning  'to  the  river  to  water  their 
horses.  The  high  wind  and  dust  storm  still 
prevailed,  and  the  "  sea  "  running  in  reaches  of 
the  Tigris  made  the  "  Fly  "  boats  roll  heavily  and 
small  boat  work  exciting  even  in  a  high-powered 
Thornycroft  launch. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  'the  enemy  had  given 
up  all  hope  of  saving  Baghdad,  and  that  the  strong 
resistances  on  the  gth  and  loth  were  merely  delaying 
actions  in  order  to  get  as  many  of  his  stores  away  as 
possible.  Three  weeks  before  it  had  never  entered 
'the  thoughts  of  men  that  the  British  Army  would 
advance  so  far.  Yet  here  we  were  hammering  at 
the  gates  of  the  City  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  which 
for  'two  years  had  been  a  mere  dream  to  the  expe- 
dition on  the  Tigris.  In  the  history  of  wars  there 
can  never  have  been  an  army  whose  morale  was 
at  a  higher  pitch.  Though  tired  and  hungry  with 
the  long  marches,  short  rations  and  incessant 
fighting,  units  vied  with  each  other  in  feats  of 
endurance  in  their  relentless  pursuit  of  the  Turk. 
Commanders  were  sorely  tried  to  keep  their  men  in 
check ;  they  would  not  wait  for  their  rations  to  come 
up;  they  would  not  sleep;  the  date-groves  and 
minarets  of  Baghdad  were  in  sight;  they  begged 
to  go  slap  in  with  the  bayonet,  and  for  ever  add  to 
the  annals  of  their  regiment  the  honour  of  being 
the  first  British  troops  to  arrive. 

On  the  loth  the  dust  storm,  which  had  lasted  for 

five  days,  reached  its  height.     Flying  in  the  gale 

was  exciting,  but  we  maintained  aerial  co-operation 

throughout  the  day ;  the  enthusiasm  of  the  men  in 

H 


102      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

the  air  rivalled  that  of  the  army  on  the  ground. 
On  the  right  bank  the  enemy  had  evacuated  his 
position  and  occupied  a  line  of  trenches  in  front 
of  the  iron  bridge  which  carried  a  light  railway 
over  a  canal  two  miles  south  of  Baghdad.  In  the 
blinding  dust  it  was  impossible  to  see  what  was 
taking  place  or  for  the  artillery  to  observe  targets. 
The  yth  Division  suffered  heavily  through  the  day; 
the  enemy  had  the  ground  well  registered  and 
blazed  away  his  ammunition  regardless  of  cost,  for 
they  could  no't  take  it  away  with  them.  On  the  left 
bank  of  the  Tigris  the  3rd  Corps  crossed  the  Diala, 
which  had  been  bridged  by  the  afternoon.  Two 
miles  further  north  they  came  up  against  the 
enemy's  last  position  in  front  of  Baghdad,  the  Tel 
Muhammed  ridge.  One  brigade  made  a  wide 
flanking  movement,  and  two  brigades  held  him 
frontally,  but  he  evacuated  after  dark,  and  touch 
was  lost  in  the  storm. 

The  red  glow  over  the  city  told  of  flames  fanned 
by  the  gale ;  one  wondered  what  was  happening  in 
the  bazaars  that  night.  At  the  last  conquest  of 
Baghdad,  in  1638,  the  Sultan  Murad  IV.  had  put 
the  Persians  to  the  sword,  and  the  conquering  army 
indulged  in  murder,  robbery,  and  rape ;  the  present 
inhabitants  no  doubt  expected  a  similar  fate.  ' 

By  2  a.m.  patrols  on  the  right  bank  found  the 
Iron  Bridge  position  evacuated.  The  Black  Watch 
skirmished  forward,  and  with  few  casualties 
the  73rd,  lean  wi'th  hunger,  fighting,  and  lack 
of  sleep,  went  like  the  wind  for  Baghdad 
Railway  S'tation,  which  they  seized  at  5.45  a.m., 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD      103 

nth  March.  On  the  other  bank  the  Herts 
Yeomanry  and  32nd  Lancers  rode  into  the  town 
very  soon  afterwards. 

The  Turks,  under  cover  of  the  darkness  and  dust 
storm,  had  gone  hard  during  the  night.  At  day- 
break 'the  aeroplanes  were  keeping  touch  with  our 
troops  on  either  bank  and  reporting  by  message 
bag.  During  the  morning  two  machines  landed  on 
the  German  aerodrome.  The  gunboat  flotilla  at 
Bawi  weighed  early  and  proceeded  up  stream 
sweeping  for  mines.  The  recaptured  "  Firefly," 
with  the  White  Ensign  over  the  Star  and  Crescent, 
steamed  in  the  van,  again  under  the  command  of 
Lieut.  Eddis,  R.N.,  who  had  lost  her  in  the  retreat 
from  Ctesiphon  fifteen  months  previously.  Eddis 
was  under  orders  for  the  North  Sea,  but  there  was 
time  for  him  to  carry  out  this  last  service  in 
Mesopotamia,  perhaps  the  proudest  moment  of  his 
life  and  probably  unique  in  the  annals  of  the  Royal 
Navy.  I  accompanied  Lieut.  Webster  in  the 
"  Snakefly."  The  P.S.  53  with  General  Maude 
followed  the  flotilla.  The  morning  was  fine,  the 
dust  storm  had  subsided,  and  steaming  past  the 
palm  groves  and  gardens  seemed  like  entering 
another  world  after  the  long  months  of  strife  in  the 
desert.  The  enemy  had  endeavoured  to  bar  our 
passage  by  placing  a  heavy  chain  across  the  river, 
but  had  apparently  been  too  hard  pressed  to  com- 
plete the  operation,  for  only  one  end  was  made  fast. 

As  we  neared  the  city  I  went  on  board  the 
P.S.  53;  an  aeroplane  came  gliding  down  evidently 
to  drop  a  message  on  the  bank  close  by,  The 


104       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

General  Staff  had  had  no  reports  since  weighing 
anchor,  and  much  importance  was  attached  to  the 
approach  of  the  machine;  Chocolo  and  I  stood  by 
betting  on  the  accuracy  of  'the  pilot  with  his  message 
bag.  It  went  into  the  river  and  sank  like  a  stone ! 
A  wild  dash  in  my  motor-boat  failed  to  save  it. 
The  breathless  staff  as  'the  machine  approached; 
the  almost  exaggerated  importance  attached 
thereto ;  the  urgency  of  picking  up  the  bag  at  once ; 
the  hopeless  shot  by  the  2nd  Lieut,  in  the  air,  now 
speeding  away  unknowing  to  his  aerodrome;  it 
would  have  been  indecorous  to  laugh. 

We  gathered  on  deck  with  General  Maude  as  the 
P.S.  53  rounded  the  bend  into  the  straight  reach 
of  the  river  that  divides  the  city  of  Baghdad.  The 
banks  were  crowded  with  inhabitants,  who  had 
come  out  in  their  gala  dresses  and  were  waving  or 
solemnly  holding  white  flags.  One  wondered  what 
General  Maude  was  feeling  in  this  great  hour  of 
his  success,  and  felt  glad  to  be  there  at  his  side. 
It  had  been  the  achievement  of  'the  individual;  a 
student  of  his  profession ;  a  man  of  iron  character 
and  determination;  and,  above  all,  of  a  gentle 
human  being  with  the  love  of  his  troops  behind  him. 

We  tied  up  alongside  the  old  British  Residency, 
now  used  as  a  Turkish  hospital.  Close  by 
was  the  neutral  American  Consulate,  with  the 
"  Stars  and  Stripes  "  floating  over  the  roof.  I 
went  ashore  with  O'Riordan,  the  doctor;  we  could 
hardly  enter  the  hospital,  the  stench  was  so  strong. 
We  walked  from  bed  to  bed  and  looked  at  the 
occupants;  some  were  dead  and  some  were  alive; 


Ctcsiphon 


Gunboats  approaching  Baghdad,   March   nth,    191? 


THE  BATTLES  THAT  WON  BAGHDAD      1 05 

some  were  crawling  about  on  the  floor  unable  to 
walk.  Of  sanitary  arrangements  there  were  none. 
For  the  last  few  days  no  attention  could  have  been 
paid  to  these  wounded  and  diseased  men;  most  of 
the  wounds  had  gone  to  gangrene.  One  little 
Armenian  girl,  about  fourteen  years  old,  was 
bringing  them  water;  this  gallant  little  soul  had 
been  a  godmother  to  the  wretched  men  since  the 
Turkish  medical  staff  had  packed  up  and  left  'them 
'to  their  fate.  It  was  good  to  get  out  into  the 
sunshine  and  take  a  breath  of  God's  fresh  air  again. 
I  crossed  the  river  'to  the  aerodrome  situated 
between  the  railway  station  and  the  German 
wireless  station.  This  high-powered  wireless 
station  had  only  just  been  completed  a  few  days 
as  a  link  in  the  chain  of  communication  between 
Berlin  and  Dar-es-Salaam  in  German  East  Africa. 
They  had  wrecked  it  utterly  •  the  roof  was  blown 
off  the  main  building;  the  plant  within  was 
destroyed;  sticks  of  dynamite  were  found  every- 
where. The  masts  and  aerials  were  buckled  up  on 
the  ground.  Pictures  of  Zeppelins  bombing 
London  and  U-boats  sinking  battleships  were 
splashed  with  paint  on  the  walls,  notably  one  of  the 
sinking  of  the  "  Lusitania,"  with  'the  name  written 
large  underneath  it. 

The  railway  shed  was  not  so  completely  damaged, 
but  the  locomotives  were  mostly  wrecked,  having 
had  their  cylinders,  etc.,  blown  off  by  dynamite.  The 
turn-table  outside  the  engine-house  had  been  neatly 
put  out  of  action  by  one  of  our  bombing  aeroplanes. 
Everything  was  German ;  a  vast  amount  of  money 


106       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

must  have  been  spent  on  the  place,  for  it  was 
necessary  to  import  each  steel  member  from  Europe 
and  ship  'them  up  the  Tigris  in  barges ;  one  realised 
the  death-blow  we  had  dealt  to  Prussian  plans  in 
the  Middle  East. 

On  the  aerodrome  lay  the  remains  of  an 
Albatross,  a  legacy  from  the  German  pilots ;  on  one 
wing  was  painted,  "  With  kind  regards  to  our 
British  comrades ;  the  German  airmen  " ;  on  the 
fuselage  they  had  written  "  God  Save  'the  King." 

A  party  of  Arabs  sat  nonchalantly  squatting  in 
a  corner  surrounded  by  Tommies  with  fixed 
bayonets;  they  had  been  caught  sniping  some 
troopers  watering  at  the  river.  Strong  guards  were 
posted  on  all  approaches  to  the  city,  and  the  main 
thoroughfares  were  picketed  for  the  night.  The 
Kurds  and  Arabs  had  looted  and  set  fire  to  the 
bazaars,  and  terror  reigned  in  the  city  after  the 
departure  of  the  Turkish  Army.  Fortunately  'the 
British  Force  arrived  in  time  to  restore  order  and 
prevent  these  freebooters  massacring  or  sacking  the 
town  completely. 

Aerial  reconnaissance  located  'the  enemy 
entrenched  fourteen  miles  north  on  the  right  bank 
of  'the  river;  another  column  had  retreated  in  the 
direction  of  Baqubah.  The  cavalry  were  at 
Khazimain,  beyond  Baghdad,  but  out  of  touch  with 
the  Turk,  and  the  rest  of  the  army  bivouacked 
about  Baghdad. 

We  thought  of  the  newsboys  shouting  the  news 
down  the  Strand  and  the  excitement  of  our  folk  far 
away  in  England. 


Chapter 

BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND. 

Think,  in  this  batter'd  Caravanserai 
Whose    Doorways   are   alternate   Night   and    Day, 
How  Sultan  after  Sultan  with  his  Pomp 
Abode  his  Hour  or  two,  and  went  his  way. 

— OMAK. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  original  Baghdad  was  a  round  city  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river,  built  about  762  A.D.  by  the 
Caliph  Mansur  when  under  the  new  Abbasid 
dynasty  the  Caliphate  was  moved  from  Damascus. 
Haroun  al-Raschid,  a  grandson  of  Mansur,  built 
his  palace  on  the  east  bank,  round  which  East 
Baghdad  sprang  up.  Then  known  as  the  Camp  of 
the  Mahdi,  it  was  surrounded  by  a  semicircular 
wall,  with  its  extremities  on  the  river.  Traversing 
Baghdad  ran  the  great  Khurasan  road;  it  started 
from  the  Khurasan  Gate  of  the  Round  City  and 
crossed  the  bridge  of  boats  to  East  Baghdad,  which 
it  left  by  the  second  Khurasan  Gate.  This  caravan 
road  went  East  through  Persia,  uniting  the  capital 
of  the  Moslem  Empire  with  its  frontier  towns  on 
the  borders  of  China.  Another  road  started  from 
'the  bridge  and  went  North,  through  the  Baradan 
Gate  of  East  Baghdad,  to  Samarra  and  the  towns 
of  Northern  Mesopotamia.  From  the  Kufa  Gate  of 
the  Round  City  started  two  roads ;  one  West  to  the 
towns  up  the  Euphrates,  and  the  other  South,  the 
Pilgrim  Road  to  Kufa  and  Mecca. 
With  the  death  of  Haroun  al-Raschid  civil  war 

109 


HO       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

broke  out,  and  in  836  the  seat  of  'the  Caliphate  was 
moved  to  Samarra,  returning  in  892  to  East 
Baghdad.  The  next  five  centuries  saw  the  ruin  G 
the  Round  City.  The  plan  of  Baghdad  altered 
considerably :  the  new  palaces  of  'the  Caliphs  werei 
built  down-stream  from  those  occupied  by  Haroun 
al-Raschid,  and  the  'town  extended  further  to  the 
south;  in  1095  another  wall  was  built  round  the 
city,  the  northern  portion  of  which  had  fallen  into 
ruin.  This  wall  failed  to  withstand  the  attack  of 
Hulaku  and  his  Mongol  hordes  when  the  Caliphate 
was  wiped  out  in  1258,  but  its  ruins  still  encircle 
modern  Baghdad.  Timur,  a  Prince  from  Tur- 
kestan, took  'the  city  in  1393,  and  a  Turcoman 
dynasty  reigned  over  Mesopotamia  until  the  i6th 
century,  when  they  were  rejected  by  the  Persians 
under  Shah  Ismail.  In  1638,  after  a  long  siege, 
Baghdad  fell  to  the  Sultan  Murad  IV.,  and 
Mesopotamia  has  ever  since  remained  under 
Ottoman  rule. 

There  are  no  traces  left  of  the  glories  of  the 
Round  Ci'ty  from  which  the  Caliphs  Mansur  and 
Haroun  al-Raschid  ruled  an  Empire  'that  extended 
from  China  in  the  East  to  Spain  in  the  West.  It 
was  built  entirely  of  tiles  and  mud,  there  being  no 
wood  or  stone  in  'the  country.  The  modern 
Baghdad,  situated  within  the  ruins  of  the  wall  built 
in  1095,  extends  also  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
where  the  Round  City  once  stood.  Beyond  'the 
present  wall  only  shapeless  mounds  and  loose 
bricks  indicate  the  site  of  ancient  buildings.  The 
two  sects  of  Mahommedans  of  the  Modern 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  111 

Baghdad  live  in  separate  quarters  of  the  city.  The 
Shiahs  form  the  entire  population  of  West  Bagh- 
id,  where  they  worship  at  and  jealously  guard 
.Chazimain,  the  burial  place  of  two  of  their  recog- 
aised  descendants  of  the  Prophet,  and  one  of  'the 
most  important  Shiah  shrines.  The  spot  is  so 
sacred  that  no  Christian  is  allowed  to  set  foot 
therein. 

The  Sunnis,  in  'the  Eastern  town,  have  another 
almost  equally  important  shrine,  but  from  the  point 
of  view  of  beauty  much  inferior  to  the  magnificence 
of  Khazimain.  Thus  the  Mahommedan  sepoy,  be 
he  Shiah  or  Sunni,  besides  winning  the  admiration 
of  his  kin  had  also  performed  a  sacred  pilgrimage 
by  the  capture  of  Baghdad.  Most  of  'the  public 
buildings  are  quite  modern.  The  Custom  House  is 
built,  however,  on  the  same  spot  as  the  Medresh 
of  Mostansir,  an  old  college  of  which  only  a 
minaiet  and  a  portion  of  the  outer  wall,  dating  from 
the  thirteenth  century,  remain.  The  oldest  and 
most  picturesque  building  is  the  tomb  of  Zobaida, 
grand-daughter  of  the  Caliph  Mansur  and  wife  of 
Haroun  al-Raschid.  One  of  the  four  great  Jewish 
shrines  is  Nabi  Yusha,  the  grave  of  Joshua  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river;  here  the  Jews  bury  their 
high  priests. 

There  were  those  who,  imbued  with  visions  of 
the  days  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  professed  them- 
selves disappointed  in  the  realisation  of  their 
expectations.  But  after  a  journey  through 
hundreds  of  miles  of  desert,  the  sight  of  this  remote 
city  seemed  to  me  a  sufficient  fulfilment.  Blue- 


112       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

tiled  mosques  and  tall  minarets  rising  above  a  mass 
of  mud-brick  houses,  in  the  distance  the  golden 
dome  of  Khazimain  flashing  like  a  flame  out  of  the 
green  of  the  date  groves,  and  the  river  winding- 
through  all :  surely  a  picture  of  Romance  in  its 
setting  of  limitless  desert. 

Few  Englishmen  had  been  to  Baghdad  before 
the  war.  The  Ottoman  Government  offered  no 
facilities,  and  the  arrival  of  strangers  was  discoun- 
tenanced; any  foreign  inquisitors  or  attempts  to 
develop  the  trade  and  resources  of  the  country  were 
jealously  guarded  against.  For  the  two  hundred 
and  eighty  years  since  the  Persians  had  been 
expelled  the  district  had  been  governed  by  intrigue. 
History  has  yet  to  show  us  that  the  Asiatic  races 
can  hold  responsibility  without  becoming  corrupt. 
It  would  seem  that  the  day  of  Democracy  East  of 
Europe  is  still,  in  spite  of  President  Wilson  and 
our  class  agitators,  far  distant.  The  germ  of 
unrest  fostered  in  the  West  since  the  upheaval  of 
nations  has  sown  disease  in  the  East;  there  it 
becomes  the  code  of  every  man  for  himself;  the 
benefits  of  a  fair  administration  by  English 
gentlemen  are  forgotten  and  spurned.  Agitators 
rise  up  and  preach  sedition  to  uneducated  masses, 
of  whom  only  a  few  can  read  or  write.  The  loyal 
English  official  carries  on  bravely  in  his  endeavour 
to  stem  a  tide  ever  accelerated  by  the  sayings  at 
Westminster;  opinions  and  rulings  of  Empire 
decreed  by  the  votes  of  inexperienced  boys,  women 
or  men  whose  horizon  is  too  frequently  bounded 
by  the  chimney-pots  of  their  constituencies. 


BAGHDAD   AND   BEYOND  113 

The  arrival  of  the  British  Army  was  welcomed 
by  the  majority  of  the  population  of  Baghdad.  The 
only  class  who  resented  the  invasion  were  those  who 
held  positions  of  civic  importance  under  the  Turk 
and  who  bled  the  poor  man  white  before  fulfilling 
their  duties.  The  chain  of  corruption  started  in 
Stamboul  and  ended  with  'the  Arab  beggar  in  the 
bazaar.  The  Departmental  head  in  Stamboul  would 
expect  an  annuity  from  his  lieutenant  in  Baghdad. 
If  the  latter  would  retain  his  position  he  must  raise 
the  necessary  amount  and  as  much  surplus  as 
possible  from  his  juniors,  who,  in  their  turn,  exacted 
it  from  'the  poor,  who  as  a  result  for  ever  remained 
starving  and  downtrodden. 

The  educated  Armenian  and  Jewish  classes 
hailed  us  with  delight.  They  knew  that  the  arrival 
of  Englishmen  meant  fair  play,  and  that  'their 
women-folk  would  be  freed  from  an  everlasting 
peril.  It  had  been  dangerous  for  'the  Armenian 
and  Circassian  women  to  walk  abroad.  A  Turkish 
officer  might  be  attracted  by  the  appearance  of  a 
Christian  woman  in  the  street,  and  she,  under  pain 
of  being  put  in  the  public  hospital  by  the  health 
officer  as  diseased,  must  needs  surrender  herself  for 
the  satisfaction  of  the  Turk.  Within  a  few  days  of 
our  occupation  they  had  cast  off  their  veils  and 
sombre  clothing  and  appeared  in  bright  European 
creations  reminiscent  of  the  accumulations  in  a 
Whitechapel  emporium.  The  Baghdad  fashions 
did  not  entail  support  for  a  lady's  stockings, 
generally  of  multi-coloured  wool,  they  invariably 
hung  festooned  about  the  wearer's  ankles.  .The 


114      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

women  wore  no  headgear,  but  usually  possessed  a 
finely-woven  cloak  of  gorgeous  colours,  known  as 
an  "  abba." 

Like  all  foreign  towns  the  place  smelt  abomin- 
ably; of  sanitary  or  scavenging  arrangements  there 
were  none,  save  the  hundreds  of  diseased  and 
hungry  dogs  that  slunk  about  the  streets  in  search 
of  offal.  The  outskirts  of  the  town  were  a  sea  of 
graveyards,  and  the  Mahommedan  only  buries  his 
relatives  beneath  a  few  inches  of  sand.  The  sickly 
smell  of  decaying  humans  reminded  one  of  "  No 
Man's  Land  "  in  France.  Dying  animals  were 
taken  outside  the  walls  to  expire  and  putrefy.  I 
rode  round  the  outside  of  the  town  and  felt  very 
sick;  'the  carcases  of  dogs,  mules,  horses,  donkeys 
littered  the  ground.  Hundreds  of  vultures  hovered 
overhead  or  waddled  away  too  gorged  to  fly;  living 
dog  lay  in  heavy  slumber  by  the  remains  of  dog 
half-eaten.  In  the  midst  of  this  charnel-house 
quadrupeds  with  ribs  sticking  through  the  skin 
shambled  about  on  their  last  legs,  witnesses  of  the 
horror  that  awaited  them.  The  stench  was  terrible ; 
my  little  Arab  pony  quivered  with  fright;  and,  over 
all,  the  sun  beat  mercilessly  down. 

A  group  of  Armenian  girls,  survivors  of  the 
massacres  in  the  North,  were  found  huddled 
together  in  a  church.  There  were  few  Armenian 
men  in  Baghdad,  they  had  all  been  done  to  death, 
and  only  a  handful  of  girl  survivors  had  drifted 
South  and  been  taken  into  Baghdad  families  or 
appropriated  by  Bedouins  in  the  desert.  Their 
tales  of  the  Terror  that  had  overtaken  them  a  year 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  115 

before  seemed  hardly  credible  in  this  modern  world. 
One  of  these  girls,  whom  I  met  later,  gave  me  a 
vivid  description  of  how  she  had  hidden  in  the 
cupboard  of  her  room  while  'the  Turkish  soldiers 
outside  put  her  family  and  relations  to  the  sword. 
They  belonged  to  the  upper  classes,  and  had  only 
been  a  short  time  in  Asia  Minor  after  many  years 
in  Paris. 

It  must  have  been  strange  to  many  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city  that  the  conquering  British 
Army  did  not  immediately  engage  itself  in  whole- 
sale looting,  massacre,  and  rape.  Instead,  the 
Baghdadi  gaped  open-mouthed  at  the  Trooper 
from  the  Home  Counties  or  the  Jock  from  Dundee, 
who,  after  many  weeks'  marching  and  fighting, 
offered  him  his  last  cigarette  and  carried  on  strange 
conversation  with  ihe  dirty  little  Arab  urchins 
playing  in  the  gutter.  The  heart  of  the  British 
Tommy  ever  shines  as  a  pure  bright  spot  in  'the 
blackness  of  strife,  for  hatred  has  no  place  therein. 

A  feature  that  will  not  be  forgotten  by  many  a 
British  Tommy  that  first  day  in  Baghdad  were  the 
oranges ;  for  neither  fresh  fruit  nor  vegetables  had 
we  tasted  for  many  months.  Generals  or  Privates 
could  bury  their  faces  in  cool,  fresh  oranges.  I  can 
remember  the  delight  of  i't  now. 

For  the  first  few  days  the  inhabitants  kept 
mostly  to  their  houses.  The  bazaars  were  shut'tered 
and  deserted ;  many  of  the  shops  had  been  gutted 
by  fire  and  looted  by  Kurds.  A  house-to-house 
search  was  instituted  and  a  proclamation  issued  to 
the  inhabitants  to  deliver  up  all  arms  within  a 


Il6       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

certain  date  under  penalty  of  death.  They  were 
ordered  to  be  in  their  houses  by  o  p.m.,  for  there 
were  200,000  people  of  various  races  to  control, 
and  who  could  tell  what  might  be  maturing  in  the 
byways  of  this  strange  city?  The  second 
morning  the  head  of  a  sepoy  was  found  lying  in  the 
gutter;  those  were  days  when  one  walked  about 
armed  and  in  pairs,  and  kept  only  to  the  main 
thoroughfares  in  Baghdad. 

Rigid  police  regulations  were  instituted,  a 
military  governor  was  appointed,  and  gradually 
control  became  established  in  all  quarters  of  the 
city.  A  firm  hand  was  placed  over  the  lawless 
elements,  two  gallows  were  erected  in  'the  square, 
and  quickly,  quietly,  in  the  early  morning  those 
convicted  would  go  to  their  doom  in  front  of  their 
fellow  citizens,  who  soon  learnt  the  advisability  of 
paying  heed  'to  the  law  of  the  Englishman. 

Except  for  Headquarter  units,  few  of  the  army 
had  any  opportunity  of  seeing  Baghdad;  on  the 
night  of  the  nth  March  they  bivouacked  in  its 
precincts,  but  marched  at  dawn  in  pursuit  of  the 
Turkish  army,  and  those  who  died  for  their  country 
in  the  battles  beyond,  in  spite  of  the  consummation 
of  their  desires,  never  saw  it  at  all. 

After  the  occupation  of  Baghdad  the  enemy 
divided  into  three  separate  forces,  retreating  up 
the  Euphrates,  Tigris,  and  Diala  rivers.  Owing 
to  these  scattered  dispositions  and  their  distance 
from  Baghdad  the  General  S'taff  had  to  rely 
entirely  upon  aeroplanes  for  obtaining  quick  and 
accurate  information.  This  entailed  long-distance 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  I  ij 

flights  over  new  country,  with  very  inaccurate  maps, 
pilots  frequently  having  to  work  on  a  map-scale  of 
1/2,000,000.  The  squadron  headquarters  was 
500  miles  by  river  from  its  base  at  Busrah,  and  the 
ever-prevailing  difficulties  of  transport  were 
doubled.  The  advanced  store  barge  was  moved  up 
from  Amara  to  Sheikh  Saad,  in  order  to  be  half- 
way between  base  and  front,  and  the  detachment 
at  Nasiriyeh  was  ordered  up  to  Baghdad  to 
reinforce  the  somewhat  depleted  squadron. 

Our  position  at  Baghdad  could  not  be  secure 
with  the  enemy  in  such  close  proximity;  on  any  of 
the  three  fronts  he  might  be  reinforced  and  descend 
on  the  city.  There  was  also  the  greater  danger 
that  he  might  cut  the  bunds  on  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates,  thus  flood  the  country  with  the  coming 
heavy  rise  in  the  rivers,  and  isolate  the  British 
Army.  The  Euphrates  is  only  forty  miles  away, 
and  at  a  few  feet  higher  level  than  the  Tigris.  If 
its  waters  were  freed  by  the  Turk  they  would  pour 
across  to  the  Tigris  by  Baghdad.  It  was  also 
important  to  capture  the  railhead  at  Samarra  and 
deny  him  the  use  of  the  railway  with  which  to 
threaten  us  from  the  North.  It  was  therefore 
urgent  either  to  force  a  decision  or  to  drive  'the 
enemy  beyond  our  sphere  on  these  two  lines.  The 
1 3th  Turkish  Corps  was  in  Persia  facing  the 
Russians  endeavouring  to  advance  down  the 
Kirmanshah-Karind  road.  It  was  also  important 
that  'these  Turks  should  be  prevented  from  joining 
the  column  retreating  up  the  Diala.  As  the  hot 
weather  was  approaching,  only  a  few  weeks 
i 


Il8      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

remained  in  which  active  operations  were  prac- 
ticable, and  in  order  to  deal  with  the  above  situation 
the  British  force  could  be  allowed  no  breathing 
space. 

On  the  1 2th  March  aerial  reconnaissance 
discovered  the  Turkish  rearguard  in  position  on 
the  Baghdad-Samarra  railway  about  Mushaidie. 
On  the  Euphrates  a  small  enemy  force  was  at 
Felujah,  forty  miles  west  of  Baghdad,  and  on  the 
Diala  they  occupied  Baqubah,  thirty-five  miles  'to 
'the  north-east.  The  3rd  Corps  kept  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  Tigris  and  the  ist  Corps  to  the  right. 
A  brigade  of  'the  I3th  Division  marched  up  the  left 
bank  to  secure  the  bunds,  while  the  ;th  Division, 
wi'th  the  6th  Cavalry  Brigade,  marched  north  up 
the  railway.  On  the  I3th  there  was  a  ground  mist 
and  rain,  but  reconnaissance  was  carried  out.  The 
gunboats  steamed  north,  and  at  midnight  the 
7th  Division  and  6th  Cavalry  Brigade  advanced  on 
the  Mushaidie  position.  This  ran  west  from  'the 
river  to  the  railway,  some  seven  miles  inland.  The 
right  flank  rested  among  sandhills  just  west  of 
the  line,  while  between  the  river  and  the  railway 
the  position  was  dominated  by  two  mounds  and 
linked  by  trenches  and  nullahs.  Behind,  the 
undulating  ground  was  to  the  advantage  of  the 
enemy;  in  front  we  had  to  attack  over  bare  plain. 
The  Turk  must  have  expected  us  to  advance  up 
the  river,  as  it  was  here  that  his  guns  and  men  were 
concentrated.  General  Cobbe  decided  to  attack 
the  right  flank  on  the  railway  and  turn  the  position. 

At  about  4  p.m.,  after  sixteen  hours'  marching, 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  1 19 

the  Black  Watch  and  8th  Gurkhas  deployed  and 
skirmished  forward.  The  enemy  fell  back  on  to  his 
second  line  among  the  sandhills,  but  caught  our 
men  with  a  heavy  enfilade  fire  from  a  mound  known 
as  "  Sugar  Loaf  Hill  "  on  his  extreme  right.  The 
73rd  lost  half  their  officers  and  the  Gurkhas  all  of 
theirs  but  one.  The  cavalry,  far  out  on  the  left, 
co-operated  with  an  enfilade  fire,  while  gunboats 
bombarded  from  'the  river.  The  right  of  the  Black 
Watch  and  the  left  of  the  56th  Rifles  charged  with 
the  bayonet  and  captured  the  advanced  trenches 
of  the  main  position.  The  guns  were  brought  up 
and  under  a  heavy  barrage  the  Gurkhas  and  Black 
Watch  carried  the  second  line  at  6.30  p.m.  At 
midnight  the  enemy  made  a  last  stand  at  Mushaidie 
station,  but  were  rushed  by  Highlanders  and 
Gurkhas,  and  fled  in  a  disorderly  retreat. 

Cobbe's  column  had  fought  and  marched  for  two 
nights  and  a  day;  the  Turkish  Army  had  been 
routed  wi'th  heavy  casualties,  but  the  men  and 
horses  of  our  column  were  dead  beat,  and  the  Black 
Watch  and  Gurkhas  sadly  thinned  out,  with  few 
officers  left.  The  aeroplane  co-operation  with  the 
artillery  was  difficult  on  account  of  the  mobile 
nature  of  the  fight  and  continual  movement  of  our 
guns,  but  targets  were  sent  down,  and  pilots  could 
land  close  to  H.Q.  throughout  the  action  on  the 
"  billiard-table  "  surface  of  the  ground.  Not  an 
enemy  machine  had  been  seen. 

On  the  1 5th  March  the  Turks  were  in  full 
retreat  towards  Samarra  in  the  midst  of  a  gale  and 
dust  storm.  A  column  of  two  brigades  of 


I2O      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

the  I4th  Division,  under  -Major- General  Keary, 
had  arrived  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Diala  opposite 
Baqubah ;  and  a  column,  under  General  Davidson, 
was  ready  'to  move  out  west  to  Felujah  on  the 
Euphrates. 

Our  eyes  were  turned  'towards  the  Persian 
mountains  in  the  north-east.  We  knew  that  the 
Russians  were  somewhere  up  among  those  snows, 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away,  we  knew  also  that 
the  1 3th  Turkish  Corps  was  between  us  and  them. 
There  was  a  possibility  that,  with  the  Turkish  army 
facing  the  Russians,  a  force  from  Baghdad  might 
take  them  in  rear  before  they  could  extricate  'them- 
selves. On  the  night  of  the  1 7th/ 1 8th  March, 
Keary's  column  crossed  the  Diala  and  surprised 
Baqubah,  capturing  some  prisoners  and  stores. 
Davidson's  column  commenced  their  thirty-five 
mile  desert  march  on  Felujah  to  endeavour  to 
intercept  the  Turkish  force  retiring  up  'the 
Euphrates  from  the  Nasiriyeh  area.  Our  occupa- 
tion of  Baghdad  and  proximity  to  the  Turkish 
communications  up  the  Euphrates  had  relieved 
the  1 5th  Division  at  Nasiriyeh  of  all  threat  from 
the  enemy,  whose  small  force  on  that  line  would 
have  to  march  hard  to  save  themselves. 

The  enemy  was  driven  out  of  Felujah  on  the 
I9'th,  and  retired  up  the  Euphrates;  air  reconnais- 
sance the  next  day  reported  several  thousand 
retreating  up  the  river  beyond  Ramadi;  it  was 
evident  we  had  missed  the  party  from  down- 
stream. The  same  morning  air  reconnaissance 
spotted  the  first  signs  of  the  Turkish  Corps  at 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  121 

Shahroban,  sixty  miles  north-east  of  Baghdad; 
and  further  long-distance  work  discovered  infantry, 
guns,  and  cavalry  marching  south-west  on  that 
place  from  Kizil  Robat.  The  enemy  apparently 
meant  to  hold  us  up  in  order  to  allow  their  main 
force  coming  down  from  the  Pai  Tak  Pass  'to  cross 
the  Diala.  To  facilitate  co-operation  with  Keary's 
column  a  Flight  was  despatched  from  Baghdad  to 
Baqubah. 

It  was  a  lovely  spring  day,  and  the  oranges  were 
thick  on  the  'trees  when  I  first  saw  Baqubah,  and  I 
remember  how  intensely  pleased  I  was  with  the 
place;  the  greenest  spot  I  had  yet  seen  in  this 
arid  land.  One  seemed  to  be  almost  out  of 
Mesopotamia.  To  get  'there  it  was  necessary  to 
cross  thirty-two  miles  of  flat  desert ;  about  half-way 
was  the  village  of  Khan  Beni  Saad,  consisting  of 
a  few  mud  houses,  a  Khan  (caravan  resting  house), 
and  the  wells,  but  without  tree  or  cultivation;  it 
was  the  only  watering  place  between  Baghdad  and 
Baqubah,  and  a  halt  for  the  caravans  on  the  old 
Khurasan  road.  The  Arabs  at  Baqubah  cultivated 
vegetable  and  fruit  gardens,  and  there  was  a  forest 
of  date  palms,  past  which  ran  the  blue  snow  water 
of  the  Diala;  in  summer  a  mere  trickle,  in  winter 
it  can  be  a  raging  torrent,  rising  and  falling 
between  its  steep  banks  as  much  as  twenty  feet, 
according  to  the  rain  or  melting  of  snow  in  the 
hills.  We  roamed  about  revelling  in  the  relief  of 
vegetation. 

Ano'ther  Flight  went  up  the  Tigris  to  Kasirin  to 
be  further  forward  and  work  direct  under  the  orders 


122       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

of  the  3rd  Corps.  The  Flight  of  Martinsydes 
remained  at  Baghdad  for  long-distance  G.H.Q. 
work  in  any  direction. 

Our  aeroplanes  by  this  time  looked  weather- 
beaten  and  dilapidated;  we  had  had  no  hangars 
since  'the  crossing  of  the  Tigris,  and  the  machines 
had  been  continually  exposed  to  hot  sun,  wind, 
dust,  or  rain.  Engine  overhauls  were  few  and  far 
be'tween;  it  reminded  one  of  the  early  days  in 
France,  when  in  the  winter  gales  of  1914  it  was 
necessary  to  pierce  the  fabric  of  'the  planes  to 
empty  out  the  water  before  embarking  on  the 
doubtful  undertaking  of  getting  a  sodden  machine 
off  the  muddy  ground;  when  the  three-ply  wood 
tore  apart  in  one's  hand,  and  when  one  gaily 
staggered  out  over  the  German  lines  with  a  missing 
engine  in  a  bunch  of  'tricks  that  would  not  climb 
and  barely  steer. 

The  demands  of  each  column  for  continual  aerial 
observation,  regardless  of  the  necessary  limit  to 
the  revolutions  of  an  engine,  became  impossible 
to  meet.  Under  central  control  during  the  fighting 
for  Kut  and  the  advance  on  Baghdad  it  had 
been  possible  to  co-ordinate  work,  avoid  duplica- 
tion, and  in  spite  of  'the  heavy  demands  keep  engine 
overhauls  fairly  up  to  date.  Before,  there  had  been 
one  front;  now  there  were  three.  Machines  were 
now  detached  and  decentralised  under  the 
command  of  junior  officers  at  the  mercy  of  any  staff 
officer  of  the  formation  with  which  they  were 
working.  Aeroplanes  were  a  new  toy  to  many  of 
the  staffs,  who  sometimes  possessed  little  idea  of 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  123 

the  first  principles  of  their  use  or  how  to  work  them 
efficiently,  economically,  or  to  full  advantage.  An 
occasional  remonstrance  by  a  young  flight- 
commander  would  be  squashed  by  elders  and 
''  betters/'  who  knew  no  more  of  flying  than 
watching  the  kites  circling  over  their  cantonments 
in  India.  Such  situations  were  murderous  to 
effectual  co-operation,  the  efficiency  of  which  hangs 
on  one  thread  alone,  and  that  of  perfect  confidence, 
understanding,  and  friendship  between  the  two 
arms.  Once  the  seed  of  mistrust  or  enmity  is  sown 
co-operation  is  over,  and  no  staff  bigotry  or  red 
tape  discipline,  but  only  a  resumption  of  harmony, 
can  ever  restore  its  efficiency.  To  an  air 
commander  such  situations  are  ticklish ;  fortunately 
with  Force  D  they  seldom  occurred.  The 
formation  commanders  were,  above  all,  human, 
broad-minded  men,  and  with  their  help  it  was  soon 
possible  to  destroy  discord  ere  it  matured.  I  well 
remember  the  only  real  instance  of  discord  :  a 
Flight  which  had  flown  perhaps  more  than  any 
individual  Flight  in  the  war,  whose  men  and 
material  were  worn  but  who  still  worked  at  full 
power  with  glorious  enthusiasm,  and  who  in  my 
opinion  possessed  the  efficiency  of  veterans,  had 
fallen  foul  of  a  certain  staff  officer,  who  attempted 
to  dictate  beyond  his  own  sphere. 

I  was  thirty  miles  away,  but  by  telegraphic 
reports  knew  that  all  was  not  well,  and  eventually 
complaints  arrived  through  official  channels.  Some 
sort  of  immediate  action  was  necessary,  so  I  flew 
out,  and  sitting  on  the  ground  with  an  unusually 


124      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

morose  crowd  we  hammered  the  matter  out  from 
A  to  Z.  Inelegantly  received  by  the  officer  in 
question,  little  to  improve  matters  was  accom- 
plished by  arbitration,  and  to  seek  an  interview  and 
the  advice  of  General  Maude  was  the  only  course 
left  open.  The  extraordinarily  wide  outlook  and 
sense  of  feeling  of  the  G.O.C.  for  both  sides  of  a 
question  helped  us  out  of  the  dilemma,  and  action 
was  taken  to  restore  what  had  been  lost. 

On  the  22nd  March  information  came  through 
that  the  Russians  were  expected  near  Khanikin  in 
two  days'  time,  but  a  reconnaissance  which  went 
beyond  Kasr-i-Shirin  found  no  'trace  of  them. 
Keary's  column  meanwhile  pressed  the  Turks 
towards  Shahroban,  which  was  occupied  on  the 
23rd.  Keary  was  now  sixty  miles  from  Baghdad. 
The  Cavalry  Division  advanced  across  the  desert 
from  the  east  bank  of  the  Tigris  to  co-operate 
with  Keary  on  'the  Diala.  The  country  is 
flat,  but  broken  up  by  watercuts  and  nullahs; 
Shahroban  is  surrounded  by  cultivation.  To  'the 
north-east  the  long  range  of  barren  hills,  known  as 
the  Jebel  Hamrin,  runs  N.W.  and  S.E.;  from 
them  the  waters  of  the  Diala  disgorge  on  to  the 
Mesopotamian  plain;  and  the  rough  caravan  track 
which  was  the  old  Khurasan  road  winds  away  over 
the  summit  of  the  hills  to  the  recesses  of  Persia. 
From  the  flat  country  round  Shahroban  these  low 
hills,  only  three  or  four  hundred  feet  above  sea- 
level,  seemed  to  dominate  everything;  but  in  the 
early  morning,  before  the  haze  and  mirage  of  the 
day  had  obliterated  distance,  one's  eye  was 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  125 

tantalised  by  the  snows  of  the  great  Persian  ranges 
behind.  It  was  in  this  low  but  dominating  range 
'that  the  enemy,  reinforced  by  the  advanced  troops 
of  the  1 3th  Corps  from  Persia,  took  up  his  position. 
It  was  necessary  to  endeavour  to  pin  him  to  his 
ground  till  the  Russians  arrived. 

So  on  the  night  of  the  23rd  General  Keary's  two 
brigades  moved  forward  with  the  intention  of 
attacking  at  dawn;  they  were,  however,  held  up 
by  'the  numerous  canals  which  had  to  be  bridged. 
Material  was  brought  up,  and  the  sappers  com- 
pleted their  operations  on  the  night  of  the  24-th. 
By  dawn  of  the  25th,  Gurkhas,  Dorsets,  an3 
Mahrattas  of  the  Qth  Brigade  were  lying  down  a 
few  hundred  yards  from  the  position  waiting  to 
attack.  The  intention  was  that  the  9th  Brigade 
should  crush  the  Turkish  left  flank  against  the 
Diala,  when  the  8th  Brigade  would  be  thrown  in 
frontally.*  But  the  enemy,  reinforced  from 
Khanikin,  were  in  too  great  strength  as  regards 
men,  guns,  and  position,  and  he  had  the  ground  and 
bridge  sites  accurately  ranged.  After  driving  in 
his  outposts  our  'troops  were  held  up  by  a  withering 
fire  from  the  broken  ground  above  them,  and  in 
the  mass  of  hills  it  was  difficult  to  locate 
the  Turkish  guns,  which  in  any  case  were  well 
protected  against  our  shells  by  the  contour  of  the 
ground.  In  the  heat  of  the  day  heavy  counter- 
attacks were  launched,  and,  our  flanks  being 
in  danger  of  envelopment,  a  general  retirement  was 
ordered.  The  Turkish  cavalry  attempted  to  charge, 
but  were  mowed  down  by  steady  rifle  and  machine- 

*  See  map. 


126      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

gun  fire.  The  British  Force,  having  lost  a 
thousand  casualties,  eventually  regained  and 
consolidated  a  line  along  'the  Ruz  Canal.  The 
enemy's  strong  position  in  the  Jebel  Hamrin  now 
ensured  the  safe  passage  of  their  I3th  Corps  across 
the  Diala,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that,  far 
from  contemplating  retirement  towards  Kifri,  they 
intended  effecting  a  junction  with  their  i8th  Corps 
on  the  Tigris. 

On  the  Euphrates  the  Turkish  Force  were 
observed  retiring  beyond  Ramadi;  on  'the  Tigris 
aerial  reconnaissance  de'tected  a  trench  system 
being  dug  at  Istabulat  to  cover  Samarra.  The 
aeroplanes  were  humming  on  all  three  lines.  The 
co-ordination  of  work  with  three  forces;  difficulties 
of  supply  far  out  in  the  desert;  direction  of  river, 
motor,  and  mule  transport;  supervision  of  the 
Aircraft  Park,  five  hundred  miles  down-stream; 
and  the  estimating  six  months  ahead  for  stores  from 
England;  these  were  only  a  few  of  the  mass  of 
subjects  to  be  dealt  with.  Chocolo,  Huxley, 
Somers-Clarke,  and  myself  were  on  all  fronts 
during  the  day,  and  pored  over  our  maps 
and  papers  far  into  the  night.  Enemy  machines 
were  now  occasionally  seen,  and  reliable  intelli- 
gence kept  sifting  through  that  twelve  more  were 
soon  expected,  some  of  'them  "  Halberstadts." 

As  regards  supplies  he  was  on  interior  lines, 
which  enabled  him  to  introduce  a  new  type  of 
machine  at  the  front  at  least  a  fortnight  sooner 
than  we  could.  In  view  of  his  remarkable 
inferiority  in  the  air  during  the  past  months,  it  was 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  127 

inevitable  that  he  would  try  and  wrest  our 
supremacy  from  us  by  springing  some  surprise. 
Cables  fully  representing  the  danger  to  which  we 
were  exposed  had  been  repeatedly  despatched  to 
London.  The  obsolete  B.E.,  Martinsyde,  and  old 
Bristol  Scouts  were  quite  inadequate  'to  cope  with 
the  possible  arrival  of  the  machines  which  were 
closely  combating  our  fastest  scouts  in  France. 
Via  Cairo,  or  perhaps  even  London,  reports  caught 
in  the  web  of  a  great  intelligence  system  percolated 
back  to  Baghdad  :  *2OO  German  flying  personnel 
had  been  seen  at  Vienna,  dressed  as  for  a  hot 
climate;  a  week  later  Cairo  would  cable  that  aero- 
planes in  packing-cases  had  been  seen  on  the 
railway  station  at  Constantinople;  yet  again  our 
own  agents  would  report  these  packing  cases  at  Ras 
el  Ain,  on  the  Baghdad  railway;  and  so  the  story 
wove  itself  into  fact.  At  last  the  Air  Board  in 
London  were  able  to  promise  us  new  machines. 
:c  Spads,"  a  fast-fighting  type,  were  being  sent  from 
England ;  but  they  would  not  be  in  time. 

East  of  the  Diala  General  Keary  contained  'the 
Turkish  force  in  the  Jebel  Hamrin.  On  the  west 
the  enemy  commenced  a  converging  movement : 
part  of  the  i3th  Corps  down  through  Deli  Abbas 
and  part  of  'the  i8th  Corps  across  the  Adhaim  River 
along  the  left  bank  of  the  Tigris.  I  took  a  machine 
out  to  have  a  look  at  this  movement,  and  could  see 
the  long  Turkish  columns  winding  like  black  snakes 
against  the  colourless  contours  of  the  Jebel  Hamrin. 
They  stopped  on  sighting  my  aeroplane,  and  several 
parties  commenced  to  walk  back  in  the  opposite 


128      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

direction,  but  their  intention  was  too  obvious.  On 
the  27th  the  Cavalry  Division  resisted  the  enemy's 
forward  movement  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Diala 
about  Deltawa,  and  forced  him  back  'towards  Deli 
Abbas  on  the  following  day.  On  the  night  of  the 
28th,  the  39th  and  4Oth  Brigades  of  the 
1 3th  Division  deployed  to  attack  the  Turkish  force 
that  had  come  down  the  Tigris,  and  was  entrenched 
near  Dogameh.  The  advance  lay  across  the  dead 
flat  Marl  Plain,  devoid  of  the  cover  of  a  blade  of 
grass.  The  enemy's  left  flank  extended  so  far  into 
the  desert  that  both  brigades  were  forced  to  attack 
frontally.  The  4Oth  held  them  on  'the  left  while 
the  39th  endeavoured  to  turn  their  right.  The 
weather  was  hot,  and  owing  to  mirage  the  attack 
was  suspended  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  In 
the  evening  a  determined  onslaught  drove  the 
Turks  out  of  their  position,  and  they  fell  back 
across  the  Adhaim  under  cover  of  darkness.  The 
two  brigades  had  suffered  heavily,  but  our  object 
had  been  attained;  the  converging  movement  had 
been  frustrated  by  the  defeat  of  both  forces  in 
detail.  Aerial  co-operation  with  the  artillery  had 
proved  of  great  assistance  in  this  action,  when 
intensive  artillery  support  afforded  our  infantry 
their  sole  chance  of  closing  with  the  Turk. 

A  curious  outstanding  feature  of  the  fighting 
on  the  flats  of  Mesopotamia  was  the  medley  of 
artillery  observation  ladders  which  sprang  up  out 
of  the  desert  whenever  the  guns  went  into  action. 
Without  them  it  was  quite  impossible  for  a  battery 
commander  to  see  anything  at  all.  They  were  run 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  I  29 

up  some  distance  from  the  batteries  as  far  forward 
as  possible,  and  invariably  acted  as  a  magnet  to 
the  enemy  gunfire.  The  utmost  gallantry  was 
displayed  by  gunner  officers,  who  remained  perched 
behind  a  bullet-proof  shield  on  the  top  of  one  of 
these  swaying  poles  directing  'the  fire,  until  the 
smoke  and  dust  around  them  became  too  thick  10 
see  through,  or  they  were  blown  off  the  platform 
by  an  accurately-placed  "  crump." 

On  the  3Oth  March  D.  H.  went  out  in  search  of 
the  Russians  with  a  despatch  from  General  Maude 
to  General  Baratoff.  He  flew  over  the  Persian 
frontier  to  Kasr-i-Shirin  and  beyond,  but  failed  to 
find  any  trace  of  a  Cossack.  His  account  of  flying 
a  few  feet  above  snow  ridges  and  in  among  green 
valleys  with  rushing  mountain  streams  and  wooded 
slopes  made  our  mouths  water,  down  in  the  dusty 
arid  plain,  where  the  midday  temperature  was 
already  touching  100  degrees  Fahr.  in  the  shade, 
and  the  prospect  of  another  "  hot  weather  "  was 
depressing.  The  competition  to  fly  out  to  this  cool 
mountain  country  and  gain  the  honour  of  being 
the  first  British  officer  to  meet  the  Russians  was 
keen. 

On  the  3ist  the  Cavalry  Division  occupied  Deli 
Abbas  and  the  Turkish  force  opposite  Keary  in 
'the  Jebel  Hamrin  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Diala 
retired  across  that  river.  It  was  evident  that  except 
for  perhaps  a  rear  party  the  whole  of  the  enemy 
force  must  now  be  across  and  the  Russian  army 
not  very  far  away.  We  heard  the  next  day  that 
BaratofFs  advanced  guard  had  reached  the  Pai  Tak 


130      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Pass,  and  were  descending  towards  Kasr-i- 
Shirin. 

Lieut.  Windsor  reconnoitred  to  Hit  on  the 
Euphrates  100  miles  west  of  Baghdad,  but  the 
enemy  on  this  line  had  remained  quiet.  Our 
troops  were  in  Felujah,  with  an  outpost  up-stream 
at  Saklawieh.  We  had  not  been  in  time  to  prevent 
the  Turk  from  cutting  a  dam  at  the  latter  place, 
and  the  water  was  streaming  through  the  opening 
into  the  Akkarkuf  Lake,  which  had  flooded  over 
until  the  water  was  now  lapping  against  the  railway 
embankment  at  Baghdad;  it  sluiced  through  the 
channel  under  the  Iron  Bridge  into  the  Tigris,  but 
was  steadily  rising,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see 
to  the  north  and  west  a  great  sea  stretched  to  the 
horizon. 

On  'the  right  bank  of  the  Tigris  the  enemy 
occupied  Sumaikcheh,  and  on  the  left  bank  was  in 
position  behind  the  Adhaim  River.  Such  were  the 
general  dispositions  on  the  ist  April,  when  the  I3th 
Turkish  Corps  were  retiring  on  Kifri. 

At  6  a.m.  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd  I  left 
Baghdad  in  a  Martinsyde  with  the  despatch  that 
General  Maude  had  been  trying  to  get  through  to 
Baratoff,  for  as  yet  no  meeting  had  taken  place 
between  the  Cossacks  and  the  patrols  of  Keary's 
column.  My  course  took  me  straight  out  across 
the  Jebel  Hamrin  to  Khanikin,  and  over  the 
Persian  foothills  to  Kasr-i-Shirin.  It  was  a  lovely 
spring  day,  the  country  below  was  green,  the  air 
above  cool  and  bracing;  how  good  it  felt  to  be 
clear  of  Mesopotamia.  Looking  back  I  could  just 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  13! 

discern  the  hill  country  disappearing  down  to  the 
thick  haze  of  noonday  in  the  desert ;  looking  ahead 
it  seemed  I  was  flying  into  a  great  wall  of  massive 
peaks,  with  their  snows  scintillating  in  the  sun- 
light above  me.  I  opened  my  throttle  and  climbed 
to  10,000  feet,  but  only  caught  a  view  of  further 
snows  beyond.  The  beauty  of  it  to  the  eye,  wearied 
by  dust  and  desert,  was  intoxicating.  It  was  a 
different  world,  and  the  desire  was  strong  to  land 
in  one  of  those  remote  little  glens  where  one  could 
roll  in  the  grass  and  bathe  in  the  burn.  I  had  not 
seen  grass  for  nine  long  months. 

At  Kasr-i-Shirin  the  road  turns  almost  south- 
east before  the  long  thirty-five  mile  climb  up  to 
the  Pai  Tak  Pass,  the  gateway  from  the  high 
plateaux  of  Persia  down  to  the  plains  of  Mesopo- 
tamia. After  flying  for  three  hours  I  spied 
a  column  of  cavalry  on  the  march,  passing 
a  village  called  Miankul.  Not  knowing  if  they 
were  retreating  Turks  or  advancing  Russians,  I 
glided  slowly  down.  They  made  no  movement  to 
fire,  so  I  glided  on  lower  and  lower  till,  in  answer 
to  my  hand-wave,  they  threw  their  fur  caps  in  the 
air;  I  knew  that  at  last  we  were  in  touch  with  the 
Russians.  I  landed  on  a  patch  of  level  ground 
not  far  off  the  road,  and  they  galloped  up, 
solemnly  saluted,  and  shook  me  by  the  hand,  each 
in  turn.  This  wild-looking  group  of  Cossacks, 
clustered  around  me  in  their  picturesque  long 
coats  and  sheepskin  hats  cocked  at  a  rakish  angle, 
against  the  background  of  mountain  valley  and  pass 
winding  away  up  to  the  rugged  snow  hills,  made  a 


132      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

scene  I  shall  not  forget.  They  had  come  from 
Caucasia,  down  past  the  Caspian  to  Persia,  a  march 
of  a  thousand  miles  through  uncivilised  coun- 
tries, no  lines  of  communication  behind  them,  and 
without  transport,  finding  what  they  could  to  live 
on  as  they  went.  Their  little  ponies  were  skin  and 
bone,  they  themselves  hard  and  lean,  burnt  black 
by  the  sun  in  striking  contrast  to  'their  blue  eyes 
and  fair  moustaches.  Two  or  three  junior  officers 
were  there,  but  not  a  word  of  any  language  had  we 
in  common.  The  despatch  they  understood,  and 
I  pointed  up  'the  pass  and  said  "  Baratoff."  I  had 
left  my  engine  just  ticking  over,  and  having  only 
sufficient  petrol  to  take  me  straight  back  to 
Baghdad  could  spare  no  further  time ;  once  stopped, 
the  problem  of  starting  again  was  too  uncertain. 
They  each  saluted,  again  shook  me  by  the  hand, 
and  as  I  left  the  ground  gave  a  weird  shout  and 
threw  their  hats  in  the  air.  It  had  been  a  dramatic 
meeting.  With  regret  I  dropped  back  into  the 
Mesopotamian  desert  from  that  beautiful  mountain 
region  of  snow  and  wild  flowers,  and  after  five 
hours'  flying  into  wha:  had  seemed  some  dream 
country  landed  in  'the  relentless  heat  and  glare  of 
Baghdad. 

The  same  morning  a  small  column  under 
Brigadier-General  Edwardes,  that  had  pushed  out 
to  Kizil  Robat,  met  a  "  sotnia  "  of  Cossacks  who 
had  been  sent  far  on  in  advance  to  establish  com- 
munication with  'the  English  army. 

The  long-expected  arrival  of  new  enemy 
aeroplanes  materialised,  for  they  made  their  debut 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  133 

on  the  following  day,  April  3rd,  when  Lieuts.  Page 
and  Rattray,  reconnoitring  up  the  Tigris,  sighted 
a  hos'tile  machine  and  gave  chase.  During  ihe 
pursuit  a  second  hostile  machine  suddenly  dived 
past  Page's  machine  and  came  up  a  hundred 
yards  on  the  left  front.  Page  veered  left-handed 
to  get  the  enemy  to  his  right  so  that  his  forward 
gun  would  bear.  But  the  enemy  countered  to  keep 
the  same  side,  and  Page,  intent  on  not  giving  an 
inch,  held  straight  on  his  course  to  get  to  the  left. 
So  determined  was  each  pilot  to  make  the  other 
give  way  that  the  machines,  closing  at  the  rate  of 
1 80  miles  an  hour,  collided  at  the  wing  tips,  which 
were  cut  off  as  if  by  a  knife.  The  enemy  imme- 
diately made  off  north  for  Samarra,  and  Page 
managed  to  get  back  to  his  aerodrome  at  Kasirin. 
It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  perverted  German 
wireless  news  : — 

"  One  of  the  Fokkers,  piloted  by  Captain 
Schutz,  rammed  a  hostile  plane  in  air-combat 
and  caused  it  to  fall.  Our  machine  brought  back 
a  wing  torn  off  the  enemy  plane  and  landed 
safely  in  our  lines/' 

with  our  own  report : — 

"  The  enemy  machines  appeared  to  be  hit, 
and,  according  'to  tribal  report,  the  larger  of  the 
two  was  compelled  to  land  somewhere  on-  the 
right  bank  of  the  Tigris,  and  was  burnt." 

This  was  confirmed  on  the  I4th  April,  when  the 
charred  remains  were  discovered  by  Fane's  column. 
K 


134      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Page,  in  an  old  B.E.,  had  put  the  fear  of  God  into 
two  of  the  fastest  enemy  scouts.  The  flight  home 
with  a  wing-tip  gone  and  the  rest  of  the  plane 
threatening  to  carry  away  must  have  caused  him 
and  Rattray  some  long  and  anxious  minutes.  Page 
treated  this  incident  in  the  same  light  as  when,  soon 
after  joining  us  in  earlier  days  at  Arab  Village,  he 
crawled  out  of  wreckage  so  complete  that  only  an 
electric  switch  was  recognisable,  and  I  had  nearly 
given  him  the  sack  for  grinning.  He  came  from 
the  Yeomanry  in  Egypt,  and  he  served  with  us 
until  I  had  gone,  when,  alas  !  this  glowing  spirit 
met  his  end  in  the  desert  after  eighteen  months' 
continuous  flying. 

On  April  4th  orders  were  issued  by  the  General 
Staff  for  further  operations  on  both  banks  of  the 
Tigris.  Our  troops  concentrated  in  two  columns ; 
that  on  the  left  bank  under  Lieut. -General 
Marshall,  and  that  on  the  right  bank  under  Major- 
General  Fane.  The  Flight  at  Baqubah,  on  the 
Diala,  was  transferred  to  Fort  Kermeah,  on  the 
Tigris,  the  river-head  for  General  Fane's  column, 
and  the  Flight  already  on  the  Tigris  at  Kasirin 
moved  up-stream  'to  Kuwar  Reach,  the  river-head 
for  General  Marshall's  column.  In  view  of  the 
menace  of  fast  enemy  machines,  Aircraft  Park  at 
Busrah  worked  hard  to  put  into  commission  a  few 
Bristol  Scouts  that  had  been  sent  from  Egypt  as  a 
stop-gap  pending  the  arrival  of  the  Spads  from 
England.  These  Bristols,  with  their  Clerge't 
engines,  could  not  however  be  considered  a  match 
for  the  Hun  Halberstadt.  Fortunately,  long 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  135 

superiority  over  the  enemy  had  bred  the  utmost 
confidence  in  our  pilots,  and  we  had  by  this  time 
collected  a  dauntless  gang  of  cheerful  souls  quite 
firmly  convinced  that  they  were  second  to  none. 
The  prospect  of  "  scraps  "  'to  come  acted  as  a  tonic 
to  the  gayer  spirits  in  the  mess.  D.  H.  flew  a 
worn-out  B.E.  to  Busrah,  and  was  back  next 
morning  with  a  Bristol,  having  covered  the  double 
journey  of  750  miles  in  eight  hours'  actual  flying; 
Paddy  Maguire  was  en  route  with  another.  A 
captured  loo-horse-power  German  Gnome  engine 
was  fitted  in  a  third,  and  it  gave  her  a  fine  turn  of 
speed.  Unfortunately  the  extra  weight  of  this 
engine  spoilt  the  trim  of  the  machine  and  made  her 
difficult  to  handle  in  the  air.  She  eventually  stuck 
her  nose  into  the  mud  at  Amara  on  the  way  to  the 
front,  and  was  totally  wrecked. 

On  Easter  Sunday,  April  8th,  Fane's  column 
advanced  up  the  railway  and  captured  Beled 
station,  two  hundred  prisoners,  and  some  rolling- 
stock,  after  a  sharp  fight  with  the  Turkish  rear- 
guard. The  next  day  they  occupied  Harbe,  and 
halted  pending  developments  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  Tigris.  It  had  been  intended  that  General 
Marshall's  column  should  now  force  the  Adhaim 
and  drive  the  52nd  Turkish  Division  back  on 
Samarra.  On  the  Qth,  however,  it  became  evident 
that  Ihsan  Bey  with  his  I3th  Corps  in  the  Jebei 
Hamrin  was  advancing  down  through  Deli  Abbas 
along  the  Nahr  Khalis  Canal  towards  Deltawa, 
apparently  another  effort  at  effecting  a  junction  with 
the  52nd  Division  on  the  Adhaim.  On  this  day  I 


136      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

left  once  more  with  despatches  from  General 
Maude  to  General  Baratoff,  whose  advanced  troops 
had  occupied  Kasr-i-Shirin,  and  were  picqueted 
along  the  line  of  the  Diala  above  the  Jebel  Hamrin. 
The  morning  was  hot,  and  getting  through  the 
first  4,000  feet  behind  the  big  Beardmore  engine  of 
a  Martinsyde  scout  was  as  warm  a  performance  as 
the  engine-room  watch  in  a  destroyer.  However, 
the  prospect  of  another  day  among  the  hills 
banished  all  feelings  of  discomfort  in  the  getting 
there.  A  detour  on  the  way  out  disclosed  the  enemy 
columns  winding  down  on  to  the  plain  near  Deli 
Abbas,  a  long  string  of  crawling  an'ts  followed  by 
the  white  specks  of  ambulance  waggons.  It  was 
lovely  to  get  back  among  these  ranges  again,  but 
this  time  my  flight  only  'took  me  as  far  as  Kasr-i- 
Shirin,  120  miles  N.E.  of  Baghdad,  and  just  over 
the  Persian  frontier.  I  landed  on  a  rough  grassy 
space  about  a  mile  outside  the  town,  among  the 
stones  which  are  the  ruins  of  the  great  Sassanian 
Palace  of  Shirin,  the  mistress  of  King  Parwiz. 
Bits  of  this  lady's  palace  were  nearly  the  undoing 
of  my  aeroplane,  which  only  by  mere  luck  came  to 
rest  on  the  stony  slope  without  hitting  any  of  these 
relics  of  ancient  majesty.  Cossacks  streamed  over 
a  knoll  which  hid  the  town  from  view,  and  soon 
some  Russian  officers,  including  a  colonel,  arrived 
with  an  escort  and  spare  pony.  After  much  saluting 
and  hand-shaking,  I  mounted  this  ragged  animal 
and,  leaving  sentries  to  guard  the  machine,  we  rode 
solemnly  towards  the  'town.  Just  outside  we  came 
upon  the  bivouac  of  an  infantry  battalion,  the  guard 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  137 

was  turned  out  in  waiting,  and  to  my  surprise  there 
was  also  a  brass  band.  They  had  no  ammunition; 
they  had  no  food  or  forage ;  they  had  come  hundreds 
of  miles  over  burning  desert  and  ice-bound  moun- 
tain passes,  and  through  all  they  had  stuck  to  their 
brass  band  !  As  we  approached  it  struck  up  "  God 
Save  the  King."  We  dismounted  with  our  hands 
at  the  salute;  all  the  verses  were  played  through, 
and  I  was  about  to  drop  my  hand,  when  the  anthem 
started  again.  I  think  they  played  the  National 
Anthem  for  ten  minutes  without  stopping ;  each 
time  the  last  chords  of  the  refrain  were  reached  I 
thought  it  was  the  end,  and  I  could  allow  my 
cramped  arm  to  drop,  but  immediately  the  band 
would  start  again.  At  last  they  could  blow  no 
more;  the  remainder  of  the  battalion  and  many 
Cossacks  had  collected,  their  colonel  made  a  short 
speech,  raised  his  hat  in  the  air,  and  the  Russian 
army  gave  vent  to  some  wild  cheering  which 
necessitated  further  saluting  on  my  part. 

A  procession  of  officers  was  then  formed,  and 
we  adjourned  to  the  only  tent.  It  was  of  single 
thickness,  and  'the  sun's  rays  had  made  the  atmo- 
sphere within  like  an  oven.  As  many  officers  as 
possible  wedged  themselves  in,  the  colonel  and  I 
being  the  only  two  who  had  chairs.  So  far  not  a 
word  had  been  exchanged ;  I  could  talk  no  Russian 
and  they  had  neither  English  nor  French.  So  they 
conversed  excitedly  together  and  gaped  at  me. 
"  Arak  "  (native  spirit)  was  produced,  and  with 
wild  acclamation  we  drank  to  +he  health  of  both 
nations. 


138      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Fortunately  Colonel  Rowlandson,  'the  British 
liaison  officer  with  the  Russian  army,  soon  rescued 
me  from  the  appalling  atmosphere,  and  we  rode  on 
into  Kasr-i-Shirin.  There  I  met  the  Russian  officer 
in  command  and  handed  him  the  despatch  for 
General  Baratoff.  The  Staff  were  magnificently 
dressed  in  long  dark  coats,  belted  and  skirted, 
curved  swords  and  daggers  in  ivory  scabbards, 
ivory  cartridge  cases  across  their  breasts,  and  white 
sheepskin  caps.  The  valleys  were  hot  enough,  but 
one  wondered  how  they  would  fare  in  that  kit  if 
they  went  down  into  Mesopotamia.  The  rank  and 
file  were  ragged,  and  few  of  their  jack-boots  had 
the  soles  intact;  some  of  them  walked  about  with 
cloth  wrapped  round  their  feet.  Kasr-i-Shirin  is 
a  pretty  little  hill  village,  a  mountain  stream 
running  past  in  the  glen  below;  it  looked  enticingly 
clean  and  cool,  and  the  Russian  soldiers  were 
bathing  in  its  pools. 

We  had  lunch  in  the  building  once  occupied  by 
the  Indo-Persian  Telegraph  Company,  since 
wrecked  by  the  Turks.  It  was  an  interesting 
luncheon  party;  a  few  of  the  staff  could  talk 
French,  and  one,  I  recollect,  was  a  Hungarian  who 
had  espoused  the  Russian  cause.  Fortunately 
there  was  only  sufficient  "  Arak  "  'to  go  round,  and 
the  rest  of  the  drinking  was  done  in  tea.  Arak  is 
a  fire  water  made  of  raisins ;  it  was  the  heat  of  the 
day,  and  there  was  the  long  flight  back  to  Baghdad 
in  front  of  me.  I  was  escorted  back  to  the  aero- 
plane, and  to  the  tune  of  "  God  Save  the  King  ' 
by  that  amazing  brass  band,  I  waved  farewell  to 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  139 

my  enthusiastic  friends  and  left  the  ground  for 
Baghdad.  After  another  detour  to  observe  the 
progress  of  the  i3th  Turkish  Corps  I  landed  at 
Fort  Kermeah,  on  the  Tigris.  The  weather  had 
stoked  up  considerably  in  the  last  few  days,  and 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  water  in  one's  radiator 
was  kept  from  boiling.  Six  hours'  flying  in  a 
Martinsyde  left  one  like  a  wet  rag,  and  drove  me 
down  before  reaching  Headquarters. 

Fort  Kermeah  was  a  square  mud  enclosure  with 
flat  desert  on  all  sides,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away,  screened  by  its  steep  banks,  flowed  the  Tigris. 
Some  refreshment  and  the  cheerful  meeting  with 
friends  was  restoring,  and  I  reached  Baghdad 
before  nightfall. 

Lieuts.  Page  and  Rattray  had  been  interfered 
with  by  a  Halberstadt  while  co-operating  with 
the  artillery  on  the  Adhaim,  but  after  two  drums 
of  ammunition  emptied  at  close  range,  and  under 
the  fire  of  our  A.A.  guns,  the  Hun  had  turned  for 
Samarra  and  left  our  machine  to  continue  its  work. 

Orders  were  given  for  General  Fane  to  hold  the 
enemy  about  Harbe,  and  Marshall's  column  to  act 
offensively  against  the  i3'th  Turkish  Corps 
advancing  from  Deli  Abbas.  On  the  loth  the 
Cavalry  Division,  who  were  out  on  General 
Marshall's  right  flank  between  Deltawa  and  Deli 
Abbas,  came  in  contact  and  fell  back  in  front  of 
the  enemy.  That  evening  Captain  Bayly  anH 
myself  took  out  'two  Martinsyde  scouts  loaded  with 
bombs  to  see  if  we  could  break  one  of  the  new 
enemy  scouts  on  the  ground  at  Samarra.  We  made 


I4O      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

out  to  the  northward  in  company,  but  near  Beled 
I  observed  Bayly  manoeuvring  some  distance  to 
starboard.  I  closed  to  investigate  and  then  spotted 
that  he  was  engaged  with  a  Hun  which  was  going 
down  on  top  of  him.  I  arrived  on  the  scene  just  as 
the  Halberstadt  shot  below  my  level,  at  6,500  feet, 
and  there  we  were,  all  three  shrieking  down,  one 
on  top  of  the  other,  at  about  150  miles  an  hour. 
I  should  have  settled  him  with  a  drum  of  ammuni- 
tion, but  he  was  diving  in  a  curve,  and  'the  stream  of 
bullets  must  have  just  passed  by.  He  pulled  out, 
and  we  each  started  climbing  for  the  right  side  of 
the  sun,  which  was  low  and  blinding.  Bayly  had 
got  too  low,  and  was  lost  to  sight.  I  was  carrying 
two  112  Ib.  bombs,  and  immediately  tried  to  release 
these,  which  hindered  both  climbing  and 
manoeuvring.  Unfortunately  one  bomb  jambed  and 
the  release  gear  carried  away  in  my  efforts 
to  lighten  the  machine,  so  there  I  was  with  a  heavy 
list,  carrying  a  112  Ib.  dead  weight  on  one  side  and 
a  fast  enemy  scout  manoeuvring  for  the  coup  de 
grace.  The  situation  was  awkward.  After  a  few 
minutes  he  turned  and  came  straight  at  me  from 
above,  and  cocking  the  old  Martinsyde  up  on  her 
tail  I  just  got  the  gun  to  bear.  She  lost  flying 
speed,  fell  sideways,  and  then  nose-dived  1,000  feiet 
before  I  could  regain  control.  Like  a  fool  he  never 
followed  me  down,  or  I  should  have  been  "  meat," 
but,  climbing  higher,  disappeared  towards  his  base. 
It  was  nearly  dark,  and  I  was  100  miles  from  home. 
Bayly's  machine  was  badly  riddled  about  the 
under-carriage,  and  collapsed  on  landing.  Our 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  14! 

evening's  expedition  had  turned  out  more  exciting 
'than  had  been  expected. 

The  1 3th  Turkish  Corps  had  halted  on  the  loth. 
That  night  two  brigades  of  Marshall's  troops  made 
a  twenty-mile  march  on  Ihsan  Bey's  right  flank  and 
met  the  Turkish  'troops  in  the  open,  endeavouring 
to  outflank  our  cavalry  at  dawn  on  the  i  ith.  It  was 
a  surprise  action.  The  39th  and  4Oth  Brigades 
gained  the  only  commanding  slope  of  ground 
before  the  Turks  could  reach  it,  and,  lying  down 
under  'the  fierce  sun,  held  the  enemy  while  a  brigade 
of  Field  Artillery  galloped  to  their  assistance  close 
up  behind  the  ridge  and  came  into  action  at  close 
range.  The  advance  was  checked,  and  the  Turks, 
leaving  three  hundred  dead,  retired  six  miles 
during  the  night.  In  the  stiff  fighting,  without  a 
vestige  of  shade  and  after  their  long  night  march, 
the  39th  and  4Oth  Brigades  suffered  heavily  from 
heat  and  lack  of  water.  The  men  were  still  in 
their  heavy  winter  khaki,  for  the  demands  on  the 
river  transport  had  not  yet  allowed  for  all  the 
summer  clothing  to  be  brought  up-stream. 

Aeroplanes  had  difficulty  in  running  their 
engines  during  the  heat  of  the  day  due  to  the  oil 
running  thin;  they  were,  however,  the  only  means 
of  overcoming  'the  mirage  in  the  desert,  ground 
observation  being  useless  and  misleading. 

The  machines  were  busy  on  all  fronts.  At 
daybreak  on  the  i2th  Captain  Bayly  and  Lieut. 
Windsor  arrived  over  the  Samarra  aerodrome,  at 
3,400  feet,  and  obtained  a  direct  hit  with  a  65  Ib. 
bomb  on  a  hostile  biplane.  The  railway  station 


142      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

and  rolling  stock  were  also  bombed  and  damaged. 
The  raid  was  carried  out  under  heavy  A.A.  and 
machine-gun  fire.  The  Turks  were  digging  a 
position  across  the  railway  at  Istabulat,  ten  miles 
south-east  of  Samarra;  twenty-eight  gun-pits  had 
been  dug.  A  detachment  of  the  enemy  were  also 
seen  coming  from  the  Euphrates  line  at  Samarra. 

The  enemy  on  the  Adhaim  were  held  by  a  suffi- 
cient force  of  Marshall's  column  while  the  main 
force  dealt  with  Ihsan  Bey,  who  continued  his 
retreat  on  the  I2th,  pursued  by  the  cavalry.  The 
Turks  fought  their  usual  stubborn  and  effective 
rearguard  action  throughout  the  i3th  and  i4th. 
The  Cavalry  Division  attempted  by  a  wide  detour 
to  get  behind  them  across  the  Kifri  Road,  but  lack 
of  water  and  their  strong  entrenched  flank  position 
prevented  such  achievement.  Ihsan  Bey  got  back 
into  the  shelter  of  the  Jebel  Hamrin  during  the 
night  of 'the  I4th  April. 

Heat  was  beginning  to  restrict  the  performance 
of  aeroplanes;  we  were  still  flying  the  old  B.E.s, 
but  although  obsole'te  for  war  purposes,  their 
stationary  air-cooled  engines  were  less  vulnerable 
to  high  temperature  than  the  rotary  type  in  the 
Bristols  or  the  water-cooled  in  the  Martinsydes. 
Captain  Pickering  flew  B.E.2C  4500  from  the  base 
to  Fort  Kermeah;  she  was  a  veteran  machine, 
having  been  in  action  with  Townshend  at  the  battle 
of  Ctesiphon  in  1915.  To  maintain  ourselves  it 
was  necessary  to  ship  any  crashed  or  old  machines 
down  to  Busrah,  where,  after  being  entirely  reno- 
vated, they  were  flown  back  to  the  Front,  and  with 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  143 

their  old  numbers  and  spirit  of  past  fame  they  were 
better  than  new.  Two  Martinsydes  which  were 
fitted  with  special  tropical  radiators  did  not 
overheat  as  yet,  but  it  was  doubtful  that  they  would 
keep  the  air  throughout  the  hot  weather,  and  the 
heat  behind  the  engine  in  the  pilot's  seat  was 
already  well-nigh  unendurable.  Those  without 
special  radiators  were  now  no  use  and  out  of  action, 
as  the  water  boiled  away  even  if  flown  at  dawn. 
It  was  a  gamble  how  long  the  Bristol  Scouts 
would  last;  they  were  already  coming  down  with 
'  blued  "  cylinders,  and  making  forced  landings 
with  pistons  seized.  One  only  hoped  that  the  Hun 
was  faced  with  the  same  problems;  if  nought  but 
old  Ctesiphon  B.E.s  remained  to  meet  his  new 
productions  even  our  last  jokes  might  fall  flat. 

The  enemy's  second  attempt  at  effecting  a 
junction  between  his  I3th  and  i8th  Corps  was  again 
frustrated  by  defeating  both  detachments  in  detail. 
Orders  were  now  issued  for  Marshall's  column  to 
detach  the  Cavalry  Division  and  two  brigades  of 
infantry  'to  contain  the  i3th  Corps,  and  with  the 
remainder  of  troops  to  make  preparations  to  force 
the  passage  of  the  Adhaim  River. 

Fane's  column  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tigris, 
which  had  been  absorbed  under  General  Cobbe's 
command,  were  to  advance  towards  the  Istabula't 
position.  General  Maude  never  ceased  harrying 
the  enemy,  thus  keeping  the  initiative  in  his  own 
hands.  The  scene  of  battle  swung  relentlessly 
from  one  front  to  another;  the  troops  had  become 
veterans  in  desert  warfare,  and  'the  supply  services, 


144      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

500  miles  from  their  base,  had  forgotten  the 
meaning  of  the  word  impossible. 

Every  Monday  morning  it  was  my  fortune  'to 
attend  a  conference  at  G.H.Q.,  where  the  heads 
of  all  departments  met,  plans  were  disclosed,  past 
events  reviewed,  and  the  million  problems  regard- 
ing the  maintenance  and  efficiency  of  the  army  were 
discussed  direct  with  our  Chief.  He  knew  the 
duties  of  his  staff  directorates  down  to  the  smallest 
detail.  They  were  instructive,  those  conferences; 
one  learnt  of  the  stone  walls  other  people  were  up 
against,  and  one  learnt  how,  when  perhaps  an 
engineering  problem  was  deemed  impracticable, 
the  necessity  thereof,  backed  by  the  humour  and 
method  of  General  Maude,  crumbled  another  stone 
wall.  In  that  assemblage  of  staff  officers  sitting 
sweltering  under  the  fans,  his  was  a  personality 
dominant  and  absorbing. 

On  the  1 5th  Captain  Pickering  and  Lieut.  Craig 
left  at  daybreak  on  reconnaissance  for  Cobbe's 
column,  but  they  never  returned.  A  sand  storm 
and  gale  of  wind  arose  in  the  morning,  which 
became  too  violent  to  send  out  a  search  machine ; 
cavalry  and  armoured  cars  scoured  the  country  to 
no  account.  Later  'the  sad  news  was  received  that 
old  B.E.  2C  4500  met  her  end  in  a  fight  with  a 
Halberstadt,  and  both  Pickering  and  Craig  had 
been  killed.  The  gale  continued  all  the  next  day, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  leave  the  ground.  On  the 
1 7th  Paddy  Maguire  arrived  with  a  new  Bristol 
Scout  in  4  hours  20  minutes  from  Busrah,  intent  on 
avenging  the  deaths  of  Craig  and  Pickering. 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  145 

Aerial  photography  of  the  country  on  all  fronts 
had  been  pressed  on  daily.  There  were  no  maps, 
and  to  fight  the  Turk  without  eliminated  any 
chance  of  the  co-operation  on  which  success 
depended.  The  photographic  section  were  deve- 
loping and  printing  far  into  each  night,  and  with 
the  results  the  mapping  section  at  G.H.Q.  turned 
out  accurate  squared  maps  which  were  distributed 
by  air  on  the  front.  Often  last  editions  of  these, 
showing  the  latest  enemy  earthworks  photographed 
a  few  hours  previously,  would  be  dropped  from  the 
air  to  units  just  about  to  attack.  The  mapping  of 
the  Adhaim  river  had  not  yet  been  completed,  but 
Lieut.  Beckett  sketched  it  from  its  mouth  to  'the 
Jebel  Hamrin ;  its  bed  is  in  places  more  than  a  mile 
wide,  a  mass  of  shifting  channels  and  quicksands. 
The  water  dries  into  a  few  pools  in  the  hot  weather. 

The  crossing  was  effected  during  the  night  of  the 
1 7th/ 1 8th,  again  by  the  Lancashire  Brigade,  of 
Diala  fame.  Two  battalions  ferried  themselves 
over  in  the  darkness,  unsuspected  by  the  enemy, 
at  a  point  some  distance  below  where  another 
battalion  had  ostentatiously  forded  the  river;  a 
cavalry  brigade,  under  Colonel  Cassels,  also 
demonstrated  ori  the  northern  flank.  The  enemy 
were  confused.  The  main  crossing  against  the 
Turkish  centre  was  a  complete  surprise  :  the  cliffs 
were  stormed  at  the  coming  of  the  dawn  and  the 
enemy  outposts  threw  down  their  arms.  The 
sappers  and  miners  started  building  a  bridge,  and 
the  aeroplanes  were  up  there  waiting  to  co-operate 
with  the  artillery.  The  co-operation  worked  splen- 


146      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

didly,  and  at  12.30  p.m.  three  Lancashire  battalions 
went  in  with  the  bayonet  under  a  drum-fire  barrage. 
The  enemy's  resistance  collapsed,  and  then 
Cassels'  cavalry,  who  had  been  brought  in  from 
their  feint,  drove  through  between  'the  Turks  and 
the  Tigris,  cutting  them  off  from  water.  Those  of 
the  enemy  who  were  not  killed  or  wounded  threw 
down  their  arms ;  Cassels  pursued  till  nightfall, 
and  hardly  a  Turk  got  away.  Much  of  the 
success  of  the  day  was  due  to  the  magnificent 
artillery  work.  The  following  is  an  extract  from 
the  artillery  report  :— 

"  All  batteries  were  in  action  from  4  a.m. 
onwards.  About  6  a.m.  H.M.S.  :  Tarantula  ' 
opened  fire  with  six-inch  gun,  and  H.M.S. 
'  Waterfly  '  with  four-inch  gun.  Observation 
difficult  owing  to  clouds  of  dust  hanging  over 
enemy  position.  Three  aeroplanes  co-operated 
with  the  R.A.  from  5  a.m.  till  10.30  a.m.,  and 
from  11.30  a.m.  till  i  p.m.,  using  'smoke 
balls,'  very  useful  registration  being  carried  out 
before  bombardment  at  12.30  p.m.  A't  12.30 
p.m.  barrage  was  put  up  on  Turkish  position 
astride  the  Narhwan  Canal,  C  and  D  55  and 
6  ist  Batteries  bombarding  trenches,  6oth  Battery 
kloofs  on  both  banks  of  the  canal,  and  the  R.N. 
and  2/iO4th  Battery  the  bed  of  canal  in  rear  of 
Turkish  position.  Duration  of  bombardment, 
15  minutes.  Rates,  of  fire  :  i8-pounders,  two 
rounds  per  gun  per  minute;  4.5  howitzers  and 
6o-pounders,  one  round  per  gun  per  minute. 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  147 

Parties  of  retiring  Turks  were  then  engaged.  At 
2  p.m.  pursuit  had  moved  out  of  range  of  guns, 
and  sections  of  c  S  '  R.H.A.  and  D  66  Batteries 
accompanied  and  supported  Cassels'  Cavalry 
Brigade.  Turkish  prisoners  report  many 
wounded  by  our  artillery  fire." 

One  thousand  three  hundred  prisoners  were  taken, 
and  the  enemy  casualties  in  killed  and  wounded 
were  very  heavy. 

The  Flights  at  Kuwar  Reach  and  Fort  Kermeah 
now  moved  further  up-stream  to  Barurah  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river.  Aeroplane  reconnaissance 
was  mainly  confined  to  early  morning  and  evening 
on  account  of  the  intense  heat  during  the  day. 
Owing  to  the  continual  and  almost  daily  movement 
of  Flights,  it  had  been  impossible  for  the  last  two 
months  to  put  machines  under  hangars,  and  in 
order  to  protect  them  from  the  sun  during  the  day 
they  were  covered  with  "  chattai  "  (palm-leaf 
mats).  It  afforded  good  protection,  and  kept  the 
fabric  cool.  The  main  object  was  to  keep  the  light 
off  the  doped  fabric;  heat  had  small  deteriorating 
effect  compared  to  the  light  of  the  sun's  rays.  Tent 
hangars  being  unable  to  withstand  'the  frequent 
violent  squalls  were  useless  in  that  country;  they 
also  had  no  ventilation  when  closed,  and  the 
temperature  inside  became  terrific  and  destructive 
to  the  woodwork.  The  heavy  R.A.F.  hangars 
were  of  too  permanent  a  nature  to  keep  pace  with 
our  movements. 

On  the  iQth  the  ;th  Division  took  up  a  position 


148      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

about  3,000  yards  from  the  i8th  Turkish  Corps  at 
Istabulat.  The  Adhaim  fighting  had  cleared  the 
left  bank,  and  it  was  now  practicable  for  General 
Cobbe  to  force  a  decision  with  Shefket  Pasha  and 
drive  him  behind  Samarra,  which  would  give  us  the 
entire  hundred-mile  section  of  the  Baghdad 
railway. 

The  enemy  occupied  a  position  of  great  strength 
at  Istabulat, facing  S.E.,with  their  left  on  the  river.1* 
Their  front-line  trenches  ran  along  a  ridge  for  two- 
and-a-half  miles  to  the  railway,  and  then  bent  back 
for  several  miles  parallel  to  it.  The  Dujail  Canal, 
an  ancient  irrigation  work,  cut  through  the  Turkish 
position  and  ran  S.E.  through  our  own  front  line. 
The  enemy  trenches  commanded  dead  flat  ground 
on  all  sides,  and  between  'the  canal  and  the  river  his 
line  contained  two  strong  redoubts.  This  position 
was  held  by  6,700  rifles,  200  sabres,  and  31  guns, 
whils't  in  reserve  at  Samarra  he  had  nearly  the  same 
again. 

On  the  20th  April  the  Turkish  advanced  posts 
were  driven  in,  and  our  attacking  troops  concen- 
trated in  a  forward  position  which  had  been  dug 
during  'the  night.  It  was  decided  to  go  for  the  two 
redoubts  first.  At  dawn  of  the  2ist  the  Black  Watch 
and  8th  Gurkhas  advanced  across  the  plain  under 
cover  of  a  creeping  barrage.  With  dropping 
casualties  the  first  wave  reached  the  foot  of  the 
ridge,  from  the  crest  of  which  the  enemy  poured  a 
devastating  fire.  The  barrage  lifted,  and  with  an 
irresistible  rush  they  were  in  with  the  bayonet. 
The  garrison  of  the  northern  redoubt  surrendered 

*See  sketch  map. 


(&<-* 

'<£> 


\\ 

7     f5" 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  149 

to  the  Gurkhas;    the  Black  Watch,  after  a  bloody 
struggle,   drove  the  Turks  from  the  Dujail,   but 
were  forced  out  again  by  a  violent  counter-attack  a 
few  minutes  later.   The  "  Hielanders  "  swept  up  'the 
slopes  once   more,   and  finally  held  the  position 
against   several    desperate    hand-to-hand   counter- 
attacks in  spite  of  losing  more  than  half  their  officers. 
The  Seaforths  and  two  battalions  of  Punjabis  now 
assaulted  the  line  to  the  south  of  the  canal,  and  by 
7.30  a.m.  the  whole  front  trench  was  in  our  hands. 
The    Qth    Bhopal    Infantry,    co-operating    to    the 
extreme  right  of  the  Gurkhas,  had  come  under  a 
cross-fire    and   been    decimated,    only   one    officer 
surviving.     The  aeroplanes  co-operated  with  the 
artillery  in  keeping  down  the  fire  of  the  enemy's 
guns.       Lieut.     Lander     had     a     fight     with     a 
Halberstadt,  and  drove  him  down  on  to  his  own 
aerodrome.     The  day  became  very  hot,  and  was 
spent  consolidating  what  had  been  gained,  and  the 
enemy  evacuated  his   position   during  the   night, 
retiring  to  another  position  six  miles  from  Samarra. 
On  the  22nd  a  fresh  brigade  of  the  7th  Division 
pressed  on  in  the  heat,  and  were  in  contact  by 
noon.   The  position  ran  along  ridges  that  extended 
from  the  river  to  the  railway.*    The  Leicesters  and 
5ist  Sikhs  advanced  towards  the  Turkish  left  near 
the    river,    while    Colonel    Cassels'    cavalry    and 
armoured  cars  operated  on  the  desert  flank.    On 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  a  column  with  guns 
under  General  Thompson  had  marched  up  from  the 
Adhaim.    These  guns  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
took  up  a  position  actually  behind  the  flank  of  the 

L  *  See  sketch  map. 


ISO      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Turkish  line.  When  the  bombardment  opened  at 
4  p.m.  their  effect  was  deadly.  The  Turks  did  not 
wait  for  the  bayonets  of  the  Leicesters ;  they  bolted 
across  country,  but  it  was  too  much  for  our  men, 
who  pressed  on  after  them  till  they  were  on  'top  of 
the  guns.  A  whole  battery  of  seven  guns  surren- 
dered; the  remainder  of  the  Turkish  army 
appeared  to  be  in  full  flight  across  the  plain.  But 
the  Leicesters  were  out  of  touch,  the  enemy  rallied 
and  counter-attacked,  and  the  Leicesters,  in  danger 
of  being  overwhelmed,  were  forced  to  retire, 
leaving  their  captured  guns  behind.  It  was  only 
the  desperate  fighting  of  the  56th  Rifles  and 
53rd  Sikhs  that  held  up  this  counter-attack  and 
saved  'the  situation.  The  32nd  Lancers  also 
charged  in  from  the  desert  flank;  they  jumped  a 
trench,  from  which  the  enemy  bolted  and  was 
stuck,  but,  coming  under  a  heavy  fire,  were  driven 
back  with  severe  casualties.  Their  colonel  and 
adjutant  were  killed  leading  the  charge.  Shefket 
Pasha  retired,  and  our  troops,  exhausted  and 
parched  with  thirst,  halted  for  the  night.  They  had 
been  fighting  and  marching  all  day  in  a  tempera- 
ture of  no  deg.  Fahr.  in  the  shade. 

During  the  fighting  Lieut.  Maguire,  on  patrol 
in  a  Bristol  Scout,  sighted  a  Halberstadt  over 
Istabulat  at  7,500  feet.  The  two  machines  closed 
and  fought  a  duel  in  full  view  of  the  troops  on  the 
ground.  The  enemy  had  the  advantage  of  the 
Bristol  Scout  both  in  speed  and  climb,  but  was 
outmanoeuvred  by  Maguire,  who,  while  being  dived 
at,  got  on  to  the  tail  of  the  Hun  by  a  violent  turn 


Samarra 
Note  the  tracings  of  ancient  cities  on  the  surrounding;  desert 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  151 

and  followed  down,  his  Vickers  gun  going  hard. 
Some  part  of  the  hostile  machine  shot  past  the  top 
plane  of  the  Bristol,  and  the  Hun  seemed  to  lose 
control.  At  4,000  feet  both  the  wings  on  one  side 
carried  away,  and  he  continued  his  career  like  a 
stone  'to  the  earth.  Troops  near  by  heard  a 
whistling  shriek  as  of  a  heavy  shell  coming  over; 
then  a  crash  and  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  the  ground 
was  littered  with  the  debris  of  what  had  once  been 
an  aeroplane. 

The  following  telegram  was  received  from 
Cobbe's  column : — 

:<  Pilot  of  Turkish  machine  brought  down  was 
a  German  with  fair  small  moustache,  in  Turkish 
uniform,  without  badges,  but  bearing  No.  39 
K.G.A.G.  1915.  No  name  discernible.  Death 
instantaneous.  In  his  pocket  was  pass  for  Con- 
stantinople for  Serg't.  Conrad.  Engine  bore 
plate  '  Argus  Flugmotor  No.  2263  Berlin 
Reinichendorff/  Chassis  wheels  fitted  with 
Continental  pneumatic  tynes,  but  filled  with 
asbestos  strips,  and  tyres  bound  to  the  wheels 
by  string.  All  engine  fittings  wrecked." 

Paddy  Maguire  had  defeated  his  better-mounted 
opponent  only  by  sheer  courage  and  skill ; 
Pickering  and  Craig  were  avenged;  the  Flying 
Corps  messes  sang  themselves  to  bed. 

On  the  early  morning  of  the  231  d  April  our 
troops  occupied  Samaria  station.  The  place  had 
been  burnt  out,  but  the  enemy  had  not  had  time 


152      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

to  destroy  completely  all  the  rolling-stock  or  loco- 
motives. During  the  last  three  days  the  following 
captures  had  been  made  :  20  officers  (including 
battalion  and  battery  commanders),  667  other 
ranks,  one  Krupp  gun,  one  5.9  howitzer,  'two 
machine-guns,  1,240  rifles,  16  locomotives 
(some  repairable),  240  trucks  (large  proportion 
undamaged),  2  barges,  and  many  other  stores. 
Turkish  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  were  given 
by  prisoners  as  over  3,700  at  Istabulat  alone. 

While  the  battle  had  been  raging  aerial  news 
came  in  that  the  I3th  Turkish  Corps  was  once 
again  on  the  move,  and  by  forced  marches  was 
already  advancing  down  'the  Adhaim  from  the 
direction  of  Kara  Tepe.  Apparently  a  forlorn 
hope  to  save  Samarra.  On  the  evening  of  the  23rd 
his  leading  division  occupied  a  position  within 
touch  of  Marshall's  troops,  who  were  near  the 
junction  of  the  Adhaim  and  Tigris.  But  they  had 
outstripped  their  comrades  in  rear;  their  other 
division  was  seven  miles  back.  General  Marshall, 
seizing  the  opportunity  of  defeating  him  in  detail, 
marched  through  the  night  up  the  west  bank  of  the 
Adhaim  and  bumped  into  the  enemy  just  before 
dawn.  The  cavalry  and  one  brigade  made  an 
enveloping  movement  to  the  north,  while  another 
brigade  attacked  frontally,  supported  by  our 
artillery  at  only  half  a  mile  range.  After  a  short 
resistance  the  enemy  gave  way  and  fled  across  the 
river,  affording  grand  shooting  for  our  guns,  which 
accounted  for  100  crumpled  Turks.  The  British 
'troops  found  what  shade  they  could  through  the 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  1 53 

day,  and  that  evening  air  reconnaissance  reported 
the  enemy  retiring  up  both  banks  of  the  Adhaim. 
Marshall's  column  followed  up  through  the  night. 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th  a  line  of  defence  was 
observed  being  dug  round  Bandi  Adhaim  close  to 
where  'the  river  emerges  from  the  Jebel  Hamrin. 
General  Marshall  marched  on  north  and  concen- 
trated in  front  of  this  position  by  April  28th.  Great 
heat  and  mirage  impeded  operations  and  reconnais- 
sance. The  aeroplane  engines  were  worn  out 
through  continual  flying  without  breathing  space  for 
overhaul,  and  failures  had  become  so  frequent  as  to 
impair  the  efficiency  of  the  aerial  arm.  Since  the 
beginning  of  operations  in  December  the 
squadron  had  flown  the  equivalent  of  six  full 
circuits  of  the  world,  no  doubt  a  reason  for 
many  of  the  forced  landings,  the  majority  of  the 
original  machines  being  still  in  harness.  To  make 
matters  worse,  during  the  night  of  the  28/29th  a 
terrific  wind  arose,  and  a  dust-storm  raged  for  two 
days,  choking  carburettors  and  bearings  with  sand, 
and  almost  tearing  the  aeroplanes  away  from  the 
pegs  and  ropes  with  which  they  were  tethered  to 
the  desert. 

At  6  a.m.  on  the  28th  Lieut.  Maguire  went  out 
on  patrol  but  did  not  return.  Captain  Merton, 
who  went  in  search,  saw  no  trace,  and  he  himself 
had  a  forced  landing  at  Samarra.  The  German 
wireless  told  us  that  night  'that  "  Captain  Schutz 
felled  his  eighth  enemy  aeroplane  behind  our 
lines.  The  pilot  was  wounded  and  captured/' 
Poor  Paddy,  we  never  saw  him  again,  for  he  died 


154      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

in  a  Turkish  hospital  at  Tekrit.     We  missed  him 
sadly. 

On  the  29th  a  Martinsyde  on  reconnaissance  was 
blown  upside  down  in  the  70  mile  an  hour  gale,  and 
for  ten  minutes  remained  out  of  control.  Three 
machines  managed  to  co-operate  with  the  artillery 
of  Marshall's  column  and  register  the  enemy 
positions  before  'the  attack.  At  dawn  on  the  3Oth 
there  was  a  lull  in  the  storm,  when  the  Cheshires 
and  South  Wales  Borderers  advanced  up  the  east 
bank  of  the  Adhaim.  The  enemy  position  faced 
southerly  astride  the  river-bed,  and  was  refused 
back  to  the  hills  on  either  side.*  The  intention 
was  to  drive  in  a  wedge  on  his  left  flank  and  force 
him  away  from  water  and  his  line  of  retreat  north- 
east. Demonstrations  had  been  made  against  his 
right  flank  on  the  previous  day.  The  Cheshires 
and  Borderers  charged  across  the  fire-swept  plain 
and  gained  all  their  objectives.  Both  battalions 
had  started  more  than  50  per  cent,  under  strength, 
and  their  casualties  were  heavy,  including  the 
colonel,  adjutant,  and  nearly  all  the  officers  of  the 
Cheshires.  They  saw  "  red,"  and  swept  beyond 
the  village  right  on  to  the  Turkish  batteries.  Four 
guns  were  captured,  when  down  came  the  dus't- 
storm  and  obliterated  everything.  The  Turkish 
Commander  saw  his  opportunity,  and,  masked  by 
the  storm,  threw  in  an  overwhelming  counter- 
attack. The  Cheshires  and  Borderers,  isolated  in 
the  dust  and  a  mile  in  front  of  their  supports,  were 
enveloped  by  the  enemy,  and  died  fighting  hand- 
to-hand. 

*  See  sketch  map. 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND  155 

The  enemy  retook  the  village,  but,  being  held 
up  by  the  other  two  battalions  of  Lewin's  brigade, 
never  regained  their  lost  trenches.  The  two  front 
battalions  had  managed  to  send  back  one  gun  and 
300  prisoners,  including  a  Brigadier,  before  they 
had  been  overwhelmed.  Another  attack,  sup- 
ported by  intense  artillery  fire,  regained  us  the 
village. 

Under  cover  of  the  storm  the  enemy  managed 
to  strengthen  his  left,  which  allowed  him  to  make 
good  his  retreat  after  dark  into  the  Jebel  Hamrin. 
The  battle  had  been  bloody,  and  most  of  it  bayonet 
work.  Our  casualties  were  severe,  but  we  buried 
over  200  dead  Turks  and  captured  365  prisoners, 
one  gun,  and  much  other  booty. 

One  aeroplane  had  managed  to  co-operate  early 
in  the  morning  with  the  artillery  bombardment, 
but  the  wild  squalls  and  impenetrable  dust  driving 
as  high  as  5,000  feet  made  further  aerial  work 
impossible.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  thundering 
gale  and  dust-screen  the  Turkish  army  would  have 
experienced  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  their 
escape. 

On  the  morning  of  the  ist  of  May  aerial  recon- 
naissance located  the  enemy  moving  further  back 
into  the  hills.  It  was  decided  to  complete  their 
discomfiture  by  an  air  raid  on  the  2nd.  Six 
machines  dropped  half  a  ton  of  bombs  on  their 
columns,  camps,  and  material,  causing  consider- 
able damage  and  panic;  at  least  fourteen  bombs 
exploded  in  the  centre  of  massed  animals  and 
men.  News  received  three  weeks  later  gave  the 


156      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

enemy's  casualties  as  50  killed,  including  one 
regimental  and  one  battalion  commander,  much 
damage  to  transport  animals,  and  that  a  general 
officer,  with  his  car,  had  been  blown  some  yards  off 
the  road. 

The  enemy  were  now  out  of  reach  on  all  fronts, 
and  Baghdad  was  for  the  present  secure.  The 
weather  had  become  too  hot  for  war,  and  casualties 
from  heat  impeded  operations  on  the  ground.  The 
suffering  of  the  troops  in  the  desperate  fighting  of 
the  last  month  had  been  severe;  marching  took 
place  at  night,  but  in  the  day  rest  on  the  hot  ground 
under  a  burning  sun  was  impossible.  Often  short 
of  both  water  and  rations,  and  with  seldom  any 
fresh  food,  the  spirit  throughout  could  only  be 
regarded  as  superb.  How  it  was  recognised  by 
the  Commander-in-Chief  is  best  understood  in  the 
following  extract  from  his  last  despatch,  dated 
1 5th  October,  1917,  a  few  days  before  he  himself 
was  claimed  by  Mesopotamia : — 

"  As  a  result  of  the  fighting  during  April  the 
enemy's  i3th  and  i8th  Corps  had  been  driven  back 
on  divergent  lines,  the  former  into  the  Jebel 
Hamrin  and  the  latter  to  Tekrit.  The  i3'th  Corps 
had  twice  taken  the  offensive,  with  results  disas- 
trous to  itself,  and  the  iS'th  Corps  had  been 
defeated  and  driven  from  its  selected  positions  on 
four  occasions.  Our  total  captures  for  the  month 
amounted  to  some  3,000  prisoners  and  17  guns, 
besides  a  considerable  quantity  of  rolling-stock  and 
booty  of  all  kinds.  The  objectives  which  we  had  set 
out  to  reach  had  been  secured,  and  the  spirit  of  the 


,  flj^^^uHl 


GENERAL  MAUDE  with  British  and  Russian  Sta  f  Officers 


R.F.C.    Headquarter  Staff,  Baghdad,  Sept.,    1917 
CAPT.   HUNTING  CAPT.     LILLEY  CAPT.      MOXEY 

C\FT.  NIXON    Lr.-Coi..  MAC£VVEN   LT.-COL.  TENNANT   MAJOR  GRINI.INTCN 


BAGHDAD  AND  BEYOND 

enemy's  troops  was  broken.  The  fighting  carried 
out  during  this  month  had  imposed  a  severe  strain 
upon  the  troops,  for  'the  heat,  the  constant  dust- 
storms,  and  the  absence  of  water  on  occasions, 
tested  their  stamina  very  highly.  But  as  conditions 
became  more  trying  the  spirit  of  the  troops  seemed 
to  rise,  and  at  the  end  of  this  period  they  main- 
tained the  same  high  standard  of  discipline, 
gallantry  in  action,  and  endurance  which  had  been 
so  noticeable  'throughout  the  army  during  the 
operations  which  led  to  the  fall  of  Baghdad  and 
subsequently. 

"  The  increasing  heat  now  rendered  it  necessary 
that  the  troops  should  be  redistributed  for  the  hot 
weather,  and  'that  every  provision  possible  under 
existing  conditions  should  be  made  with  a  view  to 
guarding  against  the  trying  period  which  was 
rapidly  approaching.  Whilst  it  was  necessary  to 
hold  the  positions  which  had  been  so  bravely  won, 
and  to  strengthen  them  defensively,  the  bulk  of  the 
troops  were  withdrawn  into  reserve  and  distributed 
in  suitable  camps  along  the  river  banks,  where  they 
could  obtain  the  benefit  of  such  breezes  as  were 
available,  and  where  a  liberal  supply  of  water  for 
drinking,  bathing,  and  washing  was  obtainable." 

On  the  Tigris  line  aerial  reconnaissance  reported 
the  1 8th  Turkish  Corps  at  Tekrit,  and  Cobbe's 
column  occupied  and  made  themselves  secure  at 
Samarra.  The  i3th  Turkish  Corps  having  retired 
on  Kifri,  General  Marshall  marched  back  down  the 
Adhaim  and  took  up  a  line  of  defence  near  its 
junction  with  the  Tigris. 


I5       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Of  the  two  Flights  at  Barurah  one  was  ordered 
back  'to  Baghdad  for  overhaul  of  engines  away  from 
dust,  and  the  other  retired  to  Sindiyeh,  40  miles 
north  of  Baghdad  for  counter  aircraft  duties  and 
reconnaissance  of  the  Tigris  and  Persian  fronts. 
The  remaining  Flight  remained  at  Baghdad  for 
work  on  the  Euphrates  or  as  required.  The  British 
army  sought  shelter  as  best  it  could,  for  the  oven 
door  had  closed  on  Mesopotamia. 


Chapter  V. 

DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY. 

Up  from  Earth's  Centre  through  the  Seventh  Gate 
I  rose,  and  on  the  Thrcne  of  Saturn  sate, 
And  many  Knots  unravell'd  by   the   Road ; 
But  not  the  Knot  of  Human  Death  and  Fat«. 

— OMAR. 


CHAPTER  V. 

V 

THE  outposts  counted  the  flies  on  their  rifles;  to 
the  horizon  there  was  no  sign  of  a  Turk.  The 
ground  forces  had  seen  the  last  of  the  two  enemy 
corps  till  the  long  summer  should  be  over.  But 
high  overhead  a  low  hum  kept  him  ever  aware  of 
the  vigilance  of  British  eyes.  It  was  now  possible 
to  send  two  or  three  machines  in  company  on 
reconnaissance  in  case  they  should  meet  with  a 
Halbers'tadt;  flying  on  all  fronts  simultaneously 
was  no  longer  required,  and  allowed  concentration 
where  necessary.  Lieuts.  Skinner  and  Lander 
attacked  a  Halberstadt  over  Tekrit  on  the  6th  of 
May.  The  enemy,  taking  full  advantage  of  his 
climbing  powers,  was  able  to  get  on  the  tail  of 
Lander's  Martinsyde.  The  two  machines,  out- 
stripping Skinner's  B.E.,  were  last  seen  still 
fighting  and  losing  height  three  thousand  feet  above 
Tekrit.  Enemy  wireless  reported  later  that  Lander 
had  been  brought  down  by  Sergt.-Major 
P  -mmerich,  and  was  wounded  and  a  prisoner.  He 
had  managed  to  land  his  machine  on  an  island  in 
the  Tigris,  and  crawled  out  of  it,  one  leg  badly 
smashed  by  bullets.  Arabs  had  swum  across  and 

161 


1 62      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

stripped  him  of  his  clothing;  then  the  Turks  arrived 
and  floated  him  to  the  mainland  on  a  skin;  just 
escaping  drowning,  he  was  dragged  out,  put  on  a 
horse,  and  arrived- at  Tekrit  in  serious  condition. 
Occasionally  we  heard  of  him :  his  broken  bones 
would  not  heal;  all  that  hot  weather  he  lay  eking 
out  a  miserable  existence  in  the  Turkish  camps  at 
Tekrit  and  Mosul.  It  was  nine  months  before  he 
could  walk,  but  he  survived,  and  turned  up  in  Cairo 
a  year  and  a  half  later.  The  German  aviators  were 
kind  to  him,  and  kept  him  supplied  with  any 
luxuries  they  had  available. 

Besides  keeping  a  close  watch  on  the  enemy,  the 
R.F.C.  assisted  at  several  punitive  expeditions 
against  hostile  Arab  tribes.  Political  officers  were 
distributed  throughout  the  occupied  areas,  but  the 
Arab  population  were  untrustworthy,  and  it  was  not 
safe  to  venture  far  from  a  British  post  without 
escort.  They  endeavoured  to  interfere  with  the 
Samarra  railway,  and  wrecked  a  train  in  which  the 
G.O.C.  was  travelling,  fortunately  in  a  rear  truck. 
Lieut.-Colonel  Magniac  was  murdered  while  taking 
a  walk  near  Felujah.  When  such  atrocities  took 
place  'the  Sheikh  concerned  would  be  ordered  to 
deliver  up  the  offenders  for  justice.  After  burning 
the  villages,  shooting  some  of  the  tribesmen,  and 
confiscating  'their  flocks,  they  generally  came  in  and 
surrendered.  On  the  Euphrates  about  Sumaikcheh, 
and  up  the  Diala,  no  attention  was  paid  to  Bri'tisfi 
authority,  and  it  was  necessary  'to  send  out  small 
punitive  expeditions.  The  heat  made  operations 
by  day  impossible;  marching  would  be  done  by 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  163 

night  and  the  villages  surrounded  and  attacked  at 
dawn.  The  air  unit  was  of  extreme  value  in  these 
circumstances,  and  eliminated  the  necessity  of  many 
such  expeditions.  If  a  tribe  got  out  of  hand  a  raid 
could  leave  the  next  morning  and  bomb  and 
machine-gun  any  village  within  a  loo-mile  radius. 
Such  immediate  and  drastic  action  inspired  terror 
in  the  Arabs;  once  hunted  down  by  machine-guns 
from  the  air  they  never  wished  a  second  dose,  and 
a  bomb  having  blotted  out  the  happy  home  there 
was  nought  left  but  surrender. 

With  'the  cessation  of  fighting  several  of  our 
observing  officers  left  for  Egypt  or  England  to 
learn  to  fly.  To  fill  their  places  a  school  .was 
started  to  train  officers  drafted  from  other  units  in 
the  country,  and  to  give  selected  artillery  officers 
monthly  courses  in  aerial  co-operation.  We  had 
learnt  much  through  experience,  and  a  detailed 
system  of  instruction  was  instituted  in  order  that 
we  might  be  efficient  and  ready  for  any  contingency 
when  'the  weather  got  cool.  A  house  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  was  appropriated  for  this  purpose 
and  an  elaborate  mud  model  of  the  Istabulat  posi- 
tion constructed  in  the  courtyard. 

The  observer  and  his  instructor  controlled  the 
fire  from  the  roof,  which  was  represented  by  the 
flashes  of  small  electric  lamps  on  the  ground  map. 
The  effect  was  realistic,  and  gave  a  sound  theoretical 
basis  to  work  upon  when  taken  into  the  air. 

When  we  first  arrived  at  Baghdad  the  R.F.C. 
occupied  the  railway  workshops,  but  after  the 
capture  of  Samarra  the  railway  was  re-opened,  and 


164      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

it  was  necessary  to  move  to  the  wrecked  German 
wireless  house,  which  was  used  as  an  advanced 
aircraft  park.  The  officers  lived  in  houses  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river.  On  the  opposite  bank  P.  S., 
the  Provost-Marshal,  and  I  had  established  our- 
selves in  a  house  recently  occupied  by  a  Turkish 
officer.  It  was  the  usual  square  building  with  a 
courtyard  in  the  middle  opening  through  a  heavy 
door  into  the  street;  within  was  a  garden  well- 
shaded  by  trees  and  palms,  a  fountain  played  in  the 
centre,  and  a  tiled  path  ran  down  to  the  balcony 
and  landing-stage  by  the  river.  Here,  on  a  balmy 
night  we  would  smoke  an  after-dinner  cheroot 
under  the  big  Eastern  moon  and  watch  the  mahalas 
glide  by.  On  arrival  in  March  this  garden  was  a 
mass  of  roses  in  bloom;  it  was  impossible  to  resist 
the  charm  of  the  place.  All  houses  in  Baghdad  had 
underground  rooms,  or  "  serdabs,"  where  the 
inhabitants  retreated  in  the  hot  weather;  we  slept 
and  dined  on  the  roof,  and  these  cellars  in  the  day- 
time made  life  a  luxury  compared  to  the  tents  in 
the  desert.  We  furnished  this  house  from  the 
bazaar,  engaged  a  gardener  and  other  native 
servants,  and  kept  open  house  to  our  friends  from 
the  desert.  The  place  was  my  home  for  a  year, 
and  I  grew  to  be  very  fond  of  it. 

D.  H.  organised  one  dinner-party  of  note  at 
Baghdad;  the  weather  was  hot,  so  guests  were 
invited  and  a  "  gufa  "  (coracle)  hired.  In  it  were 
put  table  and  chairs,  and  it  was  anchored  off  the 
shore  and  lit  by  electric  light.  The  courses  were 
rowed  to  and  fro  by  chattering  Arab  servants. 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  165 

With  the  coffee  and  cigars  the  anchor  was  pulled 
up  and  we  drifted  down-stream,  to  be  eventually 
picked  up  and  towed  home  by  a  motor-boat.  It 
was  a  cheerful  party,  probably  the  first  dinner- 
party that  had  ever  taken  place  in  an  electrically-lit 
"  gufa." 

Perhaps  some  had  been  looking  forward  to  a 
period  of  ease  after  the  weather  became  too  hot  to 
fight,  but,  at  any  rate  among  the  organising  depart- 
ments, 'this  was  a  misconception.  All  intelligence 
seemed  to  point  to  a  great  effort  by  the  Central 
Powers.  We  in  Mesopotamia  had  at  least  to 
prepare  resistance  against  a  bold  bid  for  Baghdad 
by  the  Turks  in  the  coming  cool  season.  Russia 
had  crumbled,  thereby  exposing  our  right  flank  to 
new  dangers  from  the  Caspian.  Agents  brought 
news  of  'the  advance  of  the  Baghdad  railway 
towards  Nisibin  and  the  improvement  of  the 
Euphrates  road  for  motor  transport.  We  heard  tell 
of  newly-numbered  German  Divisions  dressed  for 
a  hot  climate;  of  trainloads  of  guns,  ammunition, 
and  lorries  rumbling  eastwards  from  Stamboul. 
Was  their  destination  Palestine  or  Mesopotamia, 
or  both? 

The  wires  were  busy  between  Baghdad,  Cairo, 
and  London,  and  the  Intelligence  sweated  far  into 
the  night.  In  response  'to  many  appeals  an 
additional  squadron  could  at  last  be  spared  for 
Mesopotamia,  and  General  Maude  accepted  the 
offer  of  two  R.F.C.  Kite  Balloon  Sections.  The 
R.N.A.S.  Kite  Balloon  Section  had  packed  up 
after  the  advance  on  Baghdad,  and  their  personnel 


M 


1 66      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

left  for  other  scenes  of  action.  Kite  Balloons 
seemed  to  me  of  no  use  in  mobile  warfare,  and 
certainly  could  not  operate  in  the  hot  weather. 
They  were  an  expensive  item,  and  involved  much 
extra  transport.  However,  'they  were  already  start- 
ing for  the  East  when  I  first  heard  of  the  proposal. 
There  was  only  a  short  time  in  which  to  prepare 
for  this  trebled  strength.  It  meant  a  large  expan- 
sion in  the  Aircraft  Park;  detailed  calculations  of 
estimates  for  stores  six  months  ahead  (there  were 
more  than  a  thousand  different  store  items);  the 
construction  of  hangars  at  Samarra  and  Baghdad, 
for  which  every  piece  of  wood  and  canvas  had  to  be 
imported  into  the  country;  provision  of  extra 
barges  and  steamers  on  the  river,  and  a  million 
other  requirements.  All  this  when  labour  and 
material  were  being  taxed  to  their  utmost  in  the 
building  of  railways,  bridges,  bunds,  hospital  huts, 
and  other  military  necessities.  We  formed  a  Wing 
Headquarters  out  of  the  officers  and  clerks  avail- 
able, rolled  up  our  sleeves,  and  did  a  bit  of 
thinking.  It  would  have  been  too  easy  in  Europe, 
but  i't  was  different  a  few  thousand  miles  from 
nowhere.  India  was  requisitioned  for  a  solid  form 
of  hangar  for  the  Aircraft  Park;  they  were  delayed 
for  want  of  girders  which  had  to  come  from 
England.  Those  hangars  arrived  more  than  a  year 
later,  after  I  had  gone  and  the  war  was  almost  over. 
Meanwhile  the  great  work  in  hand  was  mapping. 
We  must  have  accurate,  detailed  maps  of  the 
country  on  all  fronts  and  beyond,  ready  for  autumn 
eventualities.  Photography  grew  to  a  scale  that 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  167 

exceeded  the  stock  of  plates  for  which  we  had 
estimated;  India  collected  from  Calcutta  'to 
Bombay,  and  relieved  the  situation  pending  the 
arrival  of  hundreds  of  dozens  from  England. 
They  deteriorated  rapidly  in  the  climate,  and 
special  refrigerating  plant  had  to  be  imported  to 
cool  the  water  for  developing  and  printing.  (This 
also  proved  useful  in  cooling  our  drinks.)  The 
office  worked  at  high  pressure  and  the  temperature 
was  higher;  fans  had  been  imported  and  made  a 
hot  gale  over  one's  head ;  the  wind  outside  covered 
the  papers  with  a  coating  of  dust  and  then  the  fans 
scattered  them  over  the  floor.  One  sat  all  day  and 
half  the  night  while  the  sweat  dropped  on  to  the 
foolscap  until  the  ink  ran. 

Hangars  gradually  came  up  river,  but  meanwhile 
the  old  B.E.s  and  Martinsydes  shrivelled  in  the 
sun  and  their  engines  choked  with  desert  sand. 
Their  fabric  became  bleached  and  loose,  one  could 
poke  one's  finger  through  it ;  to  have  looped  one  of 
these  machines  would  have  been  courting  disaster. 
A  machine  in  Egypt  had  collapsed  in  the  air  owing 
to  the  dryness  of  the  wood.  The  demise  of  this 
pi' lot  was  a  warning  to  us,  and  the  veterans  which 
had  been  long  in  the  sun  were  handled  cautiously. 

In  the  middle  of  May  I  flew  down  river 
to  Aircraft  Park.  A  chain  of  landing  grounds  was 
selected  at  'the  British  posts  of  Bghailah,  Sheikh 
Saad,  and  Amara,  where  mechanics  were  estab- 
lished. It  was  a  protracted  journey,  against 
contrary  winds,  but  interesting  to  see  all  'the  old 
haunts  and  battlefields  again.  The  army  that  once 


I 68       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

had  populated  and  civilised  such  places  as  Arab 

Village,  Sinn  and  Sheikh   Saad  had  passed   on. 

There  was  nothing  left  'to  indicate  to  a  newcomer 

that  what  now  was  desert  had  once  been  a  city  of 

tents  and  war  stores,  scenes  of  activity  and  thick 

population.     The  country  had  gone  back  to  its 

state  of  desolation.     Amara  had   become   a  still 

larger  hospital  city ;  the  tents  extended  further  into 

the  desert.    It  was  also  a  busy  centre  of  the  Inland 

Water  Transport.     There  was  a  remount  depot, 

convalescent   camp,   and   rest   camp    for   passing 

soldiers.    A   metre-gauge   railway   linked   it   with 

Kurnah  to  relieve  some  of  the  shipping  in  'this 

section,  where  the  river  is  so  narrow  that  only  one 

ship  can  go  through  at  a  time.    Three  or  four  spare 

aeroplanes  were  housed  at  Amara  ready  to  reinforce 

the  Front,  and  'the  R.F.C.  maintained  a  rest  camp, 

accommodation,    and    messing    arrangements    for 

passing  pilots.    Our  camp  was  pleasantly  situated 

in  a  date  grove,  and  weary  pilots  and  observers 

given  a  few  days'  leave  from  the  front  were  glad 

to  get  there  for  a  few  days'  respite  from  war.   There 

were  tennis  courts,  a  club,  and  the  society  of  the 

fair  sex  from  the  hospitals,  to  brighten  the  eye  and 

fan  the  embers  of  forgotten  civilisation.    It  was  a 

cheerful  place,  Amara. 

Down  at  Busrah  the  air  was  damp  and  the 
mosquitoes  troublesome,  but  it  was  good  to  be  at  a 
harbour  again;  to  hear  the  ocean-going  steamers 
passing  in  the  river,  and  lie  awake  at  night  and 
listen  to  the  hoots  of  their  syrens.  There  is  some- 
thing romantic  about  a  harbour,  any  harbour.  In 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  169 

my  old  age  give  me  a  harbour  with  the  sounds  of 
ships,  the  curious  foreign  sailor-folk,  God's  fresh 
air,  and  the  tang  of  'the  sea. 

In  the  evenings  at  Busrah,  Clarke,  of  the 
Aircraft  Park,  and  myself  would  go  out  in  a  motor- 
boat  and  board  British-India  steamers  trooping 
between  Bombay  and  the  Gulf.  The  white  paint 
and  spotless  decks  of  a  passenger  liner  were  a  relief 
to  the  eye  after  life  ashore,  the  hospitality  of  their 
officers  was  unlimited,  and  many  a  pleasant 
evening  we  spent  in  that  breathless  tideway, 
smoking  in  deck  chairs  under  'the  bridge,  exchang- 
ing experiences  of  sea,  land,  and  air.  The  lot  of 
these  seamen  during  the  war  was  a  laborious  one. 
After  a  few  summers  in  the  Gulf  they  would  have 
changed  gladly  for  some  more  invigorating  sphere 
and  a  chance  of  blotting  a  "  Fritz."  Short  of  staff, 
ever  on  the  move,  and  perpetually  in  the  wet  steam 
of  the  Gulf,  there  was  no  rest  year  in  year  out. 
They  did  their  bit.  In  earlier  days  to  get  a  square 
meal  at  Busrah,  unless  an  officer  belonged  to  one 
of  the  permanent  base  establishments,  he  had  to 
repair  on  board  a  steamer  and  beg  a  place  in  the 
saloon.  The  B.I.  captains  saved  many  an  army 
subaltern  from  going  hungry. 

The  river  craft,  originally  manned  and  adminis- 
tered by  the  Royal  Indian  Marine,  had  now  come 
under  the  control  of  'the  Inland  Water  Transport 
(Royal  Engineers),  so  the  sailor-men  changed  their 
white  drill  for  khaki,  and  became  soldiers  pro  tern. 
The  skipper  of  a  tug  disguised  himself  as  a 
sergeant-major  R.E.,  and  the  captains  of  the  larger 


I7O      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

vessels  as  subalterns  or  captains  in  the  army.  Of 
these  seamen  who  had  volunteered  for  the  Tigris 
some  came  from  river-boats  on  the  Yukon,  some 
from  'the  Irrawaddy  or  Brahmaputra,  others  from 
blue  water.  It  seemed  incongruous  to  meet  the 
ex-captain  of  an  8,ooo-ton  tramp  navigating  a 
shallow-draught  paddle-boat  in  the  uniform  of  a 
second  lieutenant  R.E. 

The  flight  up  to  Baghdad  was  slow ;  coming  down 
there  had  been  a  buffeting  south  wind;  on  the 
journey  north  the  wind  had  changed  there,  too. 
After  a  few  flights  be'tween  the  base  and  front  they 
became  intensely  boring,  but  the  mode  of  pro- 
gression saved  many  days,  and  even  weeks,  when 
the  river  was  low.  An  aeroplane  from  Busrah  was 
always  well  loaded  with  the  R.F.C.  mail  and 
important  official  letters;  there  were  also  purchases 
executed  for  the  mess  to  be  taken  back;  these 
cargoes  varied  from  polo  sticks  to  bottles  of  cham- 
pagne. The  Indian  merchants  and  Expeditionary 
Force  Canteen  did  big  business  at  Busrah.  How 
well  I  remember  those  flights;  the  preparation  of 
the  machine  before  the  sun  rose,  the  difficulties  of 
stowage  for  what  appeared  an  impossible  load,  the 
roll  of  bedding  eventually  lashed  on  to  the  centre 
section  struts;  the  s'ticky  run  across  the  soft  salt 
soil  of  the  Busrah  aerodrome,  and  the  small  margin 
of  clearance  over  the  sheds;  a  wave  to  the  cheery 
park  commander  and  his  men  on  the  ground;  a 
last  look  at  the  harbour,  and  then,  steadying  on  to 
the  course,  one  settled  down  into  one's  seat  and 
hummed  and  droned,  droned  and  hummed,  ever 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  i;i 

northward.     In  case  of  a  forced  landing  the  rule 
was   to    follow   the    river,   but,    with   the    gliding 
distance  of  6,000  feet  and  confidence  in  a  good 
engine,  many  miles  could  be  cut  off  by  a  more 
direct  course  across  its  wide  deviations.    The  long 
straight  reach  to  Kurnah  had  the  appearance  of  a 
colourless  canal  bordered  by  a  thin  strip  of  date- 
palms.     The  country  below  was  flat  sandy  desert. 
Far  ahead,  but  sharply  defined  through  the  haze, 
the  desert  ended  against  a  dark  blur.     One  came 
to  this  in  'time,  the  beginning  of  the  swamps ;  they 
stretched  to  the  horizon  on  either  hand,  a  mass  of 
bleak  vegetation  growing  out  of  sapphire  pools. 
It  was  most  noticeable,  this  colour  of  the  marsh 
water,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Tigris,  and 
where  it  drained  into  the  river  the  blue  showed  in 
contrast  to  the  mud-coloured  stream.     Yet  it  was 
only  Tigris  water  going  back  to  Tigris ;  a  hundred 
miles  ahead,  at  Amara,  the  river  bifurcates  east 
into  the  canal,  which  distributes  itself  over  a  vast 
'tract  of  country  into  small  canals  and  wide  swamps. 
Here  and  there  were  dry  patches  of  cleared  ground 
thickly   populated   by   Marsh   Arabs,   a   low  and 
undeveloped  type  of  humanity  unknown   to  'the 
white  man  except  near  the  main  channels.     Their 
country    is    impenetrable.      The    Tigris    between 
Kurnah  and  Amara  is  narrow  and  tortuous,  and  it 
is  difficult  for  the  pilot  to  discern  the  main  stream 
out  of  the  various  channels  among  the  swamps 
below.     Only  the  shipping  gave  the  clue  to  the 
newcomer,  the  craft  here  and  there  looking  like 
stationary  specks,  'the  white  wash  churned  by  their 


172       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

paddles  like  the  stream  from  a  mill.     There  was 
nowhere  to  land  in  the  event  of  engine-failure  over 
these  swamps.    With  the  day  growing  hot,  one  was 
glad   to  go   down   at  Amara,   yell    for   Bob,   the 
Madrassi  cook,  to  bring  breakfast,  and  then  lie  and 
sweat  in  the  tent  till  the  sun  got  low.     With  the 
slow  old  B.E.s  one  had  the  choice  of  going  on 
against  the  prevailing  north  wind  to  Sheikh  Saad 
the  same  evening  or  staying  the  nigh't  comfortably 
at  Amara  and  pushing  through  to  Baghdad  the 
following  morning.  The  latter  was  the  cooler  plan. 
Off  before  the  dawn,  not  too  low  over  'the  hospital 
at  the  risk  of  a  letter  from  the  medical  authorities 
concerning  the  shattered  nerves  of  sick  colonels, 
and  one  struck  north  again  with  the  river  on  the 
left.     It  was  a  wearisome  desert  flight  to  Sheikh 
Saad;   a   north-westerly  cut   led    you    across    the 
Tigris  and  left  Ali  Gharbi  far  to  the  north,  where 
the  river  turns  west;  the  Pusht-i-Kuh  stood  out 
like  a  wall  just  beyond.     One  crossed  a  remote 
flooded  area  and  eventually  met  the  river  again  at 
Sheikh    Saad.      Here,    the    previous    year,    the 
authorities  had  planned  to  irrigate  a  few  acres  for 
the  cultivation  of  vegetables.     There  was  still  a 
post  at  Sheikh  Saad,  and  the  "  market  garden  " 
was  in  being.   It  was  the  cause  of  a  remarkable  and 
awkward  phenomenon  on  this  occasion.    I  intended 
to  land,  and  came  low  over  the  cultivated  patch; 
above  it  was  a  zone  of  turbula'tion,  gusty  currents 
of  air  seemed  to  come  from  every  direction,  the 
machine  would  first  bump  up  200  fee't,  then  drop 
400  feet  like  a  stone ;  she  was  utterly  out  of  control 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  173 

until  I  glided  well  past  into  the  desert  again.  As 
the  aerodrome  lay  adjacent  to  the  cultivation  it 
would  have  been  inadvisable  to  attempt  a  landing, 
and  I  perforce  had  to  miss  my  breakfast  and 
continue  on  to  Bghailah,  over  old  battlefields  the 
whole  way.  From  Bghailah  to  Baghdad  one  was 
seldom  far  from  the  river;  at  9,000  feet  over 
Azizieh  the  summits  of  the  Persian  hills  loomed 
above  the  haze,  many  leagues  to  starboard,  and  the 
Diala  glinted  like  a  steel  ribbon  across  one's  path. 
The  dark  shade  beyond  suggested  Baghdad. 

On  May  i3th  it  was  evident  that  the  enemy  had 
imported,  in  addition  to  their  single-seater  fighting 
machines,  a  new  and  faster  type  of  two-seater 
Albatross.  Merton,  in  a  Bristol  Scout,  encountered 
one  of  'these  over  Deli  Abbas.  The  combat  began 
by  a  steep  dive  by  the  Bristol,  which  dislodged  the 
pilot's  sun-helmet,  considerably  baulking  his  aim 
and  fire.  A  passenger  made  his  appearance  from 
inside  the  fuselage  of  the  Hun  and  opened  fire  with 
a  rear  machine-gun.  The  Bristol's  gun  was  hit  and 
damaged,  causing  the  explosion  of  two  cartridges. 
Merton  had  judged  the  machine  a  single-seater, 
and  fit  to  be  attacked  from  behind,  so  that  the 
appearance  of  an  observer  came  as  a  surprise. 
Being  hors-de-combat,  Merton  broke  off  the  encoun- 
ter, and  returned  unpursued  to  his  aerodrome.  It 
had  been  a  close  call  for  M. 

Our  anti-aircraft  gunners  received  encourage- 
ment about  this  time  in  the  following  copy  of  a 
Turkish  message  which  fell  into  our  hands  : — 

"  The   German  aviator  'told   me  that  he  could 


174      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

not  report  clearly  on  the  body  of  troops  north  of 
Samarra  this  morning,  as  the  fire  of  the  British 
Anti-Aircraft  was  very  heavy  and  accurate."  One 
can  imagine  'the  reception  afforded  to  the  British 
pilot  who  would  volunteer  such  a  report ! 

As  'the  days  grew  hotter  enemy  aerial  activity 
became  negligible,  and  by  the  end  of  May  already 
seven  of  our  own  pilots  had  gone  to  hospital. 

The  Turkish  forces  remained  out  of  touch  to  the 
north-east  about  Kifri,  on  the  Tigris  at  Tekrit,  and 
on  the  Euphrates  at  Ramadi.  Leave  to  India  had 
been  opened  for  those  officers  and  men  of  the  force 
who  could  be  spared,  but  with  numbers  thinned 
down  by  sickness,  the  necessity  for  permanent 
activity,  and  only  No.  30  Squadron  to  cover  all 
fronts,  few  could  be  released  for  a  spell  in  the  cool 
of  'the  Himalayas,  for  three  weeks  in  India  entailed 
an  absence  of  two  months  by  the  'time  the  journeys 
to  and  from  the  front  were  taken  into  account. 

Nevertheless,  many  of  Force  "  D  "  managed  to 
migrate  to  Gulmarg,  in  Kashmir,  or  Neuralia,  in 
Ceylon,  and  returned  with  talk  of  cool  mountain 
air,  ecstatic  scenery,  grass  and  green  things;  wine, 
women,  and  song.  It  all  sounded  idyllic  to  us 
jaded  and  dried-up  folk  who  had  remained  behind. 

The  night  of  the  4th  of  June  was  celebrated  over 
the  Turkish  lines.  Dent,  of  the  Intelligence,  came 
with  me,  and  we  reconnoitred  the  enemy  positions 
and  camps  up  the  Tigris  by  the  light  of  a  full  desert 
moon.  It  was  a  wonderful  night,  milky  blue  and 
beautiful.  We  started  from  Baghdad,  dined  and 
fuelled  with  the  Flight  at  Sindiyeh,  and  went  on 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  175 

north.  Observations  were  as  easy  as  by  daylight, 
and  flying  much  more  pleasant;  the  silver  trail  of 
the  Tigris  took  us  there  and  back.  The  enemy 
picked  us  up  at  4,000  feet  and  shelled  wildly ;  being 
shelled  in  the  air  by  night  is,  I  think,  even  worse 
than  by  day;  the  blinding  flashes  of  the  bursts, 
above,  underneath,  and  around,  add  a  dazzling  and 
eerie  effect  to  the  usual  crashing  chaos  of  an  air 
barrage.  Dent  was  'taking  notes  rapidly  while  I 
dropped  parachute  flares  to  light  up  the  shadows 
below.  His  work  finished,  he  turned  round  and 
waved  a  hand,  and,  to  rout  them  all  out,  we  dived 
to  i, 800  feet  and  machine-gunned  the  camp.  Both 
guns  splayed  bullets  till  our  ammunition  was  gone, 
and  we  left  '.he  place  to  clear  up  its  confusion  and 
vanished  south  into  the  night,  followed  by  the 
crackling  of  rifles  and  machine-guns.  At  i  a.m. 
we  re-fuelled  at  Sindiyeh  and  flew  on  to  Baghdad. 
The  outline  of  mosques  and  minarets  against  the 
sapphire  of  the  twinkling  sky,  'the  moonlight  thrown 
back  off  the  blue-tiled  domes,  and  the  great  stillness 
over  all ;  was  it  a  dream  or  could  it  be  real  ?  The 
following  night  Captains  Bayly  and  O'Neill  did 
the  same  reconnaissance  as  a  check.  In  each  case 
the  flight  lasted  five  hours  from  Baghdad. 

The  river  had  started  to  fall,  and  in  order  to 
keep  the  Flight  up  'the  Tigris  supplied  by  river 
transport,  and  to  prevent  the  workshop  and  store 
barge  from  being  marooned  until  the  autumn,  it 
was  necessary  to  drop  sixteen  miles  down-stream 
into  deeper  water  a.  Sadeah,  on  the  left  bank.  In 
the  high-water  a  fly-boat  had  managed  to  navigate 


176      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

beyond  Samarra,  but  the  larger  boats  could  not 
penetrate  above  Barurah.  The  Tigris  winds  over 
mud  and  sand  to  the  sea,  with  a  drop  of  only  a  few 
feet  in  its  six-hundred  mile  journey;  but  above  here 
the  whole  aspect  of  the  river  changes;  its  bed 
becomes  rocky,  there  are  numerous  islands,  and  it 
flows  swiftly  between  cliffs  with  sections  of 
cataract,  like  'the  Nile  above  Haifa. 

The  weather  became  hotter,  although  the 
"  Shamal  "  had  started  earlier  than  usual.  The 
noonday  shade  temperature  in  June  was  generally 
112  deg.  Fahr.,  and  by  four  in  the  afternoon  we 
l(  ink-slingers  "  in  Baghdad  became  wound  up  and 
short  of  temper.  Man  changes  under  these  condi- 
tions for  the  worse;  hard  work  and  loss  of  health 
alter  perspective,  and  are  a  tax  that  tells  even  on 
'the  sunniest  characters.  A  few  months  of  it  and 
life  seems  to  fade  yellow,  only  when  the  sun  has 
at  last  dropped  "  below  the  yard-arm,"  and  one 
may  get  outside  several  whiskies-and-sodas  does 
one's  outlook  revive.  You  must  work  through  a 
hot  weather  in  the  East  before  you  are  qualified 
to  criticise  the  actions  of  your  less  fortunate 
fellows :  "  The  temper  of  chums,  the  love  of  a 
wife,  or  a  new  piano's  tune,  which  of  the  'three  will 
you  trust  at  the  end  of  an  Indian  June?  "  Kipling 
struck  the  note  true. 

Polo  saved  our  lives  those  stifling  months.  The 
G.O.C.  Remounts  and  his  staff  of  sportsmen  over- 
came the  pony  difficulty;  many  of  the  Indian  polo 
ponies  were  in  Mesopotamia ;  we  were  well  mounted 
and  the  game  was  as  keen  as  the  heat  would  allow. 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY 

We  played  for  45  minutes  before  sundown ;  riding 
out  to  the  desert  ground  the  walls  of  the  houses 
threw  off  their  heat  enough  to  blister  your  face,  you 
could  not  leave  your  hand  on  them.  The  ground 
itself  was  red-hot,  and  pony  and  rider  played  in  a 
welter  of  sweat  which  filled  one's  boots,  but  the  sun 
was  down,  the  glare  had  gone,  and  the  physical 
exertion  was  good.  In  the  days  at  Arab  Village 
we  had  played  almost  within  sight  of  the  Turk 
whenever  there  was  a  chance;  the  polo  in 
Mesopotamia  was  the  big  asset  compared  with  the 
war  in  other  theatreo. 

In  June  the  Russians  announced  that  they  could 
endure  the  heat  on  the  Dial  a  no  longer,  and  fell 
back  to  the  mountain  regions  about  Karind  and 
Kirmanshah,  leaving  our  right  flank  exposed. 
Beled  Ruz  was  therefore  occupied  by  the  cavalry. 

The  army  had  settled  down  to  hide  from  the  sun 
as  best  it  might.  The  Cavalry  Division  were 
encamped  in  a  date  grove  on  the  river  three  miles 
north  of  Baghdad.  The  3rd  Corps  dug  themselves 
under  the  desert,  die  i3th  Division  about  Sindiyeh, 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Tigris;  and  the  I4th  about 
Baqubah,  on  the  Diala.  The  ist  Corps  had  'taken 
up  a  strong  defensive  position  at  Samarra,  and  the 
1 5th  Division,  who  had  come  up  from  Nasiriyeh, 
were  at  Felujah.  Enemy  aircraft  were  occasionally 
reported.  Their  usual  formation  appeared  to  be 
one  or  two  Albatrosses  in  company  with  a  Halber- 
stadt  escorting  at  higher  altitude.  Air  patrols  were 
out  in  the  early  mornings,  but  he  was  seldom 
encountered.  His  aerodromes  were  at  Kifri  and 


178      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Tekrit.  He  bombed  our  camps  at  Samarra,  Beled, 
and  Baqubah  once  in  June;  no  casualties  were 
inflicted,  as  most  of  his  bombs  were  "  duds."  In 
reply,  six  B.E.s  retaliated  on  the  camps  at  Tekrit; 
seven  tents  were  demolished  by  direct  hits. 

On  the  22nd  June  Captain  Bayly  and  Lieut. 
Skinner  attacked  an  enemy  ship  aground  ten  miles 
north  of  Tekrit;  one  bomb  exploded  in  the  after- 
part  and  another  blew  in  her  side. 

Training  for  the  coming  winter  campaign  went 
on  in  the  early  hours.  A  regular  series  of  practice 
shots  at  desert  targets  with  the  artillery  took  place ; 
the  Akkarkuf  Lake,  outside  Baghdad,  afforded  a 
good  range  for  aerial  gunnery,  over  which  machines 
would  manoeuvre,  shooting  at  each  other's  shadows 
on  the  water. 

On  the  evening  of  2  5th  June,  while  having  dinner 
on  my  roof,  a  messenger  arrived  with  a  note  from 
General  Maude,  asking  if  it  was  feasible  that  he 
should  fly  to  Samarra  and  back  on  the  following 
afternoon  in  order  to  give  away  a  cup  to  'the 
winning  team  of  the  7th  Division  football  compe- 
tition. It  was  a  night's  journey  to  Samarra  by  rail, 
and  unless  he  flew  it  meant  being  away  two  nights 
and  a  day  from  G.H.Q.,  which  he  could  ill  afford. 
I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  trusting  one's  engine  in 
the  heat  of  the  afternoon  and  the  possibility  of  a 
forced  landing  "  in  the  blue  "  with  the  Commander- 
in-Chief — he  had  never  flown  before — but  the  plan 
seemed  so  sporting  that  I  decided  to  rely  on 
Fortune,  and  wrote  him  that  it  could  be  done.  We 
kept  quiet  about  it,  and  not  even  G.H.Q.  knew 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  179 

until  the  expectant  G.O.C.  ;th  Division  'telegraphed 
asking  how  General  Maude  intended  arriving,  as 
he  had  not  come  by  the  night  train.  I  arranged  for 
an  escort  machine  in  case  of  trouble,  and  before 
starting  asked  the  C.-in-C.  what  he  desired  me  to  do 
if  we  met  a  Hun.  We  were  only  in  an  old  B.E., 
in  which  the  result  of  a  scrap  depended  on  the 
efficiency  of  the  observer  with  the  gun.  It  was 
inadvisable  for  the  General  to  work  the  observer's 
gun;  he  was  too  big  'to  move  in  the  cramped  seat, 
and  would  probably  only  have  shot  away  the  wires 
or  propeller.  His  reply  was  "  Shoot  him  down," 
so,  with  the  pilot's  gun  only,  I  set  off,  fervently 
praying  that  the  evening  was  too  hot  for  any  Hun 
tc  come  up. 

The  strong  "  Shamal  "  delayed  us,  but  we 
arrived  at  Samarra,  without  incident,  in  time 
to  witness  the  second  half  of  the  match.  The  cup 
was  duly  presented  to  the  winners,  the  Black  Watch, 
and,  with  the  sun  setting,  we  started  our  hundred 
mile  run  back  to  Baghdad.  There  was  only  a 
quarter  moon,  and  I  knew  we  should  have  to  land 
in  the  dark,  but  the  G.O.C.  seemed  to  have  no 
qualms  whatever,  and  gaily  started  off;  if  he  had 
known  more  about  flying  perhaps  he  would  have 
stayed  the  night;  for  me  "  'twas  folly  to  be  wise." 
I  wired  for  flares  to  be  put  out;  the  machine  went 
perfectly,  and  only  bumped  slightly  on  landing,  at 
8.45  p.m.  in  the  dark.  General  Maude  had  enjoyed 
himself,  the  story  went  round,  and  the  army  was 
vastly  pleased. 

At  dawn  on  July  3rd  a  punitive  column  arrived 


l8o       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

about  Beled  Ruz  to  deal  with  the   Beni  Tamin 

tribe,    who   had   been    actively   hostile    since    our 

arrival  at  Baghdad.     Two  aeroplanes  co-operated 

with  bombs  and  Lewis  guns.    They  discovered  the 

tribesmen  in  mass  awaiting  the   advance  of  our 

'troops.     As  a  preliminary  two  65  Ib.  bombs  burst 

where  they  were  thickest,  causing  confusion  and 

dismay ;  six  more  bombs  fell  among  them,  and  they 

scattered  in  all  directions.    Further  bombs  set  their 

village  on  fire.     That  was  the  end.    To  quote  the 

official    report :    "  Artillery    and    the    unexpected 

aerial  attack  which  got  home  into  Beni  Tamin,  who 

were    apparently    preparing   to    get    mounted    to 

oppose  our  troops,  demoralised  them."     It  did. 

General  Maude  now  determined  'to  improve  our 
position  on  the  Euphrates  and  occupy  Zibban,  the 
junction  of  the  Saklawieh  Canal,  by  which  Lake 
Akkarkuf  was  flooded,  and  to  consolidate  this 
occupation  by  surprising  Ramadi.  The  capture  of 
the  latter  place  would  also  complete  our  blockade 
of  the  Turk  from  the  rich  Euphrates  country, 
whence  Arabs  were  supplying  him,  via  a  caravan 
route  from  Kerbela.  The  weather  had  been  grow- 
ing daily  hotter;  the  Turks  would  deem  any 
operation  at  this  'time  of  year  impossible,  and  were 
no  doubt  absorbed  with  their  own  condition, 
hundreds  of  miles  from  any  base,  and  envying  us 
the  shade  around  Baghdad.  Perhaps  there  was  a 
chance  that  such  a  "  coup  "  might  succeed,  but  it 
seemed  impossible  that  troops  could  march,  let 
alone  fight,  in  that  flaming  temperature.  They 
moved  forward  from  Felujah  by  night,  and 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  l8l 

occupied  Zibban  on  the  morning  of  July  8th.  The 
enemy  must  have  had  wind  of  the  movement,  unless 
it  was  mere  chance  that  brought  two  Hun  aero- 
planes over  our  troops  on  the  Diala  on  the  7th;  air 
patrols  sent  to  cut  them  off  on  the  Tigris  never 
found  them,  and  -he  next  report  was  that  they  were 
seen  going  west  over  Felujah.  It  was  presumed 
that  they  had  descended  at  Ramadi,  and  would 
return  to  their  base  either  at  Tekrit  or  Kifri  in  the 
cool  of  the  next  morning.  A  patrol  was  sent  out  to 
waylay  them  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  but  'the 
hostile  machines  were  not  seen.  On  the  evening 
of  the  Qth  it  was  reported  that  they  had  left  Ramadi 
that  morning,  and  "  Intelligence  "  reported  that  one 
of  them  had  come  down  in  the  desert.  The 
weather  was  frantic ;  a  regular  heat  wave  consumed 
the  country.  By  1 1  a.m.  on  the  Qth  the  thermometer 
stood  at  122  deg.  Fahr.  in  the  shade.  A  strong 
wind  had  sprung  up  which  dried  the  moisture  out  of 
the  eyes  until  they  became  so  bloodshot  it  was 
difficult  to  see.  I  lunched  with  Buxton,  of  the 
:t  Mantis,"  under  double  awnings  and  behind  a 
screen  on  deck.  Baghdad  was  enveloped  in  a  haze 
of  sand  and  a  scorching  gale.  The  glasses  we 
drank  out  of  were  too  hot  to  hold,  and  had  to  be 
cooled  with  the  ration  of  ice,  which  the  Supply  and 
Transport  Corps  now  manufactured  in  the  town. 
The  plates,  knives,  and  forks,  everything  was 
burning.  Men  were  dropping  like  flies  with  heat- 
stroke ;  the  hospitals  could  take  no  more,  they  were 
lying  in  rows  between  the  beds.  There  is  no  time 
to  waste  in  heat-stroke ;  a  man  fit  and  well  will  be 

N 


1 82       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

suddenly  seized,  and  if  he  is  not  better  is  dead  in 
two  or  three  hours.  The  supply  of  ice  was  limited; 
many  of  those  lying  recovering  from  disease  were 
seized  as  'they  lay.  The  nurses  worked  night  and 
day  through  i't  all  without  respite;  they  were 
magnificent.  Worn  out  and  ill  themselves,  they* 
fought  desperately  in  the  breathless  wards  for  the 
lives  of  the  men.  Those  nights  sleep  was 
impossible ;  on  the  roof  of  my  house  i't  was  necessary 
to  pour  water  continually  over  the  sheet  I  was  lying 
on  to  prevent  it  scorching  one's  body;  a  little 
longer  and  there  would  not  be  much  left  of  the 
British  Force  in  Mesopotamia. 

One  wondered  what  on  earth  was  happening  on 
the  Euphrates.  On  the  loth  General  Andrews 
concentrated  a  column  at  Zibban,  and  was  ready  to 
move  forward  on  Ramadi.  He  had  an  unenviable 
task.  The  plan  was  to  make  a  surprise  attack  at 
dawn  against  the  enemy's  northern  flank,  and 
endeavour  to  get  between  him  and  the  Euphrates. 
Cavalry  and  armoured  cars  were  to  await  develop- 
ments on  the  extreme  right  under  cover  of  date- 
groves  on  the  river  bank,  and  four  machines  were 
detached  to  Felujah  to  work  with  the  column. 
Arrangements  were  made  to  keep  the  troops 
supplied  with  ice  and  drinking  water  by  Ford  vans. 
In  the  dawn  I  motored  across  the  forty  miles  of 
desert  to  Felujah  to  arrange  for  the  air  co-opera- 
tion on  the  following  day.  I  and  my  driver  started 
back  in  the  heat  of  the  day  without  waiting  till 
evening.  As  long  as  I  live  I  shall  never  forget  that 
drive.  There  was  no  canopy  over  the  Hupmobile 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  183 

car,  any  part  of  which  was  almost  too  hot  to  touch. 
The  "  weight  "  of  the  sun  on  one's  head  made  one 
stupid,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  the  edge  of 
Lake  Akkarkuf  there  was  no  water  left  with  which 
to  refill  the  radiator,  again  almost  empty. 

It  was  a  narrow  shave;  if  we  had  had  to  walk  I 
do  not  think  we  could  have  gone  very  far.  We 
soaked  our  spine-pads  and  clothing  in  the  water, 
cooled  our  helmets,  and  refilled  the  radiator. 
Entering  the  semi-dark  arched  bazaars  of  Baghdad 
was  entering  Heaven  after  the  Fury  outside.  It 
felt  like  an  ice-house,  though  in  reality  over 
1 20  deg.  Fahr. ;  the  Baghdadis  themselves  had  no 
record  of  such  heat  for  scores  of  years.  That  drive 
put  us  both  on  our  backs  till  the  next  day. 

It  was  of  no  use  for  General  Andrews  to  wait  till 
the  Turks  improved  their  defences ;  he  must  either 
go  on  in  'the  heat  or  go  back.  His  column  moved 
forward  that,  night  of  the  ioth,  which  was  hotter 
even  than  before.  As  many  men  as  possible  were 
carried  in  lorries  and  Ford  vans.  They  deployed 
at  4  a.m.  on  the  nth,  and  drove  in  the  enemy  out- 
posts. By  8  a.m.  the  heat  and  a  scorching  dust- 
storm  were  opponents  of  greater  moment  than 
the  enemy.  Observation  was  impossible,  the  men 
were  dropping  wholesale  with  heat-stroke,  almost 
all  the  officers  of  the  Dorset  Regiment  had 
succumbed,  the  sun  was  getting  worse  every  minute, 
and  the  Turkish  shell-fire  more  accurate.  The 
attack  had  'to  be  discontinued,  and  the  men  lay  down 
for  the  day  to  endure  as  best  they  might.  Aerial 
co-operation  was  maintained  'till  10  a.m.  Two 


184      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Martinsydes  and  a  B.E.  had  left  Baghdad  at 
4.30  a.m.  to  bomb  and  machine-gun  and  generally 
harass  the  enemy,  but  the  two  Martinsydes  were 
forced  down  again  even  at  that  hour;  their  water 
boiled  away  and  the  pilots  sick  with  the  heat.  Lieut. 
Rose  got  away  in  'the  B.E.  and  blew  up  a  Turkish 
ammunition  waggon  with  a  direct  hit. 

Captain  V.  Buxton,  from  my  H.Q.,  had  accom- 
panied a  wireless  ground  station.  It  was  spotted 
on  the  open  plain  by  the  Turkish  gunners,  and  came 
under  heavy  and  accurate  shell-fire.  The  aerial 
was  shot  away  three  times,  but  Buxton  and  the 
operator  Hall  re-erected  it  each  time,  and,  still 
under  heavy  fire,  eventually  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing communication  with  the  aeroplane,  thus 
enabling  two  enemy  guns  to  be  silenced.  At  night 
it  was  possible  for  the  exhausted  troops  to  re'tire 
to  the  river  bank,  where  they  found  shade  for  the 
next  day.  On  the  i4th  they  withdrew  to  Zibban, 
pressed  by  1,500  Arab  tribesmen.  The  operations 
had  been  a  failure,  but  there  are  limits  to  the  power 
of  humanity,  and  strings  of  motor-ambulances 
winding  back  to  Baghdad  told  the  tale  of  the 
weather  more  than  the  accuracy  of  the  Turkish 
gunners. 

No  more  had  been  heard  of  the  two  enemy  aero- 
planes; in  an  effort  to  locate  these  tortured 
antagonists  in  case  they  were  stranded  in  that 
weather,  a  patrol  of  our  machines  searched  'the 
desert  on  the  morning  of  the  loth  without  result. 
But  two  German  aviators — an  officer  and  an  N.C.O. 
— staggered  into  Samarra  in  an  exhausted  condition 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  185 

and    gave    themselves    up    to    a    picquet    of    the 
7th    Division.      Their    story    was    grim.      They 
confirmed  that  they  had  left  Ramadi  for  Tekrit  on 
the  morning  of  the  9th,  when  one  of  the  pair  of 
Albatrosses  was  forced  to  land  due  to  the  engine 
seizing  up  in  the  intense  heat.    The  second  machine 
also    landed,    and    after  burning    the    first,    they 
started  off  again,  four  up,  with  one  on  each  wing. 
Besides  the  four  men  the  aeroplane  carried  its  own 
machine-guns  plus  one  salved  off  No.   i,  all  the 
personal  kit  belonging  to  the  men,  four  carbines, 
900  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  a  small  Persian  dog 
which  habitually  accompanied  reconnaissances  as 
a  mascot.    With  this  load  'they  flew  for  twenty-five 
minutes  at  an  altitude  of  400  feet,  but  the  height 
was  insufficient  to  keep  Wie  engine  cool,  and  a 
descent  became  necessary.    The  aviators  therefore 
decided  to  wait  in  the   desert  till  evening,   and 
sheltered  underneath  the  wings  of  the  aeroplane. 
The  temperature  was  beyond  122  deg.  Fahr.  in  the 
shade,  and  they  can  have  only  had  unsatisfactory 
shade  from  their  machine ;  there  was  a  strong  wind 
blowing  whose  temperature  was  higher.  After  some 
hours,  tortured  by  thirst,  they  drank  the  almost 
boiling  water  out  of  the  radiator.     At  6.30  p.m. 
they  again  started,  hoping  to  reach  the  Tigris  by 
"  taxying,"  but  the  engine  soon  seized  up,  and  they 
were  obliged  to  burn  machine  No.  2,  and  endeavour 
to  reach   the  river  on  foot.     They  marched  till 
8  p.m.,  when  an  officer  and  N.C.O.  collapsed.    The 
other  two,  Captain  von  Grone,  and  a  sergeant-major, 
reached  our  picquet  line  completely  exhausted  at 


1 86       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

5.30  a.m.  the  morning  of  the  loth.  The  G.O.C. 
ist  Corps  sent  out  armoured  cars  and  cavalry  with 
one  of  the  Germans  as  guide,  but  they  failed  to  find 
either  machines  or  men,  although  the  search  went 
out  on  two  mornings.  They  must  have  died  very 
scon  of  exhaustion  and  thirst.  The  thought  of  it 
made  the  strife  of  mankind  seem  puny. 

Von  Grone  came  down  to  Baghdad.  He  was  a 
Death's  Head  Hussar,  and  had  only  been  East  a 
month.  There  was  nothing  Hunnish  apparent  in 
von  Grone.  The  Intelligence  Department  got  little 
from  him,  and  his  manners  and  reticence,  in  spite 
of  the  terrible  ordeal  he  had  just  come  through  and 
the  fact  that  he  was  ill,  could  only  arouse  respect. 
He  gave  us  news  of  Lander,  who  had  been  shot 
down  on  May  6th  with  a  damaged  engine,  and  was 
now  in  hospital  at  Tekrit  with  six  bullet  wounds  in 
the  leg.  We  also  learnt  that  poor  Paddy  Maguire 
had  come  down  in  flames,  and  died  of  his  burns  'ten 
days  later. 

The  heat  wave  did  not  abate,  but  the  midday 
shade  temperature  rose  to  123  deg.  Fahr. ;  inside 
tents  it  was  136  deg.  Fahr.  The  sickness  rose,  too. 
D.  H.  went  down  with  heat-stroke,  but  was  pulled 
through.  The  Chief  of  the  Staff,  Sir  Arthur  Money, 
just  returned  from  leave,  also  went  down,  but  lived 
to  be  invalided  out  of  the  country.  Two  of  our 
mechanics  died  on  consecutive  days ;  one  officer  and 
six  other  mechanics  were  invalided  the  same  week ; 
seven  officers  and  thirty-two  men  of  the  squadron 
were  in  hospital ;  and  out  of  the  seven  new  pilots 
arrived  to  reinforce  the  thinned  numbers  of  No.  30 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  187 

Squadron  three  went  into  hospital  at  Busrah  and 
one  was  put  ashore  from  the  river-boat  on  reaching 
Kut.  Far  from  building  up  our  strength  for  the 
autumn  campaigning  we  were  ebbing  away  to 
nothing.  For  a  few  days  there  was  only  one  officer 
fit  to  fly,  so  I  augmented  the  strength  of  the 
squadron  by  taking  on  the  duties  of  flying  officer 
in  the  mornings  myself.  It  was  not  often  in  the  war 
that  numbers  were  s.o  reduced  that  the  wing 
commander  had  to  act  also  as  flying  officer,  but  we 
had  to  carry  on. 

On  the  1 5th  July  I  decided  to  go  down  river  to 
Busrah  to  make  final  preparations  for  the  arrival  of 
No.  63  Squadron,  now  somewhere  between  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  the  Persian  Gulf.  "  Tiger 
Lily,"  the  wing  equipment  officer,  was  to  have 
accompanied  me,  but  the  heat  was  too  much  for 
him,  having  already  been  invalided  out  of  the 
country  in  earlier  days;  he  had  never  really 
recovered,  yet  carried  on  in  a  wonderful  fashion, 
although  only  fit  to  crawl  between  his  office  and  his 
bed.  *  Edgar  R.,"  the  photographic  officer,  came 
instead,  and  we  made  a  curious  passage  to  Busrah 
in  the  old  "  Bahmanshir  "  at  the  very  height  of  the 
heat.  That  appalling  journey  down-stream  has  ever 
since  been  a  firm  bond  of  union  between 
"  Edgar  R."  and  myself.  We  had  the  ship  to  our- 
selves, and^took  a  servant  to  cook  our  food.  The 
awning  on  deck  was  only  of  single  thickness,  and 
during  the  day  it  was  necessary  to  lie  in  the  deck- 
cabin;  even  inside  the  cabin  'the  rays  seemed  to 
penetrate  the  deck,  for  at  high  noon  one  had  to 


I 88       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

wear  a  helmet  to  avoid  a  headache.    A  year  later, 
at  Lahore,  in  the  Punjab,  I  was  reminded  of  this 
by  having  to  do  the  same  thing  sitting  at  tiffin  inside 
a  bungalow;  a  modern  one — the  old-fashioned  ones 
were  built  thicker.     The  whole  journey  down  we 
wore  nought  else  but  a  bath-towel  round  our  waists 
and  spent  the  day  in  hoisting  bucke'ts  of  water  from 
the  warm  Tigris  and  pouring  it  over  our  bodies ;  the 
immediate  evaporation  in  the  hot  wind  made   a 
delicious  chill  for  about  thirty  seconds,  till  it  dried 
off  again,  the  wind  scorched,  and  the  proceeding 
had  to  be  repeated.     It  sounds  ludicrous  now,  but 
I  think  it  kept  us  both  from  going  down  with  heat- 
stroke.   I  remember  we  could  not  walk  on  the  deck 
with  bare  feet  under  the  awning,  but  had  to  wear 
shoes  to  prevent  being  scorched.     :'  Edgar  R."  and 
I  kept  quite  fit  in  spite  of  the  awful  weather;  we 
ate  little,  but  lived  on  stout,  another  tip  to  the 
uninitiated.   It  was  a  record  low  river,  and  we  often 
stuck  on  the  ground;  but  the  old  "  Bahmanshir," 
with  her  courteous  old  Arab  skipper,  vibrated  into 
Busrah  five  days  later.     Although  the  heat  had 
been  its  fiercest,  I  think  we  were  both  refreshed  by 
a  rest  from  the  work  and  worries  of  the  last  three 
months ;  we  slept  a  little,  laughed  a  little,  drank  a 
good  deal,  and  sweated  a  lot.    There  was  work  on 
hand  at  Busrah,  but  the  air  hung  dank  and  heavy ; 
the  humidity  made  it  far  worse  than  up-river.     A 
wet  no  deg.  Fahr.  is  ten  times  more  trying  than  a 
dry  130  deg.  Fahr. 

Everyone  at  the  base  seemed  more  dead  than 
alive,  and  it  was  impossible  to  get  anything  done. 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  189 

There  was  little  use  going  to  bed  at  nights;  we 
would  search  the  harbour  in  a  motor-boat  for  a 
region  of  cooler  air  without  success ;  everything  was 
damp,  for  the  wind  blew  off  the  Gulf.  After  a  few 
fitful  moments  of  sleep  between  midnight  and 
4  a.m.  one  would  wake  up  feeling  like  a  wet  rag, 
and  perhaps  take  a  motor-bicycle  out  into  the 
desert,  away  from  the  river,  in  quest  of  a  cool 
breath.  There  was  none.  By  eight  the  ther- 
mometer was  back  over  the  100,  and  at  breakfast 
the  same  wag  would  daily  play  "  The  End  of  a 
Perfect  Day "  on  the  gramophone.  We  were 
issued  with  large  Japanese  parasols  to  keep  our 
helmets  cool.  A  British  officer  presented  a  comic 
sight  in  shirt-sleeves,  shorts,  blue  goggles,  a  large 
helmet,  a  spine  pad,  and  over  all  a  huge  parasol ! 
It  was  with  looks  of  longing  that  one  watched  the 
great  white  hospital  ships  gliding  down  the  harbour 
with  their  cargoes  of  wrecked  humanity  bidding 
farewell  to  this  benighted  country  for  ever. 

Nevertheless  Busrah  was  always  cheerful,  for 
one  ran  up  against  many  friends  at  the  base.  I 
found  my  friend  "  Bottle/'  of  the  I4th,  just  back 
from  leave  in  Kashmir,  endeavouring  to  drown  dull 
care  in  lime  juice  at  the  Club  in  the  heat  of  the  day ; 
then  there  was  Cartwright,  of  the  "  Moth,"  just  up 
from  doing  guardship  at  Fao,  he  and  all  his  crew 
nearly  silly  with  prickly-heat.  We  all  had  it  at 
Busrah;  it  spoils  life  entirely.  According  to 
Cartwright,  Busrah  was  a  health  resort  compared 
with  Fao. 

I  flew  down  across  the  Karun  River  with  Clarke 


IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

to  'the  Anglo-Persian  Oil  Company  at  Abadan. 
We  had  been  endeavouring  for  some  time  to  use 
their  petrol  in  our  aero-engines,  but,  in  spite  of 
distilling  a  lighter  spirit  than  was  shipped  from 
Egypt  or  Burma,  and  eliminating  its  sulphuric 
properties,  all  attempts  to  use  it  had  failed. 
Engines  ran  hot  and  seized  up.  Its  use 
would  have  involved  great  saving  in  shipping 
and  worries  as  'to  timely  arrivals  of  supplies,  which 
sometimes,  when  ships  were  overdue,  ran  down  to  a 
very  low  ebb,  and  on  occasions  had  only  been  rushed 
up-river  in  time  'to  save  the  situation.  We  were 
importing  10,000  gallons  a  month  solely  for  flying 
purposes.  The  motor-transport  of  the  army  ran 
entirely  on  this  Anglo-Persian  spirit,  and  the  wells 
were  invaluable  in  supplying  oil  fuel  for  the  river 
craft  and  locomotives,  which  had  been  adapted  to 
its  use,  thus  saving  the  importation  of  coal.  It  was 
interesting  to  be  shown  over  these  famous  refineries, 
the  original  cause  of  the  despatch  of  an  expedi- 
tionary force  from  India.  Here  a  handful  of 
Scotsmen  and  an  army  of  Persians  and  local  Arabs 
refined  and  directed  the  flow  of  oil  from  'the  100- 
mile  pipe-line  to  supply  Jellicoe  in  the  North  Sea. 
The  settlement  con^sted  of  rows  of  huge  tanks 
and  a  smattering  of  houses  made  of  red  brick,  with 
wide  verandahs;  it  had  its  own  hospital.  The  heat 
was  appalling;  the  company's  officials  were  there 
through  the  war  without  a  break,  a  trying  life  for 
white  man  or  black.  We  lunched  with  the  manager 
and  his  wife,  and  then  flew  back  to  Busrah. 
After  a  week  at  the  base  I  was  glad  to  get  away 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  19! 

up-country  again  to  the  drier  atmosphere  of  the 
desert.  But  a  fortnight  later  I  once  more  left 
Baghdad,  this  'time  by  air  to  meet  No.  63  Squadron 
on  its  arrival  from  England. 

I  had  just  cleared  the  Baghdad  aerodrome  on  the 
morning  of  the  i  ith  August,  when,  at  a  low  height, 
my  engine  cut  out ;  there  was  no  room  'to  turn  and 
glide  back,  and  nothing  for  it  but  to  descend 
straight  into  a  quarry.  I  took  it  as  slow  as  possible, 
about  forty-eight  miles  an  hour;  nevertheless,  the 
crash  was  complete.  Fortunately  there  was  no  one 
in  the  front  seat,  or  he  would  have  been  killed.  As 
it  was  I  only  cut  my  chin  and  knee,  and  a  few 
stitches  in  both  places  by  a  doctor  roused  from 
slumber  at  a  neighbouring  field  ambulance  put  me 
right.  It  was  urgent  that  I  should  get  to  Busrah, 
so  a  start  was  made  in  another  machine.  A  favour- 
able wind  blew  me  to  Amara  in  one  reach,  but  my 
knee  had  swollen  up,  and  I  had  to  be  helped  out  of 
the  machine.  Lying  up  in  the  tent  all  day  did  not 
improve  matters,  and,  not  being  able  'to  walk,  there 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  go  to  hospital.  Lieut. 
Morris,  who  had  accompanied  me  in  another 
machine,  flew  on  with  all  the  necessary  papers  and 
instructions  for  the  new  squadron,  and  I  arrived  a 
week  later.  The  weather  at  Busrah  had  not 
improved. 

No.  63  Squadron  had  arrived  on  the  I3th 
August.  I  suppose  80  per  cent,  of  their  officers 
were  under  twenty-four  years  of  age,  some  under 
'twenty,  and  the  age  of  the  other  ranks  must  have 
been  similar.  It  was  a  hard  test  for  a  youngster  to 


IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

arrive  straight  from  England  into  such  a  climate. 
Till  they  arrived  in  port  the  health  of  the  squadron 
had  been  excellent,  but  the  Busrah  climate  imme- 
diately drove  50  per  cent,  into  hospital ;  two  died  of 
heat-stroke  within  the  first  few  days.   They  were  a 
well-trained  crowd,  mostly  air  veterans  from  the 
Western  Front,  and  they  arrived  with  a  morale 
superb,  ready  to  finish  the  war.     But  climate  had 
been  out  of  their  reckoning,  and  by  the  time  I 
arrived  the  remaining  half  had  mostly  succumbed. 
Of  thirty  officers  only  six  remained,  and  of  two 
hundred  odd  men  only  seventy.    This  remnant  was 
lying  on  its  back  at  Aircraft  Park,  and  even  those 
who  could  s'tand  up  ware  badly  shaken.     I  had 
feared    such   a     debacle.     Busrah   was    doing   its 
"  damndest  "  to  destroy  humanity.   At  the  Aircraft 
Park  there  were  about  sufficient  left  to  make  up  the 
funeral  parties  in  the  evening.     I  spent  the  whole 
of  one  afternoon  rubbing  C.,  a  new  pilot,  with  ice 
from  the  chest  that  kept  the  soda-water  cool.     He 
had  rolled  over  with  heat-stroke  while  taking  an 
afternoon  siesta.    We  pulled  him  round  just  before 
the  last  small  lump  of  ice  melted  away.     Disease 
shakes  'the  morale  of  men  a  thousand  times  more 
acutely  than  the  worst  shell-fire.     There  was  prac- 
tically  no  evaporation   in   the   air,    and   it   is   by 
evaporation    that    humans    retain    their    normal 
temperature.      The    doctors    were    unwilling    to 
speculate  what  would  happen  if  the  wet  bulb  went 
up    another    degree.      I    had    a   parade    the    first 
evening;  it  was  all  they  could  do  to  come  out  and 
stand  at  attention  the  while  I  recounted  beautiful 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  193 

lies  about  the  bracing  climate,  and  forbade  anybody 
else  to  get  ill.  The  next  day  the  worst  happened, 
for  I  was  laid  prone  myself  with  a  violent  attack  of 
fever  and  carried  off  with  the  others  to  a  congested 
hospital !  The  disembarkation  of  aeroplanes, 
transport,  and  stores  was  entirely  held  up,  for  there 
was  no  one  'to  work.  One  could  only  wait  anxiously 
for  a  moderation  of  the  heat. 

Meanwhile  we  lay  with  flaming  temperature  in 
the  packed  wards,  and  further  cargoes  of  sick 
arriving  from  up-river  made  the  congestion  worse. 
Part  of  the  nurses'  quarters  were  utilised  as 
hospitals,  and  the  hospital  ships  filled  for  India  as 
soon  as  possible  to  make  room  for  others.  Delirious 
men  rambled  on  through  the  long  hot  nights,  and 
one  only  thought  of  when  the  angel  nurse  would 
return  down  the  row  of  beds  with  fresh  ice  to  chill 
the  towel  round  one's  head.  I  had  become  well 
acquainted  with  fever  and  Mesopo'tamian  hospitals, 
but  some  of  these  boys  fresh  from  their  English 
homes  were  hard  hit.  In  'time  we  went  down  to  the 
convalescent  hospital  at  Beit  Naama  to  regain  some 
weight;  the  terrible  weather  that  had  prevailed  for 
a  month  had  gone,  and  the  air  was  dry,  the  tempera- 
ture back  to  its  normal  at  115  deg.  Fahr.  at  noon. 

I  returned  'to  the  Aircraft  Park,  where  yet  little 
sign  of  life  was  showing.  Clarke  was  a  marvel ;  he 
seemed  to  'thrive  in  Busrah,  and  his  spirits  never 
left  their  zenith,  in  spite  of  having  been  there  for 
two  years  without  leave.  There  was  no  sign  of 
63  Squadron;  with  dismay  I  read  the  medical 
reports  of  some  being  invalided  out  of  'the  country 


194       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

and  others  seriously  ill;  malaria,  dysentery,  sand- 
fly  fever  and  heat-stroke  had  taken  heavy  'toll. 
There  was  big  work  to  be  done  in  the  coming  winter, 
and  the  Huns  were  reinforced  with  new  aeroplanes ; 
30  Squadron  was  'thinned  out  by  sickness  and  short 
of  machines,  yet  the  base  was  crowded  with 
unpacked  cases  of  aeroplanes  and  engines.  The 
personnel  had  melted  away;  we  waited  anxiously 
for  them  to  emerge  from  the  hospitals.  One  felt 
that  anyway  the  situation  could  get  no  worse,  and 
things  must  begin  to  take  shape  again  soon. 

The  R.E.  8  type  of  aeroplane  had  arrived  in 
quantity  for  both  squadrons;  also  the  long-awaited 
fighting  scouts  known  as  Spads.  There  was  no 
lack  of  material,  including  the  rows  of  Crossley 
light  lorries  for  desert  transport.  But  every  engine 
had  to  be  taken  down  and  overhauled;  the  aero- 
plane wooden  parts  had  shrunk  in  the  heat, 
necessitating  the  rebuilding  of  many  machines. 
The  task  of  the  Park  was  immense.  We  got  the 
first  Spad  put  together  and  I  took  her  up ;  she  very 
nearly  caused  The  End;  the  cooling  arrangements 
devised  for  Europe  were  inadequate,  and  the  water 
started  boiling  as  I  left  the  ground.  I  shoved  her 
up  to  try  and  get  into  cooler  atmosphere.  At  6,000 
feet  over  the  harbour  I  was  suddenly  aware  of  the 
whole  top  plane  warping  into  wave-like  contortions 
and  steam  scalding  my  face.  The  auxiliary  water- 
tank  in  the  plane  had  exploded  and  flooded  the 
wood  and  fabric.  It  was  very  gingerly  that  I  glided 
down,  expecting  the  wings  to  carry  away;  my  next 
breath  was  taken  when  the  wheels  'touched  the 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY 

ground.  We  fitted  a  new  plane,  took  precautions 
against  similar  discomfitures,  and  on  the  5th 
September  I  started  up  river  in  'the  first  Spad.  The 
turn  of  speed  was  excellent,  but  the  heat  in  the 
pilot's  seat  was  'that  of  a  Turkish  bath.  I  got  down 
at  Amara  with  no  water  left.  After  a  spell  of  fever 
she  made  one  sick,  for  one  was  not  up  to  it,  so  I 
left  her  there  till  'the  temperature  might  drop,  and 
trundled  comfortably  on  to  Baghdad  in  an  old  B.E. 

While  I  had  been  away  air  reconnaissance  had 
reported  the  Turks  constructing  a  position  S.W.  of 
Shahroban.  General  Maude,  to  secure  his  right 
flank,  decided  to  eject  them,  for  the  Russians  had 
gene.  Columns  from  Baqubah  and  Beled  Ruz 
marched  on  the  night  of  the  iSth/iQth  August,  and, 
giving  little  opposition,  the  enemy  retired  into  the 
Jebel  Hamrin  on  the  2Oth.  The  weather  conditions 
prevented  any  further  advance.  We  were  as  we 
had  been  before  the  arrival  of  the  Russians  in  April. 
On  August  29th  two  B.E.s  closed  with  an  enemy 
two-seater  over  Kizil  Robat.  Page  was  doing 
escort,  and  saw  the  right-hand  main  strut  of  the 
enemy  shot  away.  Pursuit  was  impossible  owing 
to  shortage  of  petrol. 

On  the  1 2th  September  a  welcome  relief  was 
at  last  caused  by  a  sudden  drop  in  the  temperature 
to  113  deg.  Fahr.,  as  a  result  of  which  No.  63 
Squadron  took  a  new  lease  of  life. 

By  this  time  a  track  fit  for  motor-transport  in 
dry  weather  existed  the  whole  way  from  Busrah  to 
Baghdad;  marching-posts,  with  tents,  fuel,  and 
guard,  were  situated  at  convenient  intervals.  The 


196      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

first  convoy  of  the  new  motor-transport  accom- 
plished this  journey  in  eight  days;  of  twenty-two 
light  tenders  one  broke  down  and  had  to  be  left  at 
a  post.  The  route  was  a  severe  test,  deep  and 
sandy,  and  wide  detours  into  the  desert  were  often 
necessary  to  avoid  nullahs ;  also  escort,  rations,  and 
fuel  for  all  the  cars  was  no  mean  load  to  bring  over 
the  four  hundred  miles. 

With  the  cooler  weather  No.  63  Squadron  com- 
menced to  blow  into  Baghdad  in  their  new  R.E.  8 
aeroplanes.  With  them  arrived  Mac,  who  had  left 
us  a  year  before.  He  came  in  the  role  of  liaison 
officer  from  England,  France,  and  Palestine,  with 
useful  information  of  new  methods  adopted  in  those 
more  prominent  spheres.  He  only  stayed  a  week, 
and  then  this  cheerful  soul  blew  on  to  India  and 
East  Africa.  He  said  that  returning  to  the  happy 
family  in  Mesopotamia  was  like  returning  home. 
Major-General  Hoskins  also  arrived  in  an  R.E.  8, 
to  'take  command  of  the  3rd  Division. 

The  aerodrome  at  Samarra  had  been  enlarged, 
and  hangars,  workshop,  store,  and  dark-room  dug- 
outs excavated  by  the  ist  Corps.  It  had  been 
decided  that  the  new  squadron  should  be  located 
on  the  Tigris  line ;  and  of  30  Squadron,  two  Flights 
on  the  Diala  and  one  on  the  Euphrates. 

On  the  1 2th  September  Lieut.  Page  was  forced 
to  land  behind  the  enemy's  lines  near  Kifri. 
Lieuts.  West  and  Dickinson  were  in  company,  arid 
landed  near  Page,  who  had  by  this  'time  burnt  his 
machine.  Arab  horsemen  were  galloping  down  as 
Page  ran  for  the  other  aeroplane.  The  old  B.E. 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  1 97 

and  its  unaccustomed  load  of  three  waddled  off  the 
ground  just  in  time,  and  got  down  safely  at  Shah- 
roban,  Page  half-standing  on  the  lower  plane  with 
one  leg  in  'the  front  seat. 

On  the  1 3th  two  machines  were  sent  to  fly  over 
the  sacred  city  of  Kerbela,  where  Arab  demonstra- 
tions of  doubtful  tendency  had  been  taking  place. 
It  was  thought  that  the  presence  of  English  eyes 
and  the  latent  threat  droning  over  their  city  would 
quieten  the  multitude.  Unfortunately  one  of  the 
machines  had  engine  trouble,  and  was  forced  to 
land  outside  the  town.  To  their  surprise  and  relief 
the  occupants  were  greeted  in  a  friendly  fashion  by 
the  Arabs,  some  of  whom  even  craved  a  "  joy 
ride  " !  Kerbela  is  the  shrine  of  Hussein,  son  of 
Ali,  and  grandson  of  the  Prophet;  here  he  and  his 
family  were  slain  in  the  year  680.  It  is  a  place  as 
holy  to  the  Shiahs  as  Mecca  is  to  the  Sunnis. 

General  Maude,  with  the  first  break  in  Jie 
weather,  decided  'to  go  for  Ramadi  and  wipe  out 
the  failure  of  the  last  attempt,  made  abortive  by 
the  heat.  The  Turkish  garrison  had  been  consider- 
ably reinforced,  but  the  prize  was  the  greater.  By 
starting  to  hammer  the  enemy  again  at  the  first 
opportunity  it  gave  us  the  initiative,  and  it  was 
the  Euphrates  line  down  which  big  movements 
might  be  expected.  He  must  not  be  allowed  to 
rest,  or  given  time  to  concentrate  within  striking 
distance  on  that  line.  It  was  barely  the  end  of 
summer  when  we  were  at  it  again,  hammer  and 
tongs. 

Throughout  the  hot  months  the  Royal  Engineers 


198       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

had  performed  prodigious  achievements.  In 
addition  to  the  heavy  work  entailed  to  keep  the 
river  within  its  bounds,  they  had  organised  Arab 
and  Kurd  labour  corps,  to  supplement  those  from 
India.  Hundreds  of  miles  of  light  railways  had 
been  torn  up  in  India  and  despatched  to 
Mesopotamia,  so  that  a  line  was  now  nearly  through 
between  Kut  and  Baghdad  and  on  to  Baqubah. 
Another  metre-gauge  was  also  half-way  across  the 
desert  to  Felujah.  The  railway  tracks  thus 
radiating  to  all  three  fronts  from  Baghdad  greatly 
enhanced  the  rapidity  with  which  it  was  possible  to 
strike  in  force  on  any  single  one,  and  placed  the 
British  Force  on  strong  interior  lines.  Rolling- 
stock  and  personnel  lor  these  railways  poured  out 
from  India.  The  bulk  of  'the  river  fleet  was 
concentrated  between  Kut  and  Amara,  on  the  more 
navigable  section,  leaving  as  much  as  possible  to 
the  railways  between  Busrah-Amara  and  Kut- 
Baghdad.  This  also  greatly  reduced  the  time  for 
the  journey  between  Front  and  Base.  The  services 
of  the  force  were  nearly  doubled.  Specially- 
designed  paddle  and  hospital  boats  had  arrived 
from  England,  and  the  familiar  sight" of  L.S.W.R. 
locomotives  dragging  supplies  up  to  Samarra 
reminded  one  of  other  days  and  the  milk  train 
back  to  Pirbright  or  Aldershot. 

The  25th  September  was  a  black  day  for  the 
R.F.C.  Two  of  the  new  R.E.  8's,  with  the  most 
experienced  and  enthusiastic  pilots,  'the  advanced 
party  of  No.  63  Squadron,  failed  to  return  from 
reconnaissance.  It  was  a  bitter  blow;  at  last  some 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  199 

of  the  new  squadron  had  got  up  river,  and  I  had 
hoped  they  would  build  up  quickly  and  form  into 
line  as  a  unit,  for  there  was  much  work  to  be  done 
and  the  new  Hun  machines  must  be  downed.    But 
almost  on  their  maiden  flight  the  first  two  are  lost. 
From  deserters  it  appeared  that  four  fast  enemy 
scouts  had  pursued  the  R.E.  8's  north  of  Tekrit. 
In  the  engagement  that  followed  one  of  the  R.E.  8's 
was  damaged,  and  had  to  come  down.     Landing 
on  ground  which  appeared  to  be  clear  of  enemy, 
the  second  machine  had  followed  down  to  rescue 
the  'two  occupants  of  the  first,  but  had  been  imme- 
diately surrounded  and  fired  on  by  Turks,  who 
emerged  from  nullahs  and  dug-outs.     One  of  our 
machines  was  reported  to  have  been  burnt,  and  the 
second  partially  burnt,  before  being  captured.    The 
Turkish  commander  courteously  sent  in  a  letter 
under  a  white  flag  to  our  advanced  troops  near 
Samarra,  stating  that  the  pilots  and  observers  were 
uninjured.     They   were    Captain    J.    R.    Philpot, 
M.C.;  Lieut.  M.  G.  Begg,  M.C.;  Lieut.  E.  N. 
Baillon;  and  Corporal  Grant.     It  was  cruel  luck; 
they    had   just   arrived.      Poor    Philpot,    a    most 
magnificent,  cheerful,  devil-may-care  fellow,  with 
a  wonderful  record  from  France,  eventually  died 
of  disease  in  Turkish  hands. 

On  the  same  morning  that  these  machines  went 
missing,  three  Martinsydes  from  Baqubah 
destroyed  three  separate  Arab  camps  south  of 
Baghdad.  They  were  bombed  and  machine-gunned 
from  an  altitude  of  500  feet. 

By  September  26th  General  Brooking  had  con- 


2OO       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

centrated  his  force  at  Mahdij,  fifteen  miles  above 
Felujah,  on  'the  Euphrates.  Merton's  Flight  also 
moved  up  to  Mahdij,  sixty  miles  from  Baghdad; 
the  only  means  of  communication  was  by  light 
lorries  over  a  desert  track,  part  of  which  was  barely 
passable  for  these  vehicles.  With  ten  cars  they 
'took  stores  and  spares  for  a  fortnight,  and  160  Ib. 
tents  for  shelter  during  the  daytime.  A  small- 
power  plant  was  moved  out  in  one  of  the  lorries 
to  keep  their  accumulators  charged  for  wireless 
work.  The  photographic  section  established  them- 
selves in  an  Arab  house  at  Felujah,  and  exposures 
were  flown  back  to  be  dealt  with  there,  the  results 
being  returned  forward  either  by  air  or  despatch 
rider. 

Everything  was  done  to  make  Ahmed  Bey,  the 
Turkish  commander,  expect  our  advance  up  the 
left  bank  of  the  river.  The  road  from  Felujah 
runs  up  the  right  bank,  but  a  pontoon  bridge  was 
thrown  across  at  Mahdij,  and  roadwork  undertaken 
on  the  other  side.  Troops  and  dumps  were  also  so 
disposed  on  the  left  bank  to  complete  the  bluff; 
Arab  informants  were  no  doubt  running  to  Ramadi 
with  the  valuable  information. 

On  the  27th  the  last  series  of  photographs  of  'the 
Turkish  position  had  been  taken  and  were 
distributed  to  the  troops  that  nigh't  before  they 
marched  off  under  cover  of  darkness.  Four  miles 
east  of  Ramadi  the  Mushaid  ridge,  a  sandy  cliff- 
like  contour,  runs  north  and  south ;  its  northern  end 
slopes  down  to  the  desert  before  meeting  the  river, 
to  the  south  it  slopes  to  the  brackish  Habbaniyeh 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  2OI 

Lake.  The  enemy  held  an  advanced  position  along 
the  crest  of  this  ridge  facing  east.  Their  main 
position  was  dug  about  a  mile  from  the  'town,  along 
the  Habbaniyeh  Canal,  and  then  refused  east  across 
sand  dunes  to  the  Azizieh  Canal.  Ramadi  was  thus 
strongly  protected  from  east  round  to  south,  and 
by  the  river  on  the  north.  The  Turk  can  have 
feared  little  from  the  desert  flank;  it  meant  a  long 
detour  from  the  river,  and  the  water  in  the 
Habbaniyeh  was  salty  and  unfit  to  drink.  They, 
however,  did  not  reckon  with  the  Ford  car.  Therein 
lay  the  secret  to  success.  The  plan  was  to  work 
round  the  southern  end  of  the  Mushaid  ridge, 
secure  the  dam  crossing  over  the  Habbaniyeh  Canal, 
and  attack  Ramadi  from  the  south,  where  it  would 
least  be  expected.  Arrangements  had  been  made 
to  water  the  force  by  Ford  vans  from  the  Euphrates. 
With  the  crossing  of  the  Habbaniyeh  Canal 
secured,  the  Cavalry  Brigade  were  to  ride  west  to 
the  Azizieh  Canal,  where  water  would  be  found,  and 
then  "  burn  their  boats  "  and  get  behind  the  enemy 
astride  the  Aleppo  road.  It  was  a  bold  scheme,  so 
bold  that  the  enemy  could  barely  expect  it. 

Before  dawn  the  infantry  on  the  left  had  secured 
the  dam  over  the  canal,  and  with  daylight  the 
Mushaid  ridge  was  heavily  bombarded.  The  enemy 
retired  at  once,  and  as  soon  as  our  bombardment 
stopped  put  a  heavy  barrage  on  the  ridge  them- 
selves. They  must  have  assumed  that  we  would 
follow  up  our  bombardment  on  to  this  position,  for 
they  had  the  place  accurately  registered,  and  it  no 
doubt  was  a  trap.  But  they  wasted  their  ammuni- 


202       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

tion  in  blowing  up  desert,  for  not  a  man  of 
Brooking's  force  went  a  yard  further  up  the  slope. 
The  I2'th  Brigade,  on  the  right,  turned  sharp  left, 
and  with  the  cavalry  traversed  the  Turkish  front, 
effectively  hidden  by  the  Mushaid  ridge.  To  cover 
this  movement  the  left  Brigade,  to  the  west  of  'the 
Habbaniyeh  Canal,  advanced  and  attacked  the 
enemy's  southern  position.  The  Gurkhas  and 
Dorsets  pressed  forward  over  the  bare  shingle 
until  they  could  get  no  further  against  the  accuracy 
of  'the  Turkish  gunners  and  enfilade  machine-gun 
fire.  They  lost  heavily  but  hung  on,  parched  by 
thirst  under  the  killing  fire,  all  the  hot  day.  Mean- 
while the  1 2th  Brigade  passed  in  rear  of  the  42nd, 
and  coming  up  on  the  left  won  a  footing  on  the 
Azizieh  ridge.  The  Ford  vans  plied  backwards  and 
forwards  with  water;  thousands  of  gallons  were 
supplied  to  man  and  beast. 

Merton's  Flight  kept  in  touch  with  'the  cavalry, 
and  spent  a  strenuous  day  co-operating  with  all 
arms.  Merton  himself  unfortunately  got  a  bullet 
'through  both  legs  early  in  the  morning,  but 
managed  to  land  safely. 

By  nightfall  we  heard  that  General  Holland- 
Prior's  Cavalry  Brigade  was  across  the  Aleppo 
road.  The  enemy  was  hemmed  in  to  the  south 
and  south-east  by  our  infantry.  To  the  north  flowed 
the  Euphrates.  Ahmed  Bey  was  trapped.  At 
G.H.Q.  there  was  a  buzz  of  excitement. 

The  cavalry  had  taken  up  an  extended  position 
on  some  high  ground  five  miles  to  the  west  of 
Ramadi;  with  horse-holders  their  rifles  were  few, 


DAYS  GRAVE  AND  GAY  203 

but  they  had  mounted  their  machine-guns 
cunningly,  and  were  strongly  equipped  with 
Hotchkiss  guns.  At  3  a.m.  the  Turks  bumped  into 
the  1 4th  Hussars  in  the  dark,  and  made  a  desperate 
effort  to  get  through.  The  bursting  storms  of  rifle 
and  machine-gun  fire  raged  till  dawn,  but  the 
cavalry  were  still  across  the  enemy's  line  of  retreat ; 
they  gave  no  ground.  With  daylight  the  infantry 
attack  was  resumed.  The  Turks  turned  at  bay  and 
counter-attacked  repeatedly,  but  there  was  no 
stopping  our  men  now.  The  39th  Garhwalis,  on  the 
left,  caught  sight  of  'the  bridge  carrying  the  road 
over  the  Azizieh  Canal  behind  the  'town;  the  only 
outlet  for  any  wheels  from  Ramadi.  By  it  was  a 
battery  blazing  point-blank  as  they  charged  for 
their  muzzles.  The  Turkish  gunners  served  their 
guns  to  the  end,  and  died  bravely.  The  enemy 
were  finished ;  all  their  defences  had  been  captured 
and  their  retreat  was  blocked.  White  flags  began 
to  show  over  mud  walls;  2,000  streamed  out  of 
buildings  and  surrendered  to  the  few  Garhwalis; 
Ahmed  Bey  gave  himself  up  with  his  staff  to  the 
9Oth  Punjabis.  White  flags  were  up  everywhere, 
and  a  curious  silence  hung  over  all;  3,500  prisoners 
had  been  taken,  13  guns,  12  machine-guns,  2  armed 
launches,  2  barges,  and  a  large  quantity  of  arms, 
ammunition,  stores,  and  supplies  also  fell  into  our 
hands.  I  landed  close  to  General  Brooking  soon 
after  the  surrender;  the  little  General  was  even 
more  cheerful  'than  usual ;  by  superb  tactics  he  had 
washed  the  Turkish  force  off  the  map;  the  success 
had  been  made  possible  by  the  arrangements  to 


204       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

supply  water  to  the  troops  by  car,  for  the  days  were 
still  hot ;  but  the  magnificent  ride  and  stubborn 
tenacity  of  Holland-Prior's  cavalry  was  the 
decisive  factor  in  the  achievement  of  a  brilliant 
plan. 

Many  of  the  Turks  seemed  pleased  to  be 
prisoners;  only  a  few  cavalry  and  some  strong 
swimmers  escaped  by  swimming  'the  river.  So  swift 
had  been  the  "  coup  "  that  Turkish  Army  Head- 
quarters at  Mosul  were  unaware  of  the  fate  that  had 
befallen  the  Ramadi  garrison.  The  next  morning 
a  German  aeroplane  from  the  Tigris  glided  down 
with  the  apparent  intention  of  landing  outside  the 
town,  but  must  have  spotted  something  strange, 
for  he  switched  on  his  engine  at  the  last  moment 
and  made  off.  Vain  efforts  to  start  the  engine  of 
a  Spad  allowed  the  Hun  to  get  clear. 

Brooking's  clean  sweep  and  the  daily  drop  in 
the  temperature  put  new  life  into  the  British  army, 
rather  the  worse  for  the  hot  weather.  Our  spirits 
were  good,  we  began  to  feel  alive  again,  and  looked 
forward  to  getting  "  some  move  on'"  to  the  north, 
east,  and  west  of  Baghdad. 


Chapter  VL 


ON  THREE  FRONTS. 

For  in  and  out,  above,  about,  below, 

'Tis  nothing  but  a  Magic  Shadow  Show, 

Play'd  in  a  Box  whose  Candle  is  the  Sun, 

Round   which   we    Phantom    Figures    come    and    go. 

—OMAR. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  BRITISH  garrison  was  left  at  Ramadi,  and  Ahmed 
Bey,  with  his  force,  was  brought  into  Baghdad. 
The  Flight  on  the  Euphrates  returned  to  Felujah 
temporarily,  where  it  was  easier  to  supply  'them. 
Before  embarkation  for  their  places  of  detention 
in  India  and  Burma,  the  captured  Turkish  troops 
marched  through  Baghdad  as  a  demonstration  of 
the  might  of  British  arms,  and  for  salutary  effect  on 
the  disturbing  factions  ever  at  work  among  the 
populace.  The  long  column  shuffled  through  the 
streets  between  the  flashing  bayonets  of  Tommy 
and  Sepoy.  Their  physique  was  generally  good, 
but  'their  clothes  were  in  rags,  and  they  did  not 
possess  a  sound  pair  of  boots  among  them;  their 
tunics  and  overcoats  were  German,  with  the 
Imperial  Crown  on  the  button.  The  Christian  and 
Persian  population  thronged  'the  route  to  revel  in 
the  spectacle,  but  the  Mahommedans  mainly  kept 
to  their  own  houses,  and  the  women  at  some  points 
gave  way  to  their  curious  wailing. 

The  same  day  that  Ahmed  Bay  surrendered — the 
29th   September — the    town    of    Mendali,    on   our 

opposite  flank,  ninety  miles  north-east  of  Baghdad, 

207 


208       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

was  occupied  by  our  cavalry,  who  marched  from 
Beled  Ruz.    The  country  around  being  cultivated, 
the  place  had  been  used  by  the  Turks  as  a  source 
of  supply  since  the  retirement  of  the  Russians.  A 
hundred  Turkish  cavalry,  under  a  German  major, 
fled  into  the  hills  on  the  approach  of  our  column, 
but  lost  some  men  from  bombs  droppe4  by  two 
aeroplanes  and  from  our  guns.    They  left  behind 
them  three  hundred  baggage  camels  and  a  large 
quantity  of  grain  and  supplies.    The  local  Sheikhs 
came  in  and  arrangements  were  made  for  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  area  to  be  supplied  to  the  British  army 
instead  of  to  the  Turks.     Mendali  was  perhaps  a 
greater  loss  to  the  enemy  than  a  gain  to  us.     We 
had  the  whole  of  the  rich  lower  Euphrates  area  to 
open  up  and  tap  for  supplies,  but  'the  enemy  was 
forced  to  exist  in  utterly  barren  lands,  relying  on 
supplies  reaching  him  by  way  of  rafts,  known  as 
'  Killiks,"   down  the   unnavigable  waters   of  'the 
Tigris  and  Euphrates.     The  i3th  Turkish  Corps 
about  Kifri,  away  from  either  river,  were  dependent 
on  supply  by  baggage  animals.     The  problem  did 
not  merely  concern  their  arniy,  for  the  whole  popu- 
lation for  hundreds  of  miles  was  starving.     Lieut. 
Welman,    who   had    the   misfortune  to  be    taken 
prisoner  at  Kifri  a  month  later,  watched  the  women 
crawling  about  "  grazing  "  on  the  ground  wherever 
there  might  be  a  few  blades  of  grass.    The  streets 
of  Kifri  were  full  of  dead  and  dying;  those  who 
remained  alive  were  but  living  skeletons.     As  a 
result,  the  deserters  that  came  over  to  our  outposts 
on  this  front  were  numerous. 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  2CK) 

On  the  5th  October  Lieuts.  MacRae  and  Blake, 
reconnoitring  up  the  Adhaim  River,  seventy  miles 
N.E.  from  Samarra,  failed  to  return.  Search  was 
immediately  made  by  another  R.E.  8  from  Samarra 
and  two  B.E.  2C.s  from  Baqubah.  The  missing 
machine  was  located  that  afternoon  by  Lieuts. 
Adams  and  West,  who  went  down  low  to  investi- 
gate; there  were  Arabs  below,  and  both  machines 
were  hit  by  rifle-fire.  Apart  from  this  the  ground 
was  too  broken  to  land  without  crashing.  Adams 
thought  he  saw  the  white  skins  of  two  officers 
without  shirts,  and  that  one  of  them  waved  to  him. 
It  has  since  transpired  that  what  Adams  saw  were 
sure  enough  the  'two  captured  officers.  The  Arabs 
had  taken  most  of  their  clothing  and  made  them 
drag  their  machine  some  distance  over  the  desert, 
cutting  their  backs  open  with  "courbashes."  MacRae 
laughed  at  one  of  the  most  aggressive,  and  tried  to 
make  the  others  do  the  same,  but  the  ruffian  felled 
him  to  the  ground  with  the  butt  of  his  rifle.  To  watch 
our  machines  fade  away  must  have  been  a  bitter 
moment.  Intelligence  Branch  G.H.Q.  and  political 
officers  took  immediate  action  in  doing  all  that  was 
possible  to  get  these  officers  back.  Pamphlets 
offering  large  rewards  were  dropped  over  the 
locality,  and  Sir  Percy  Cox  (Chief  Political  Officer) 
sent  out  an  influential  Arab,  who  owned  land  at 
Bandi-Adhaim.  This  Sheikh  reached  the  place  by 
motor-car  and  horseback,  only  to  receive  the  news 
that  the  two  officers  had  been  handed  over  'to  the 
Turks  on  the  6th.  On  the  long  journey  to  Asia 
Minor  the  only  consideration  they  received  at  all 


2IO       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

was  from  the  German  officers  they  encountered,  who 
helped  them  as  best  they  could.  There  seemed  a 
blight  on  63  Squadron. 

With  the  increasing  shortage  of  foodstuffs 
generally,  and  the  growing  Hifficulties  of  transport 
by  sea,  the  cultivation  of  the  country  was  a  matter 
of  urgent  moment  in  order  to  make  the  army  as 
self-supporting  as  possible.  Once  a  vast  grain- 
producing  area,  the  land  still  retains  a  soil  richly 
prolific  provided  that  irrigation  is  possible;  as  the 
Tommy  said  :  "  Spit  on  it,  and  something  will 
grow."  The  only  arid  districts  are  those  where  salt 
deposits  eliminate  vegetation.  The  enemy, 
however,  were  again  in  occupation  of  the  Jebel 
Hamrin  on  both  banks  of  the  Diala,  and  had  control 
of  'the  canals  that  branch  from  that  river  and  irrigate 
the  country  to  the  S.W.  and  S.E.  They  had  inter- 
fered with  the  water  supply,  and  it  was  necessary 
to  deny  them  access  to  the  points  of  irrigation 
control.  For  broader  strategical  reasons  it  was  also 
necessary  that  Force  "  D  "  should  pull  her  full 
weight  and  attack  them  whenever  within  reach  in 
order  to  relieve  pressure  on  'the  Palestine  front. 
Accordingly,  soon  after  the  Ramadi  operations, 
General  Maude  decided  to  eject  the  Turks  from 
the  banks  of  the  Diala  in  the  Jebel  Hamrin.  For 
these  operations  one  of  the  Flights  a't  Baqubah 
moved  up  to  Shahroban. 

To  endeavour  to  cripple  the  hostile  air  unit 
before  the  movements  commenced  a  raid  on  the 
Kifri  aerodrome  was  carried  out  by  Lieuts.  Skinner, 
Welman,  and  Nuttall,  in  three  Martinsydes. 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  211 

Six  122  lb.  and  twelve  20  Ib.  bombs  were  dropped, 
and  then,  to  ensure  effect,  these  officers  emptied 
their  machine-guns  from  a  height  of  2,000  feet  at 
the  enemy  aeroplanes  on  the  ground.  It  was 
thought  'that  at  least  two  were  put  out  of  action. 
The  raid  was  boldly  carried  out  in  broad  day- 
light, and  the  Martinsydes  were  under  heavy  fire 
throughout.  Two  of  them  were  badly  hit. 
Skinner  had  a  bullet  through  his  petrol  tank,  and 
to  get  away  from  the  Turk  he  made  for  the  desert, 
and  came  down  15  miles  west  of  Kifri  in  enemy 
country.  Nuttall  and  Welman  followed  him,  and  the 
latter  came  down  near  by,  though  unfortunately  with 
his  engine  stopped.  Meanwhile  some  Arabs  and  a 
Turkish  detachment  opened  fire  with  a  machine- 
gun  from  a  range  of  about  nine  hundred  yards. 
Nuttall,  who  had  had  the  water  connection  to  his 
radiator  shot  away,  but  was  still  flying,  attacked 
this  detachment  with  machine-gun  fire  from  the  air, 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  several  bowl 
over,  while  Skinner  and  Welman  set  about  burning 
the  stranded  machine  and  started  off  in  the  other. 
All  maps  and  ammunition  were  saved,  but  time  did 
not  allow  for  the  salvage  of  machine-guns,  as  the 
enemy  were  closing  in  rapidly.  The  damaged 
Martinsyde  finally  blew  up  through  'the  explosion 
of  a  2O-lb.  bomb.  Nuttall,  with  his  water  gone, 
regained  our  lines  at  Shahroban,  while  Skinner 
and  Welman,  wedged  into  the  single  seat  of  their 
machine,  got  back  to  Baqubah.  These  three  officers 
proved  an  undefeatable  trio  on  many  occasions. 
The  daring  of  Frank  Nuttall  knew  no  bounds,  and 


212       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

he  was  ever  a  wizard  with  his  engines.  We  had 
gone  over  to  France  together  in  the  early  days  of 
1914,  when  the  old  R.F.C.  was  a  very  limited  com- 
pany, and  he  had  joined  up  with  the  first  rush  as 
a  corporal-mechanic.  After  two  years  'this  New 
Zealander  joined  me  in  Mesopotamia,  more 
cheerful  and  dauntless  than  ever.  He  never  went 
sick,  but  in  the  worst  heat  would  resort  to 
an  amphibious  life  and  sit  for  hours  of  the  day  in 
the  Diala  with  his  head  just  above  water  reading 
a  book  under  a  large  parasol.  Though  shot  about 
on  countless  occasions,  more  than  once  stranded 
behind  the  enemy's  lines,  and  out  on  every  raid  or 
night  flight,  Nuttall's  star  never  failed  him.  In 
the  war  practically  every  great  spirit  went  west,  but 
Frank  Nuttall  came  through. 

On  the  1 8th  October,  the  opening  day  of  opera- 
tions, a  patrol  of  three  Martinsydes  noticed  two 
enemy  machines  leave  the  Kifri  aerodrome,  and 
kept  one  in  view  till  they  overhauled  him  fifteen 
miles  north  of  the  Diala,  at  a  height  of  7,500  feet. 
Fire  was  opened  at  a  range  of  under  200  yards. 
The  Albatross  dived  for  home  and  outdistanced  the 
Martinsydes,  who  followed  down  to  a  height  of 
500  fee't.  The  observer  in  the  Albatross  fired 
steadily  from  his  rear  gun  the  whole  way  down,  and, 
although  the  Hun  must  have  been  knocked  about, 
he  got  away.  These  raids  put  fear  into  the  hearts 
of  the  enemy  flying  unit  at  Kifri.  They  were  well 
watched  during  the  operations  of  the  next  few  days, 
and  never  showed  themselves  over  the  scene  of 
action,  only  leaving  the  ground  when  any  of  our 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  213 

machines  happened  to  appear  overhead,  when  they 
flew  round  and  round  the  aerodrome  until  we  had 
gone. 

On  the  1 8th  troops  of  the  I3th  Division  from 
Sindiyeh  advanced  on  Deli  Abbas,  and  drove  the 
Turks  back  into  the  hills.  That  night  General 
Marshall  concentrated  three  columns,  one  on  'the 
right  and  two  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Diala.  The 
plan  was  to  hold  them  frontally  on  both  banks  while 
two  brigades  of  'the  I4th  Division  rolled  in  the 
Turkish  left  flank  and  the  7th  Cavalry  Brigade, 
under  General  Norton,  enveloped  their  left  rear. 
There  was  a  bridge  over  the  Diala  at  Kizil  Robat. 

At  dawn  of  the  iQth  October  the  converging 
movement  commenced,  and  the  cavalry  were  across 
the  Khanikin  road,  behind  the  enemy,  by  7.30  a.m. 
But  the  Turk  had  not  waited  for  a  second  Ramadi. 
He  evacuated  the  left  bank  during  the  night,  and 
the  last  of  his  troops  were  across  the  bridge  at  Kizil 
Robat  early  in  the  morning.  Our  aeroplanes 
engaged  him  retreating  along  the  Kara  Tepe  road, 
and  watched  him  burn  the  bridge  behind  him.  Some 
targets  were  engaged  at  extreme  range  and  a  few 
prisoners  captured.  In  'the  evening  the  enemy  left 
the  right  bank  after  slight  opposition,  and  joined 
the  columns  retreating  towards  Kifri.  They  crossed 
the  bridge  at  Kara  Tepe,  blew  it  up,  and  again 
retired  out  of  touch  with  the  British  force.  The 
victory  was  nearly  bloodless.  The  next  day  the 
retreating  columns  were  attacked  from  the  air,  and 
panic  and  dismay  beset  the  worn-out  Turks. 

During  the  summer  Wing  H.Q.  had  been 
p 


214       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

augmented  by  Major  Grinlinton,  as  artillery  liaison 
officer;  he  did  much  to  promote  the  efficiency  of 
the  artillery  co-operation.  The  "  old  man  "  had 
been  blown  up  and  gassed  on  the  Somme,  and  after 
firing  a  round  a  minute  for  weeks  on  end  in  that 
sphere  of  chaotic  destruction,  it  must  have  been  a 
relief  to  come  to  the  more  scattered  strife  of  the 
desert.  In  quiet  'times  in  our  home  at  Baghdad  he 
would  work  out  horoscopes  till  two  in  the  morning 
with  amazing  accuracy ;  but  when  the  first  shot  was 
fired  he  would  be  found  rushing  round  the  desert  in 
a  Ford  van  with  a  wireless  operator,  orderly,  forty- 
pound  tent,  and  rations  for  a  week,  and  a  glint  in 
his  eye  foretold  some  wonderful  counter-battery 
scheme  and  Hell  for  the  Turk. 

Four  of  us  now  lived  in  the  house  at  Baghdad, 
"Old  Man,"  "  Chocolo,"  Buxton,  and  myself; 
P.  S.,  being  of  another  unit,  had  gone.  They  were 
happy  days.  :<  Old  Man  "  was  an  authority  on 
many  'things,  and  an  efficient  mess  caterer;  after 
dinner  he  and  "  Chocolo  "  would  sing  songs  and 
beat  an  old  German  piano  far  into  the  night 
:<  Where  the  mountains  of  Mourne  flow  down  to  the 
sea  "  and  "  Twa  moons  in  the  sky  "  still  echo  in 
my  ears.  Be'tween  operations  "  Old  Man  "  spent 
much  time  absorbing  quinine  and  aspirin  on  his 
bed ;  the  sound  of  the  piano,  however,  would  bring 
him  out  even  in  the  throes  of  a  fever,  and  the  old 
song  would  start  again. 

"  Huxley,"  the  wireless  expert,  had  by  now 
trained  seventy  operators  and  organised  numerous 
wireless  stations  on  the  front.  The  R.F.C.  helped 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  215 

the  Anzac  wireless  squadron  in  the  Intelligence 
work  for  G.H.Q.  Before  many  months  this  web  of 
desert  aerials  was  doubled,  longer  distance  plant 
was  installed  in  aeroplanes,  and  several  'transmitting 
ground  stations  erected  at  various  points. 

One  hot  day  a  huge  man  in  shirt  sleeves,  covered 
from  head  'to  foot  in  dust,  broke  into  my  office  and 
introduced  himself  as  officer  commanding  the  Kite 
Balloon  Company.  He  had  arrived  direct  from 
Busrah  in  advance  of  his  company,  and  a  convoy 
of  cars  were  waiting  outside.  Three  had  been 
dropped  with  broken  axles  at  various  points  in  the 
400  miles,  but  here  he  was ;  where  was  the  war  ?  and 
it  was  a  "  d — d  fine  picnic."  Jensen  was  a  hardy 
customer ;  after  twenty  years  planting  in  the  Malay 
States  he  abandoned  the  fruits  of  his  toil  on  the 
first  roll  of  'the  drum  in  1914  to  fight  for  his  country. 
Sho't  down  in  a  flaming  balloon  on  the  Somme,  he 
'took  to  his  parachute,  which  the  Hun  peppered  as 
he  drifted  down  on  some  trees  in  No  Man's  Land ; 
surviving  this  and  several  barrages,  he  got  back  to 
our  lines.  Meanwhile  an  insurrection  broke  out  in 
Malaya;  home  and  estates  were  devastated,  yet 
sunshine  radiated  wherever  he  went;  the  fact  of 
living  was  good  enough  for  Jensen.  t 

By  mid-October -the  nights  had  become  quite 
cold,  but  sickness  was  still  considerable.  No.  63 
Squadron  were  sadly  deficient;  thirty-two  of  their 
ranks  had  already  been  invalided  to  India  without 
seeing  the  front  in  Mesopotamia;  a  further  thirty 
were  distributed  among  the  hospitals ;  added  to  this 
six  of  their  number  had  been  captured.  Of  the 


2l6       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

other  squadron  and  Aircraft  Park  some  haH  been 
invalided  and  many  were  in  hospital.  Bill  Bayly 
had  been  carried  off  a  wreck  to  India.  Never- 
theless, compared  'to  the  debacle  of  a  month  ago, 
things  had  appreciated  wonderfully. 

The  Tigris  reconnaissance  noticed  enemy  move- 
ments south  of  their  advanced  position  at  Daur 
on  the  22nd  October.  They  apparently  desired  to 
avoid  detection,  for  this  reconnaissance  of  two 
R.E.  8's  was  met  and  engaged  by  two 
Albatrosses  over  enemy  country.  Both  hostile 
machines  were  driven  down  by  Captain  Simpson 
and  Lieut.  Jamieson,  with  Lieuts.  Underbill  and 
Taunton.  We  heard  later  that  one  had  been 
crashed  and  the  pilot  had  both  legs  broken;  the 
other  was  reported  damaged;  63  Squadron  main- 
tained a  close  watch. 

On  the  25th  October  our  advanced  patrols  inter- 
fered with  the  Turks  constructing  a  position  eight 
miles  north  of  Samarra,  and  drove  them  back  on 
Daur.  General  Maude  decided  to  advance  and 
attack  at  the  latter  place ;  the  7th  Division  accord- 
ingly concentrated  forward. 

On  the  22nd  a  tragedy  occurred  at  Shahroban. 
Lieuts.  Gardner  and  Leeson  were  leaving  for 
reconnaissance,  when  the  engine  failed  after  getting 
off.  Gardner,  in  order  to  avoid  coming  down  on 
3rd  Corps  H.Q.  camp,  attempted  to  turn.  He  lost 
control,  the  machine  dived  into  the  ground,  and 
immediately  went  up  in  flames.  Gardner  got  clear 
with  slight  burns,  but  Leeson  could  not  be  extri- 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  217 

cated;  the  petrol  tank  had  exploded,  and  i't  was 
all  over  in  a  minute. 

Poor  Leeson  had  done  brilliant  work  with  the 
Horse  Gunners,  and  been  specially  chosen  to  join 
us.  So  young  and  so  gallant,  he  had  already  won 
a  D.S.O.  in  action,  and  could  ill  be  spared. 
Perhaps  one  of  our  most  expert  artillery  spotters 
was  Lieut.  R.  B.  Sievier.  "  Bob  "  became  a  wizard 
with  his  wireless  work ;  if  he  was  up  the  guns  never 
failed  to  hit ;  with  uncanny  genius  he  would  control 
two  or  three  batteries  at  a  time  as  fast  as  they  could 
put  on  their  corrections  and  get  into  the  targets. 

On  the  30th  October  Lieut.  Hyslop,  of  63 
Squadron,  left  Busrah  with  a  new  Spad  to  join  up 
with  63  at  the  front.  There  was  a  thick  ground- 
mist  between  Kurnah  and  Amara.  He  was  heard 
flying  round,  apparently  trying  to  land  by  a  post 
on  'the  Tigris  about  forty  miles  south  of  Amara,  but 
he  crashed  into  the  ground  in  the  mist,  and  was 
eventually  found  dead  among  the  wreckage.  The 
next  day  Captain  Ffiske,  of  the  same  squadron, 
flying  up  river,  dropped  a  wreath  on  the  funeral  at 
Kurnah. 

The  23rd  Kite  Balloon  Company  had  forty 
casualties  through  sickness  on  the  way  up  river,  the 
result  of  sending  unfit  men  out  from  England; 
balloon  units  at  this  period  of  the  war  were  com- 
posed of  men  unfit  for  'the  infantry ;  the  shortage  of 
man-power  entailed  such  a  procedure  for  European 
warfare,  but  it  was  false  economy  for  Mesopotamia. 
By  this  time  we  had  grown  used  to  disappointments ; 
reinforcements  arrived  at  Busrah  meant  nothing  till 


2l8       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

they  had  reached  the  front ;  we  learnt  to  work  with 
a  nucleus  of  personnel.  A  fortnight  later  No.  51 
Kite  Balloon  Section  arrived  from  Busrah  and  put 
up  their  gasbag  as  sentinel  over  Samarra;  'the  other 
section  of  the  balloon  company  followed  soon  after, 
and  went  out  to  Ramadi. 

The  ist  Corps  on  the  Tigris  were  now  ready  'to 
go  for  the  Turk  at  Daur.  Our  operations  had 
generally  been  preceded  by  an  aerial  attack  on  the 
enemy's  air  unit  on  the  threatened  front.  So,  on 
'the  3ist  October,  in  order  to  bluff  him,  three 
Martinsydes  and  three  B.E.s  attacked  the  Kifri 
aerodrome,  the  opposite  front  to  that  on  which 
operations  were  imminent.  The  formation  was  led 
by  Frank  Nuttall.  Over  Kifri  one  of  the  Martin- 
sydes was  seen  by  two  pilots  to, go  down  and  land 
on  the  west  edge  of  the  aerodrome  and  the  pilot  to 
get  into  a  nullah;  a  112  Ib.  bomb  was  observed  to 
burst  close  to  the  stranded  British  machine.  Mean- 
while an  enemy  aeroplane  had  climbed  to  the  same 
height  as  our  machines.  He  was  engaged  by 
Lieuts.  Adams  and  Cox.  Adams'  petrol  tanks  were 
shot  through,  and  he  also  was  forced  to  land  in 
enemy  country.  Nuttall  followed  him  down, 
although  under  fire  from  the  ground.  With  his 
machine-gun  he  cleared  the  neighbourhood,  and 
then  landed  just  as  Adams  sent  his  machine  up  in 
a  cloud  of  smoke.  It  was  a  matter  of  seconds,  and 
Adams  jumped  on  to  the  plane  of  N uf tail's 
machine  before  it  had  come  to  a  standstill.  Nuttall, 
with  Adams  clinging  on,  opened  his  throttle  and 
roared  off  downhill,  pouring  bulle'ts  into  a  Turkish 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  2 19 

detachment,  which  fled  in  terror.  It  was  brilliant. 
Cox,  whose  radiator  had  been  pierced  by  a  piece 
of  shell,  glided  for  the  Diala  with  engine  seized 
and  on  fire.  Landing  in  a  deserted  area,  he  started 
to  trek  for  our  outposts,  eighteen  miles  distant. 
Successfully  avoiding  several  patrols,  he  regained 
the  British  lines  at  4  p.m.,  having  done  the  course 
in  six  and  a  half  hours.  At  noon  that  day,  after 
Nuttall  had  brought  Adams  back,  we  knew  that 
there  were  still  two  Martinsydes  missing;  one  was 
down  at  Kifri,  but  where  was  the  other?  Cox  had 
not  yet  got  back.  Two  B.E.s  first  of  all  went  out 
in  search,  but  discovered  nothing ;  one  was  attacked 
out  of  the  sun  by  an  Albatross  Scout,  which  dived 
and  fired  one  burst,  repeated  the  evolution  without 
firing,  and  then  flew  off  north.  To  quote  Lieut. 
Dale,  the  Albatross  appeared  to  be  about 
100  M.P.H.  faster  than  his  own  machine. 
Then  Nut'tall  and  Morris  went  out  intent  on  finding 
Cox.  Armoured  cars  also  scoured  the  country. 
Nuttall  and  Morris  eventually  spotted  the  charred 
remains  of  Cox's  machine,  flew  back,  and  landed  by 
the  armoured  cars  near  Kizil  Robat.  In  doing  this 
Nuttall  unfortunately  crashed  his  under-carriage 
on  the  broken  ground.  The  Turks  started  shelling 
them  from  a  4.2  inch  gun  across  'the  river,  and 
Morris  was  blown  some  yards  by  a  shell  and  had 
his  foot  damaged.  They  boarded  an  armoured  car 
and  went  'to  Kizil  Robat,  where  the  Sheikh  was 
interviewed  and  requested  to  produce  Lieut.  Cox 
without  delay.  But  Cox  had  by  this  time  reached 
our  lines.  The  two  machines  were  hauled  back 


220       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

from  their  exposed  position  by  the  infantry  and 
returned  to  their  aerodromes  the  next  day.  It  had 
been  an  unlucky  and  expensive  raid,  but  there  was 
little  doubt  'that  one  hostile  machine  was  destroyed, 
and  the  extraordinary  dash  and  contempt  of  danger 
with  which  it  was  carried  out  must  have  left  its 
mark. 

Three  machines  were  lost,  but  only  one  pilot, 
Lieut.  Welman.  He  was  hit  by  a  machine-gun 
bullet  in  the  left  forearm,  which  smashed  both 
bones  and  severed  an  artery.  Having  fainted  from 
loss  of  blood,  the  machine  glided  on  by  itself;  he 
"  came  to  "  when  only  500  feet  off  the  ground,  and, 
managing  'to  regain  partial  control,  landed  without 
totally  crashing.  The  Turks  lifted  him  out  and  laid 
him  in  a  nullah  some  distance  away,  so  as  to  be 
clear  of  the  bombs,  which  were  still  bursting  on  the 
aerodrome ;  one,  however,  fell  within  fifteen  yards, 
blowing  the  hindquarters  off  a  Turkish  soldier  stand- 
ing guard  close  by.  Welman  spent  three  days  in 
Kifri,  where  a  Turkish  surgeon  operated  on  the 
wound.  Thence  he  was  sent  in  an  open  cart  to 
Kirkuk.  The  nights  en  route  were  spent  in  Arab 
huts  of  awful  nlthiness,  while  black  bread  and  water 
were  only  produced  at  rare  intervals.  The  artery 
had  been  badly  fixed  up,  and  by  the  time  he  arrived 
at  Kirkuk  it  was  necessary  to  inject  artificial  blood 
to  keep  him  alive.  Welman  spent  six  months  at 
Kirkuk;  the  first  two  in  a  small  guardroom,  alone, 
no  one  to  talk  to  and  nothing  to  read.  For  the 
remaining  four  months  he  was  removed  to  'the 
Turkish  officers'  hospital.  During  all  this  time  he 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  221 

lay  on  his  back ;  food  was  scarce  owing  to  the  state 
of  famine  in  the  country,  and  he  never  had  more 
than  two  of  the  smallest  meals  a  day;  sometimes 
there  was  no  bread  for  weeks.  He  learnt  Turkish, 
which  eventually  secured  him  better  attention,  but 
the  doctors  made  a  sorry  mess  of  his  arm.  There 
were  four  operations,  two  without  anaesthetic,  and 
successions  of  fainting  were  the  only  relief  to  'the 
pain.  For  all  the  six  months  he  seldom  had  a  wash 
and  the  hospital  clothes  he  was  obliged  to  wear 
crawled  with  vermin.  Fortunately  he  received  his 
kit,  which  was  dropped  by  our  machines  at  Kifri. 
In  January  Welman  heard  that  Lander  was  in  a 
German  hospital  at  Mosul,  and  managed  to  send 
him  a  letter.  Later  on,  in  April,  he  saw  three 
R.E.  8's  come  over  the  Hun  aerodrome  to  drop  kit 
belonging  to  Captain  Haight,  who  had  been  taken 
prisoner  on  another  front.  Eventually  Welman 
managed  to  communicate  with  his  squadron  'through 
the  kindness  of  a  German  flying  officer  who  had 
gained  admission  to  the  Turkish  hospital.  A  note 
was  written  to  Nuttall  and  dropped  over  our  lines 
on  their  next  trip.  In  May,  1918,  Welman  left 
Kirkuk  for  Asia  Minor,  via  Mosul ;  here  he  met  the 
first  people  who  spoke  his  own  tongue,  Lander  and 
Colonel  Beazley,  R.E.;  the  latter  had  just  been 
captured  with  Lieut.  Edwards,  who  died  of  wounds. 
The  German  Flying  Corps  buried  Edwards  in  the 
cemetery,  and  all  turned  out  in  their  full  kit. 
Lander,  Beazley,  and  Welman  sadly  watched  the 
earth  thrown  over  their  comrade  in  captivity,  while 
four  machines,  led  by  our  old  antagonist,  Captain 


222       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Schutz,  flew  over  and  saluted  'the  grave.  It  is  best 
not  to  think  of  those  six  dark  months  spent  by 
Welman  in  Kirkuk.  It  was  mere  chance  that  in 
spite  of  his  weak  state  he  did  not  fall  victim  to 
typhus  or  small-pox  which  ravaged  the  enemy 
troops,  and  his  strength  held  out  though  starved 
and  bloodless. 

On  the  ist  November  the  3rd  Division,  from 
Istabulat,  had  closed  up  with  the  remainder  of  the 
ist  Corps  at  Samarra.  The  Cavalry  Division  were 
also  marched  up  during  the  night  and  lay  hidden  in 
nullahs  during  the  day.  On  the  night  of  the  ist 
the  Cavalry  and  7th  Divisions  marched  north  from 
Samarra.  There  were  eighteen  miles  'to  cover,  and 
it  was  hoped  that  the  cavalry  would  get  round  the 
desert  flank  of  the  Daur  position  before  dawn,  when 
the  infantry  attack  would  be  launched.  If  all  went 
well  we  might  hem  'the  Turkish  garrison  to  his 
ground. 

All  arrangements  had  been  made  with 
63  Squadron.  "Old  Man"  and  I  started  off  in  a  Ford 
car  with  wireless  equipment  to  be  with  the  artillery 
when  the  show  started.  It  was  a  beautiful  starry 
night,  but  a  shivering  wind  blew  across  the  desert. 
We  had  to  make  a  wide  detour  to  the  left  to  get 
on  to  a  high  plateau,  where  the  going  was  good,  and 
there  was  no  chance  of  bumping  into  enemy  out- 
posts. When  you  have  motored  all  night  over 
desert  and  the  dawn  only  shows  featureless  sand, 
without  any  landmark,  it  is  easy  to  be  uncertain 
where  you  actually  are.  There  was  no  sound,  and 
we  could  see  nothing.  "  Old  Man  "  and  I  felt 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  223 

somewhat  foolish ;  we  might  have  gone  'too  far  and 
even  be  behind  the  Daur  position;  we  might  be 
close  up  to  the  Turks,  or  we  might  be  far  to  the 
west  in  the  desert.  We  go't  out  and  jumped  about 
to  restore  circulation  and  scan  the  dim  landscape 
with  our  glasses.  The  day  was  just  breaking,  and 
it  was  devilish  cold,  so  we  consumed  a  Thermos 
flaskful  of  coffee.  At  length,  as  the  light 
strengthened,  we  spied  the  familiar  sight  of  an 
armoured  car  moving  slowly  in  the  distance  like  an 
insect  on  the  desert.  We  jolted  after  it,  but  they 
were  equally  glad  to  see  us,  for  they,  too,  were  lost, 
and  had  been  roaming  about  all  night.  It  was 
decided  to  move  east,  which  anyway  must  bring  us 
to  the  river,  whether  behind  or  in  front  of  the 
enemy.  We  at  length  caught  sight  of  our  own 
troops  and  the  guns  just  coming  into  action  two 
miles  to  the  east.  The  cavalry  had  lost  direction, 
also,  and  had  halted  some  miles  from  their  assigned 
position  when  dawn  broke,  and  an  aeroplane  gave 
them  their  bearings.  The  enemy,  however,  did  not 
wait ;  in  a  night  the  British  army  had  come  twenty 
miles,  and  threatened  to  envelop  him.  I  had  a 
splendid  view  of  the  whole  situation  in  the  plain 
below  from  the  top  of  a  "  kopje,"  where  the  guns 
were  in  action.  The  aeroplanes  were  sending 
down  targets  as  fast  as  the  Turk  got  out  of  his 
trenches  and  rapidly  retired.  The  cavalry  rode  in 
from  'the  left  in  an  endeavour  to  cut  them  off,  but 
immediately  they  debouched  on  to  the  open  plain 
the  Turkish  gunners  got  the  range  accurately.  As 
the  regiments  trotted  down  from  the 


224       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

high  ground  and  deployed  in  the  open 
it  was  more  like  some  field  day  at  Aldershot 
than  actual  warfare,  until  the  white,  woolly  puffs 
of  bursting  shrapnel  started  playing  over  the  top. 
They  were  forced  to  take  cover,  and  'the  enemy  got 
away  north  'to  his  Tekrit  position.  We  had  failed 
to  envelop  him,  but,  thanks  to  rapidity  of  move- 
ment, had  captured  a  very  strong  position  with  few 
casualties.  After  twenty-four  hours'  marching  and 
fighting,  in  which  the  troops  had  covered  thirty 
miles,  they  lay  down  and  slept  till  the  night,  when 
the  pursuit  was  continued  towards  Tekrit. 

By  the  4th  'the  ist  Corps  and  Cavalry  Division 
were  concentrated  near  the  town;  the  Turkish 
position  was  strong  and  dug  in  a  semicircle,  with 
both  flanks  on  the  river;  63  Squadron  maintained 
close  contact  with  the  enemy,  keeping  Corps, 
Divisional,  and  Brigade  Headquarters  continually 
informed  of  the  situation  by  message  bags.  The 
cavalry,  working  on  the  western  flank,  required  their 
position  to  be  frequently  given  to  them  and  direc- 
'tion  corrected. 

The  enemy  attempted  to  stop  this  aerial  co-opera- 
tion by  sending  out  two  Albatrosses  from  Tekrit, 
but  although  on  each  occasion  the  action  was 
indecisive  owing  to  the  jambing  of  the  Spad's 
machine-gun,  the  work  was  never  interfered  with. 
All  the  autumn  we  experienced  many  disappoint- 
ments due  to  the  jambing  of  these  machine-guns. 
The  interruptor-gear  of  the  guns  firing  through  the 
propeller  was  new,  and  it  took  much  experience  to 
adjust  them  till  perfect  tune  was  arrived  at.  Also 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  225 

the  special  aircraft  ammunition  had  not  yet  reached 
us;  the  ordinary  ground  ammunition  was  a  sure 
source  for  jambs.  Time  and  agan  a  scout  pilot 
would  get  right  in  at  a  Hun,  p-p-pop — and  the  gun 
would  stop,  just  as  the  pilot  imagined  he  had  his 
enemy  cold  in  a  racing  dive  on  his  tail.  There  was 
nothing  left  to  do  but  break  away  for  home  and 
trust  he  would  not  follow.  Such  a  crisis  in  the  mad 
whirl  of  an  aerial  battle  was  more  than  a  bitter 
disappointment. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  November  the  8th 
Brigade  of  the  3rd  Division,  "  the  Fighting 
Starving  Eighth,"  assaulted  the  enemy's  centre; 
the  5Qth  Rifles  and  47th  Sikhs  took  the  first  line  of 
a  maze  of  trenches.  The  enemy  counter-attacked 
heavily;  the  i24th  Baluchis  and  Manchesters 
followed  in,  and  a  bloody  onslaught  went  on  till  the 
afternoon.  The  cavalry  meanwhile  contained  the 
enemy  to  the  west  of  the  town  and  awaited  their 
chance.  This  came  when  the  Seaforths  and  I25th 
Rifles  were  launched  in  under  a  barrage  on  the  left 
of  the  8th  Brigade,  and  the  enemy  in  front  of  them 
gave  way.  The  i3th  Hussars  and  i3th  Bengal 
Lancers  advanced  at  a  trot  and  brokeintothecharge. 
This  was  the  second  time  that  Colonel  Richardson 
led  his  Hussars  at  the  gallop  against  enemy 
trenches.  Wounded  in  the  charge  at  Lajj,  he  had 
returned  from  India  in  time  to  repeat  the  perform- 
ance at  Tekrit.  The  cavalry  thundered  over  the 
trenches  and  carried  on  half  a  mile  beyond.  The 
Turk  fled  in  dismay,  and  was  caught  by  the  sabres. 
But  the  inevitable  happened,  and  the  two 


226       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

regiments  came  under  a  galling  artillery  and 
machine-gun  fire.  They  fought  their  way  back 
dismounted,  but  many  a  trooper  and  sowar  was 
left  on  the  field.  Under  the  smoke  and  dust  of  the 
conflict  the  Turks  retreated  north,  burning  their 
ammunition  dumps  as  they  went,  and  during  the 
night  our  patrols  entered  Tekrit.  The  enemy 
casualties  were  estimated  at  two  thousand. 

The  Turks  were  now  out  of  striking  distance,  and 
as  it  was  impossible  and  of  no  advantage  to  main- 
tain a  large  force  at  Tekrit,  the  ist  Corps  marched 
back  to  Samarra,  while  the  enemy  took  up  a 
position  of  great  natural  strength  on  high  rocky 
ridges  astride  the  river  about  Fatah,  seventy  miles 
north  of  Samarra. 

On  the  evening  of  iyth  November  General 
Maude  was  taken  violently  ill  at  his  residence  in 
Baghdad.  Cholera  had  been  prevalent  in  the  town 
since  'the  cold  weather,  but  although  it  and  smallpox 
had  claimed  a  good  number  of  victims  there  was  no 
regular  epidemic,  the  cases  being  frequent  but 
scattered.  This  made  the  problem  of  segregation 
all  the  more  difficult  for  the  medical  authorities. 
On  the  1 7th  the  General  and  his  personal  staff  had 
attended  a  school  treat  in  the  town  and  drunk  coffee, 
the  usual  ceremonial  custom  of  the  East.  The 
following  morning,  on  the  way  to  my  office  I  learnt 
that  the  G.O.C.  was  dangerously  ill  and  'that  cholera 
was  suspected.  However,  a  fair  percentage  of 
cholera  cases  had  been  pulled  through,  and  'the 
doctors  were  hard  at  work  fighting  for  his  life. 
Alas,  it  was  of  no  avail,  and  the  great  General 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  22J 

succumbed  to  the  violence  of  the  attack  at  six 
o'clock  that  evening. 

This  sudden  blow  was  a  terrible  shock  to  the 
British  army  in  Mesopotamia,  for  we  had  grown  'to 
love  our  Chief.  My  own  work  had  brought  me 
into  constant  contact  with  him,  as  he  made  a  habit  of 
giving  me  his  requirements  and  discussing  all 
matters  with  regard  to  the  air  personally.  He  was 
a  leader  for  whom  one  worked  not  only  one's 
hardest  but  a  little  bit  more.  It  is  that  little  bit 
more  which  can  be  got  out  of  men  only  by  certain 
individuals;  it  is  not  there  and  cannot  be  forced, 
but  it  is  somehow  achieved  when  the  labour  is  not 
only  one  of  duty  but  one  of  love.  F.  S.  Maude 
was  such  a  man.  He  possessed  a  detailed  know- 
ledge of  every  branch  of  his  profession,  for  he  had 
spent  his  career  as  a  student  of  military  matters, 
and  for  years  had  worked  hard  'to  attain  this  end. 

It  is  difficult  to  define  charm,  but  perhaps  in  his 
case  it  lay  in  the  complete  elimination  of  himself 
in  the  scheme  of  things  and,  above  all,  in  his 
naturalness.  There  was  something  akin  'to  the 
schoolboy  in  his  enthusiasm  and  happiness.  It  was 
difficult  to  get  to  know  General  Maude,  but  once 
one  did  it  was  perfect  to  work  for  him.  His 
achievement  in  Mesopotamia  was  remarkable,  for 
he  had  taken  on  what  might  almost  have  been  called 
a  hopeless  task.  Failure  after  failure  and  a 
ravaging  climate  had  depressed  the  troops. 
Considerable  incompetence  prevailed ;  to  the  casual 
observer  on  arrival  the  main  idea  seemed  to  be  to 
get  out  of  the  country.  Maude  fought  it  down,  and 


228       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

gradually,  even  to  the  lowest  rank,  the  call  of  duty 
to  make  the  best  of  it  over-rode  all  else.  Things 
were  re-organised,  and  from  'the  root  the  fabric  was 
reconstructed ;  but  it  took  time  and  immense  energy 
from  all.  The  authorities  across  the  sea  at  last 
questioned  when  'the  Expeditionary  Force  would 
attack;  but  Maude  heeded  not,  and  answered 
"  When  I  am  ready."  Lesser  men  would  have 
started  sooner — and  failed.  Once  he  had  thrown 
down  the  gauntlet  he  never  left  off ;  after  long  weeks 
of  fighting  on  the  Hai  one  looked  at  him  and  won- 
dered if  he  had  failed,  but  his  calmness  and 
patience  bred  confidence  in  all,  and  the  force 
continued  hammering  and  dying  cheerfully,  till  a 
master-stroke  eventually  wrought  the  collapse  of  a 
bewildered  enemy  worn  down  by  our  long  offensive. 
He  led  the  troops  himself;  G.H.Q.  had  never 
moved  beyond  Busrah,  three  hundred  miles  behind 
the  army;  but  when  Maude  had  finished  with  his 
work  at  the  Base  he  left  it  for  good.  He  was  often 
too  far  to  the  front;  at  Sinn  his  advanced  G.H.Q. 
was  in  front  of  the  is't  Corps  at  Sannayat;  during 
the  pursuit  his  river-boat  was  generally  close  up 
behind  the  cavalry;  commanders,  annoyed  to  see 
the  G.H.Q.  ship  passing  them,  pressed  on.  At 
Bawi  it  had  been  difficult  to  persuade  the  General 
to  stop  when  the  Turkish  shells  were  falling  in  the 
river  a  mile  ahead.  The  smell  of  powder  was  too 
much  for  him.  Apart  from  professional  acquaint- 
anceship I  came  to  know  the  General  privately  as 
far  as  it  was  possible  for  a  junior  officer  to  know  his 
C.-in-C.  To  dine  at  his  mess  was  always  delightful, 


SIR  STANLEY  MAUDE 
Turkish  prisoners  in  background 


ON  THREE  FRONTS 

and  on  all  occasions  there  was  a  very  bright  spark 
of  humour  v<hich  would  force  itself  to  'the  fore.  In 
the  hot  weather  he  tried  himself  sorely,  for 
throughout  the  day  he  never  left  his  desk,  an 
evening  ride  with  his  aides-de-camp  being  his  only 
diversion.  With  a  quaint  disregard  for  weather 
conditions,  the  tall  figure  of  the  G.O.C.  would  be 
seen  in  home-service  khaki  and  Norwegian  boots, 
when  all  others  were  as  sparsely  clad  as  possible. 

And  so  the  great  General  passed.  It  seemed 
hard  that  he  should  not  live  'to  receive  the  rewards 
that  must  have  been  waiting.  He  died  at  his  post 
having  won  the  campaign,  a  brilliant  servant  of  his 
country,  .and  lies  buried  among  his  soldiers  in  the 
British  cemetery  just  north  of  Baghdad. 

The  command  devolved  on  Lieut.-General  Sir 
W.  Marshall,  of  the  3rd  Corps,  which  was  taken 
over  by  General  Sir  R.  G.  Egerton.  Brigadier- 
General  Thompson  was  given  command  of  the  I4th 
Division. 

The  Turkish  aerodrome  on  the  Tigris  was  now 
situated  at  Humr,  behind  the  Fatah  position.  On 
iQth  November,  the  day  of  General  Maude's 
funeral,  two  enemy  machines  were  reported  over  our 
lines  from  Kifri.  They  probably  had  received  news 
of  the  death  of  the  General,  and  perhaps  were  out 
to  seek  any  signs  of  a  funeral  parade.  Two  suc- 
cessive barrage  patrols  were  sent  up,  and  Nu'ttall, 
Cox,  and  Morris  all  had  engagements.  Cox  met  a 
Hun  only  six  miles  north  of  Baghdad.  The  enemy 
turned  away,  and  a  running  fight  ensued  at  close 
quarters;  after  a  forty-mile  chase  Cox  ran  out  of 
Q 


230       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

ammunition  over  Shahroban,  and  had  'to  break  off 
the  battle.  His  Spad  had  two  mainspars,  aileron  con- 
trol, and  centre  section  strut  shot  through,  and  the 
Hun  must  have  suffered  at  least  as  much.  Nuttall, 
about  an  hour  and  a  half  later,  met  ano'ther  over 
Sindiyeh  and  chased  him  to  Deli  Abbas,  when 
Morris  appeared.  Unfortunately  Morris  failed  to 
see  Nuttall's  machine,  and  attacked  independently, 
but  had  to  cease  fighting,  his  gun  jambing  after 
sixty  rounds.  Nuttall  followed  up,  chasing  the 
Hun  down  to  below  1,000  feet  over  Kara  Tepe, 
where  he  lost  him  in  a  ground  mist.  Several 
other  machines  patrolling  in  their  areas  sighted  'the 
Huns,  but  being  slower  types  could  not  compete. 

British  influence  had  gradually  penetrated  south 
into  the  dark  and  little-known  country  between 
Hilla  and  Nasiriyeh.  They  were  the  rich  lands  of 
Mesopotamia,  and  every  acre  opened  up  meant  so 
much  more  grain  for  the  Expeditionary  Force. 
The  inhabitants  were  of  independent  thinking,  and 
had  ever  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  Turk. 
Within  reach  of  the  holy  cities  of  Kerbela  and 
Nejef,  they  were  fanatically  religious. 

Nejef,  the  shrine  of  Ali,  son  of  the  Prophet,  is 
nearly  as  holy  as  Kerbela,  the  shrine  of  the  martyr 
Hussein,  grandson  of  the  Prophet,  which  to  'the 
Shiah  is  more  sacred  than  Mecca.  Nejef  is  also  a 
great  seat  of  religious  learning,  and  stores  untold 
treasure  in  'the  vaults  of  the  tomb  of  Ali. 
It  is  a  city  of  the  dead,  for  here  the  Faithful  come 
to  die,  or  are  brought  after  death  on  donkeys  or 
camels,  sometimes  long  journeys  from  the  o'tht4r 


Nejcf 


Tower  of  Babel 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  231 

ends  of  Asia,  so  that  they  may  lie  in  peace  near  the 
hallowed  remains  of  Ali;  the  desert  around  is  a 
mass  of  graves,  while  the  houses  within  the  walls  are 
the  'tombs  of  the  wealthy.  It  is  by  far  the  most 
romantic-looking  spot  I  have  ever  seen.  After  a 
hundred-mile  flight  south  from  Baghdad  one  came 
upon  this  amazing  city,  packed  in  a  congested  mass 
within  encircling  walls,  and  situated  six  miles  west 
of  the  Euphrates.  Its  walls  seem  the  end  of  all 
things  human;  to  the  north,  south,  and  west  there 
is  nothing;  you  look  to  the  rim  of  the  horizon;  on 
the  east  only,  after  a  margin  of  desert  flows  the 
Euphrates.  Out  of  the  mass  rises  the  huge  golden 
dome  of  the  Mosque;  forty  miles  away  it  catches 
your  eye  like  a  heliograph  through  the  haze.  There 
are  no  trees,  not  a  vestige  of  green  round  Nejef  : 
jus't  this  flashing  jewel  set  in  the  dark  mass  of  the 
city  abruptly  outlined  by  its  wall  against  the 
colourless  infinity  of  desert.  A  track  leads  in  from 
the  Euphrates,  and  a  track  goes  south  a  thousand 
miles  over  the  horizon  to  Mecca. 

Early  in  the  war  the  persecuted  people  of  Nejef 
and  Kerbela  had  risen  up  and  ejected  the  Turks. 
The  Turks  thereupon  shelled  their  holy  places; 
'this  will  never  be  forgotten,  but  the  Arabians  held 
their  own  till  Ottoman  menace  was  banished  for 
ever  by  the  fall  of  Baghdad.  It  can  be  understood 
that  intrusion  by  the  British  was  equally  distasteful 
to  these  virile  folk,  and  it  required  the  work  of  such 
men  as  Leachman  to  prove  our  attitude.  The  life 
of  an  Englishman  was  not  worth  much  in  Nejef, 
but  Leachman  went  there  alone  and  returned 
unscathed.  Two  aeroplanes  flew  round  the  town 


232       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

with  a  political  officer  as  passenger.  From 
2,000  feet  the  inhabitants  could  be  seen  running  in 
great  alarm  to  their  mosques.  Indescribable 
terror  and  confusion  was  caused;  a  woman  was 
seen  to  rush  at  a  wall  and  claw  it  fiercely  when  she 
found  she  could  not  scale  it.  The  object  was 
purely  demonstrative,  and  the  machines  flew  away 
again.  It  is  well  to  display  power  to  the  Eastern 
m  nd  before  negotiating.  Good  English  blood  was 
yet  to  flow  ere  Nejef  abandoned  its  hostility. 

For  the  remainder  of  November  the  Force  con- 
tinued making  good  its  losses  and  building  up 
reserves  of  ammunition  and  stores  on  the  three 
fronts.  The  Supply  Services  kept  the  river 
transport  continuously  moving  between  the  base 
and  Baghdad;  'the  army  was  strung  out  and  its 
communications  were  long;  to  maintain  a 
margin  of  stores  seemed  a  colossal  task,  and  'the 
day's  ration  for  each  man  by  the  time  it  reached 
Samarra  was  estimated  to  cost  over  one  pound. 
It  was  an  expensive  war.  The  squadrons,  in  spite 
of  losses,  were  gradually  building  up  towards  full 
establishment  in  men  and  material,  a  condition 
which  was  never  reached.  The  requirements  of  the 
mapping  section  were  inexhaustible;  on  the  Kifri 
front  alone  two  Flights  of  30  Squadron  produced 
just  short  of  5,000  photographs  in  the  last  week 
of  the  month.  The  railway  to  Baqubah  was 
extended  to  Shahroban,  which  relieved  the  motor 
transport.  Ford  convoys  were  arriving  in  the 
country,  more  armoured-car  squadrons,  and  a  new 
cavalry  brigade  were  under  formation,  and  a  com- 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  233 

plete  ambulance  train  for  the  Samarra  railway  had 
been  brought  up  river  on  barges  from  India. 

The  enemy  were  out  of  striking  distance  on  the 
Tigris;  on  the  Euphrates  they  occupied  Hit;  on 
the  Diala  they  held  Kara  Tepe  and  the  passes  of 
the  Jebel  Hamrin  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 
Here  they  were  again  within  rapid  striking  distance, 
and  General  Marshall  accordingly  decided  to 
attack  them,  for  the  third  'time  on  this  ground. 
The  plan  was  to  force  the  passage  of  the  Diala 
against  the  enemy's  left,  and  at  the  same  time 
penetrate  'the  Jebel  Hamrin  towards  the  Sakal- 
tutan  and  Zenabil  Passes.  Concurrently  with 
this  operation  the  Cavalry  Division,  under  Major- 
General  Jones,  were  to  advance  up  the  Adhaim 
River,  away  to  the  north-west,  and  get  astride 
the  enemy's  rear,  thus  preventing  him  either  from 
returning  or  being  reinforced  from  'the  direction  of 
Kirkuk.  Apart  from  the  move  of  the  cavalry^up  'the 
Adhaim,  there  were  four  converging  columns. 
A  volunteer  force  of  Cossacks  under  General 
Bicharakov  had  made  their  appearance  from  the 
mountains  of  Persia.  With  'the  revolution  the 
Russians  had  melted  away  to  their  homes  in  the 
Caucasus,  but  Bicharakov  and  his  men,  being 
royalist  to  the  core,  preferred  to  pursue  their 
profession  as  soldiers  of  fortune  in  the  cause  of  the 
Allies  to  returning  to  their  distressful  country. 
Colonel  Leslie  was  Chief  of  the  Staff  to 
Bicharakov ;  in  spite  of  his  name  he  was  a  Russian, 
and  knew  not  a  word  of  English  or  French.  A 
genial  old  boy,  of  gigantic  proportions,  he  was 


234       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

descended  from  Scottish  ancestors.  This  fact  we 
were  not  allowed  to  forget.  He  came  down  to 
Baghdad,  and  we  lunched  one  very  hot  day  aboard 
the  "  Mantis."  Buxton  produced  a  wonderful 
repast,  thoroughly  appreciated  by  our  friend,  who 
put  away  vast  quantities,  and  in  spite  of  the  sun 
washed  it  down  with  flagons  of  creme  de  menthe. 
Between  refills  he  would  get  up  and  toast  the  Czar, 
the  latter  Emperor  having  already  been 
deposed;  revolution  being  rife  in  Russia. 
After  wonderful  barbaric  orations,  and  having 
drunk  our  healths  in  turn,  he  would  again 
wedge  his  huge  body  into  a  chair  with  a 
sigh  and  assure  us  that  he  only  lived  for  the  day 
when  he  could  retire  'to  his  native  Scotland !  I 
expected  him  to  subside  with  heat  apoplexy  every 
minute.  The  Cossacks,  with  Corps  Cavalry,  were 
to  cross  the  Diala  on  our  extreme  right  and  work 
round  the  enemy  'towards  Kara  Tepe,  an  infantry 
brigade  on  their  left  to  cross  near  Kizil  Robat  and 
march  on  Kara  Tepe,  and  a  brigade  to  attack  each 
of  the  passes  in  the  hills  on  the  enemy's  front  and 
right.  It  was  a  converging  movement  of  extreme 
width;  there  must  have  been  fifty  miles  between 
the  Cavalry  Division  on  the  Adhaim  and  the 
Cossacks  on  the  Diala.  Prior  to  this,  on  the  night 
of  the  30th  November,  Lieuts.  Skinner  and  Morris 
raided  the  enemy's  aircraft  at  Kifri  by  moonlight. 
Due  to  ground  mis't  little  result  was  attained. 

The  two  Flights  of  30  Squadron  from  Baqubah 
moved  twenty  miles  up  the  Diala  on  the  2nd 
December  to  Qalat-Mufti,  where  General 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  235 

Egerton's  Corps  H.Q.  were  established.  One 
Flight,  from  63  Squadron  at  Samarra,  had  flown 
to  Akab,  at  the  mouth  of  'the  Adhaim,  to  work  with 
the  Cavalry  Division.  An  advanced  ground  was 
established  at  Chai-Khana,  thirty-five  miles  up  the 
Adhaim,  where  the  cavalry  left  a  detachment  as 
guard,  and  machines  could  land  and  gain  touch 
with  their  H.Q.  Wireless  was  the  only  means  of 
communication  with  the  cavalry. 

On  the  night  of  2nd  December  the  game  started. 
No  Hun  had  been  out  to  watch  our  movements,  and 
the  possibilities  were  great.  At  4.30  a.m.  on  the 
3rd  our  right-flank  troops,  the  35th  Brigade,  forded 
the  Diala  three  and  a  half  miles  above  Kizil  Robat, 
and  at  5  a.m.  the  4o'th  Brigade,  our  leftmost  troops, 
penetrated  the  hills  two  miles  north-west  of 
Suhaniyeh,  opposite  the  Sakaltutan  Pass.  At  dawn 
the  attack  commenced  all  along  the  line.  Opposition 
had  been  nil,  and  the  enemy  were  apparently  sur- 
prised. The  resistance  was  feeble  and  our  progress 
continuous  but  slow,  owing  to  the  intricacies  of  the 
hills.  To  'the  north  the  enemy  flooded  the  country 
in  front  of  the  35th  Brigade,  which  delayed  them 
considerably.  On  the  jight  flank  the  Cossacks 
crossed  the  Diala  at  Kishuk.  On  the  left  the 
4Oth  Brigade  trapped  two  field  guns,  and  some 
prisoners  in  the  broken  ground.  By  nightfall  the 
enemy  was  still  holding  the  Sakaltutan  Pass  with 
infantry  and  two  guns,  but  this  appeared  'to  be  the 
only  point  held  by  the  Turks  south  of  Kara  Tepe. 

On  the  Adhaim  the  Cavalry  Division  were  held 
up  by  a  strong  Turkish  force,  who  opposed  the 


236       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

passage  of  the  Jebel  Hamrin,  in  'the  hills  about 
eight  miles  east  of  Bandi-Adhaim.  This  was 
unfortunate,  as  the  cavalry  were  frustrated  in  their 
plan  of  getting  astride  'the  enemy's  communications, 
and  their  role  developed  into  a  containing  action. 

During  the  night  of  the  3rd  the  enemy  evacuated 
the  Sakaltutan  Pass,  and  retired  beyond  Kara 
Tepe.  Throughout  the  4th  we  continued  to  follow 
up.  The  Cossacks  and  our  cavalry  detachment 
occupied  ground  about  four  miles  north-east  of 
Kara  Tepe,  and  stopped  all  traffic  on  'the  Kifri 
Road.  Air  reconnaissance  reported  the  enemy  in 
position  on  high  ground  jus't  north  of 
the  town,  and  the  bridge  over  the  Nahrin 
river  at  Nahrin  Kupri  blown  up.  At  4  p.m. 
'the  enemy  attacked  the  Russians,  but  was 
repulsed  by  machine-gun  and  shell  fire.  On  the 
5th  the  35th  and  4Oth  Brigades  passed  through 
Kara  Tepe,  and,  supported  by  artillery,  captured 
the  position;  the  Turks,  screened  by  'the  hilly 
country,  fled  towards  Kifri  and  along  the  Abu  Alik 
Road. 

Offensive  air-patrols  were  out  all  the  time,  but 
enemy  aircraft  were  inactive.  One  Albatross  only 
got  off  the  ground  at  Kifri,  but  did  not  attempt  to 
climb  and  attack  our  machine.  "Anzac  "  prevented 
two  guns  from  coming  into  action  by  attacking  the 
gun  teams  with  his  machine-gun.  The  horses 
broke  loose  and  stampeded.  He  afterwards 
reported  that  the  Kifri  coal  mine  was  burning, 
having  been  blown  up  by  the  Turks.  The  cavalry 
detachment  pursued  as  far  as  Ibrahim  Samin,  but 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  237 

becoming  out  of  touch  and  without  sustenance 
further  pursuit  was  abandoned  the  next  day.  We 
buried  eighty-seven  Turks  and  made  two  hundred 
and  fifty  prisoners.  The  British  losses  were  slight 
in  comparison. 

The  Cavalry  Division  remained  held  throughout 
at  the  Bandi-Adhaim  defile,  the  Flight  of  63 
Squadron  being  actively  employed  bombing  and 
machine-gunning  ihe  enemy.  One  column  of  thirty 
horse  vehicles  had  been  scattered  and  hunted  down 
in  all  directions. 

The  artillery  co-operation  with  Colonel  Lynch- 
Stauriton's  Horse  Artillery  Brigade  was  carried  out 
in  quick  time.  Lynch-Staunton,  the  keenest  of 
gunners  and  finest  of  pig-s'tickers,  had  made  a 
hobby  of  rapid  practice  with  aeroplanes,  and 
brought  it,  like  everything  else  he  did,  to  a  fine  art. 
His  wireless  station  could  come  into  action  in 
nine'ty  seconds.  '  V  "  Battery  won  a  case  of  beer, 
promised  to  the  battery  that  scored  the  first  direct 
hit.  A  fine  soldier  and  sportsman,  "  Lynch  "  fought 
in  Mesopotamia  for  nearly  three  years,  winter  and 
summer  without  ceasing,  only  to  be  killed  in  action 
a  few  days  before  the  Armistice,  and  he  had  made 
such  plans  for  shooting  and  polo  and  leave  to 
England ! 

On  the  8th  December  the  troops  were  withdrawn, 
leaving  detachments  in  the  Sakal'tutan  and  Abu 
Zenabil  Passes,  while  a  bridgehead  was  con- 
structed at  Kizil  Roba't.  The  next  day  patrols  went 
forward  to  occupy  Khanikin,  on  the  Kirmanshah 
Road.  Air  reconnaissance  reported  the  enemy 


238       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

streaming  along  the  Kirkuk  Road  and  Kifri  aban- 
doned, the  coal  mine  still  burning. 

Doubtless  puzzled  by  our  withdrawal  from  Kara 
Tepe,  Ihsan  AH  sent  aircraft  over  the  Diala  four 
times.  Thrice  they  dodged  our  patrols,  but  on  the 
I3th  December  Skinner  and  Cox,  on  two  Spads, 
closed  with  a  big  two-seater  at  9,000  feet  above  the 
Adhaim  River.  In  accordance  with  a  prearranged 
plan,  Cox  had  climbed  another  thousand  feet 
higher  than  Skinner,  so  that  he  would  be  spotted 
first  by  the  Hun.  Meanwhile  Skinner  got  into 
position  underneath  and  brought  his  top  machine- 
gun  to  bear.  Cox  dived  on  the  enemy  six  times  out 
of  the  sun,  but  his  gun  kept  jambing  with  faulty 
ammunition.  Skinner,  only  fifty  feet  below  the 
Hun,  got  in  twelve  rounds,  but  his  gun  also  jambed. 
and  the  Hun  escaped.  But  for  the  infernal  jambs 
he  was  a  dead  bird.  The  two  pilots  came  back 
"  sick  unto  death." 

The  following  document,  captured  in  the  Kara 
Tepe  operations,  was  interesting  : — 

"  To  the  Commandant  of  the  I56th  Regiment. 

'  In  order  'to  deceive  the  aeroplanes  from  the 
time  that  they  are  in  sight,  the  infantry  battalions 
which  are  at  Kara  Tepe  along  with  the  first 
battalion  of  the  I56th  Regiment,  which  is  at  the 
south  of  Nahrin,  will  at  once  take  the  road  toward 
Jebel  Hamrin  without  waiting  for  an  order,  without 
striking  their  tents  or  taking  their  packs.  They 
will  continue  their  march  till  the  aeroplanes  have 
disappeared,  and  will  rest  at  the  place  where  they 


ON  THREE  TRONTS  239 

will  have  arrived.  If  the  areoplanes  are  returning, 
the  battalions  will  continue  their  march  toward 
Jebel  Hamrin,  until  they  are  no  longer  in  sight,  and 
then  will  return  to  their  own  camp. 

'  The  gunners,  along  with  the  machine-gunners, 
will  fire  at  the  aeroplanes  without  waiting  for 
orders. 

"  Acting  Commander  of  the  6th  Division. 
''  Kaynimre  Kain, 

"  Mimamad  Amin." 

It  was  an  old  ruse,  and  we  knew  it  well. 

On  December  5th,  while  the  battle  at  Kara  Tepe 
was  in  progress,  "  Intelligence  "  at  G.H.Q. 
received  information  that  a  convoy  of  a  hundred 
and  sixty  camels  was  moving  from  Humr  on  the 
Tigris  across  the  desert  to  Hadithah.  on  the 
Euphrates.  Their  probable  position  was  worked 
out  accurately,  and  Captain  Simpson  and  Lieut. 
Caldwell,  of  63  Squadron,  went  out  from  Samarra 
to  hunt  them  down.  In  the  morning  they  failed  to 
locate  the  caravan,  but  a  further  effort  in  'the  after- 
noon discovered  them  far  out  in  the  desert.  The 
two  officers  went  right  down  and  blew  Arabs  and 
horses  to  glory  with  bombs  and  machine-gun  fire 
from  a  height  of  three  hundred  feet.  It  was  an 
efficient  achievement  that  we  could  know  when  and 
where  enemy  convoys  were  at  large  in  the  desert, 
and,  although  a  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from 
Baghdad,  could  stretch  out  our  arm  to  the  exact 
locality  and  blot  them  immediately. 

In  the  middle  of  December  the  weather  broke. 


240       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

We  had  had  no  rain  for  a  year,  but  high  southerly 
winds  now  brought  scudding  clouds  and  torrential 
showers,  which  submerged  the  Busrah  aerodrome 
and  turned  that  at  Baqubah  into  a  swamp.  It  is 
pleasant  after  a  year  again  to  feel  rain  in  your  face 
when  there  is  a  dry  house  to  go  to,  but  out  in  the 
desert  it  is  different;  one  sits  shivering  while  the 
damp  drips  through  the  sun-rotted  canvas.  Hours 
spent  in  the  construction  of  cunning  drainage 
systems  are  of  no  avail;  they  eventually  overflow 
and  one's  kit  floats  about  in  'the  tent.  At  night 
fearful  blasts  of  wind  uproot  tent-pegs,  and  to  save 
the  complete  collapse  of  your  happy  home  you  rush 
out  to  wield  a  malle't  and  strain  on  ropes  like  one 
possessed.  You  turn  in  again  between  damp 
blankets  and  attempt  sleep  under  every  conceivable 
form  of  covering.  About  four  in  the  morning  the 
scared  face  of  a  Pathan  sentry  peers  out  of  the 
gloom,  and  by  his  wild  gesticulations  and  vehement 
"  gibberish  "  you  realise  that  something  is  wrong. 
Out  you  go  again  into  the  gale,  in  gum  boots  and 
a  macintosh  over  your  pyjamas,  in  'time  to  see  a 
hangar  on  the  point  of  collapse.  Officers  and  men 
are  routed  out  in  the  darkness  to  hang  on  to  ropes 
and  save  the  machine.  It  is  as  bad  as  shortening 
sail  in  a  breeze  at  sea.  The  dawn  breaks  over 
flooded  wilderness;  cold,  wet,  and  feverish,  you 
swallow  some  sardines,  for  the  cook  cannot  light 
a  fire  except  to  make  a  little  coffee  for  breakfast. 
After  a  hot  weather  or  so  in  Mesopotamia  'the  blood 
runs  thin,  and  one  shivers  more  easily. 

For  the  rest  of  the  month  there  were  no  more 


Khazimain  with  rainstorm  beyond 


In  the  wake  of  a  storm 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  241 

operations,  but  with  the  reinforcements  of  machines 
and  pilots  we  began  to  feel  our  strength,  and  deter- 
mined, in  the  jargon  of  the  air,  "  to  keep  a  vertical 
draught  up  the  enemy."  To  carry  this  intention 
into  effect,  we  worried  him  in  his  country  whenever 
a  gap  in  the  unfavourable  weather  allowed  it.  He 
seldom  retaliated,  but  did  not  take  his  punishment 
lying  down,  for  on  the  approach  of  our  machines 
up  would  come  the  little  Albatross  and  Halber- 
stadt  scouts  to  interrupt  the  raiders. 

On  the  1 7th  December  eight  machines  of  63 
Squadron  went  out  in  two  formations  on  a  voyage 
of  destruction.  The  first  formation  left  Samarra 
at  eight  a.m.,  followed  'twenty  minutes  later  by  the 
second.  When  the  first  reached  Humr  they  were 
attacked  by  three  enemy  scouts,  speedier  and  of 
faster-climbing  power.  Lieuts.  Caldwell  and 
Griffith,  in  an  R.E.  8,  were  set  upon  by  two  of  these 
wasps,  and  almost  immediately  had  both  petrol  and 
oil  tanks  pierced.  Griffith,  while  engaging  both 
with  his  rear  gun,  was  also  wounded  in  hand  and 
arm  by  the  hail  of  bullets  from  the  Huns.  He 
managed  to  continue  firing  till  the  end  of  the  drum 
of  ammunition,  which,  however,  he  was  unable  to 
remove.  With  oil  and  petrol  ebbing  fast  Caldwell 
turned  his  machine  for  home,  eighty  miles  distant ; 
unaccountably  the  Huns  also  broke  off  the  engage- 
ment, being  probably  short  of  ammunition. 
Caldwell  nursed  his  engine  till  it  "  seized  up  "  only 
four  miles  from  Samarra.  The  third  Hun  engaged 
two  of  the  remaining  R.E.  8's,  and  kept  up  a  furious 
attack  for  'thirty  minutes,  when  he  dived  for  his 


242       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

aerodrome.  Both  these  machines  were  knocked 
about,  but  got  back  safely.  This  resistance  was 
unusual,  and  prevented  the  first  formation  from 
accurate  bombing,  but  the  way  had  been  cleared 
for  the  second,  who  made  considerable  havoc  on 
the  Humr  aerodrome. 

Without  a  fighting  escort,  the  offensive  in  enemy 
country  always  lays  the  bombing  machines  open 
to  attack  by  enemy  fighting  scouts.  This  must  be 
accepted,  unl-ess  the  distance  is  sufficiently  short  for 
fighting  scouts  to  accompany  the  bombing  aero- 
planes to  their  objective,  and  unless  there  are 
sufficient  fighters  to  do  this.  The  R.E.  8's  were 
only  a  class  better  than  the  old  B.E.s  as  regards 
offensive  work,  for  which  they  were  not  designed. 
The  faster,  heavier  fighter-reconnaissance  'type  able 
to  pro'tect  itself  were  in  use  on  the  Western  Front; 
we  on  our  side-show  must  wait  patiently  till  there 
were  sufficient  to  be  spared,  and  meanwhile  put 
our  best  foot  foremost  with  what  we  had.  We  were 
generally  lucky. 

On  the  Diala  front  the  Huns  had  moved  their 
aerodrome  back  from  Kifri  to  Tuz  Kurmatli, 
eighty-five  miles  north  from  Baqubah.  This  was 
bombed  by  63  Squadron,  but  without  serious 
opposition.  Nevertheless,  these  raids  were  always 
exciting  enough.  One  set  out  on  a  long  flight  to 
distant  enemy  country  with  all  the  chances  of  being 
stranded  in  the  desert  should  the  engine  happen 
to  go  wrong.  The  inhabitants  were  an  uncertain 
element,  with  slow  methods  of  putting  an  end  to 
foreigners.  There  was  always,  also,  the  certainty 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  243 

of  a  fight  on  arrival  at  the  objective;  and  then  the 
long  run  home,  perhaps  damaged  by  German 
bullets — yes,  one  had  breakfast  in  (the  morning 
and  never  quite  knew  where  one  would  have  lunch. 
But  in  war  you  get  accustomed  'to  living  from 
hand  to  mouth ;  the  present  is  always  cheerful,  and 
the  uncertainty  of  the  future  breeds  a  lightness  of 
heart  which  makes  boys  of  older  men. 

In  Christmas  week  a  German  dropped  a  letter 
at  Samarra,  with  two  others  from  Philpot  and 
Lander.  The  following  is  a  translation  of  that 
from  the  German  pilot : — 

"  Honoured  Sirs  and  Fellow  Sportsmen, — 

"  I  am  herewith  sending  you  some  letters  which 
I  have  received  by  bearer.  Owing  to  a  mistake 
they  only  came  into  my  possession  a  few  days  ago, 
and  I  therefore  request  you  to  excuse  the  delay. 

'  Further,  I  have  a  request  to  make.  On 
1 1 n I  IT,  while  flying  over  El  Aschik,  I  lost  my 
kelpek  (a  Turkish  officer's  cap  with  flying  badge). 
If  it  should  be  found  I  should  be  very  glad  if  I 
could  have  it  back  again. 

1  With  best  wishes. 

"  K.  O.  HALDER,  Pilot." 

On  the  back  of  the  envelope  was  writ'ten  in  pencil : 
We  are  again  ready  to  accept  challenges  in  the 


air." 


The  letter  from  Philpot  read  :- 

"  Dear     Colonel, —Captain     Schutz     has     very 
kindly  undertaken  to  have  this  note  dropped.   We 


244       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

are  all  well  and  being  excellently  treated.  Could 
you  have  a  parcel  or  parcels  dropped  containing 
some  'thick  clothes  (from  Ordnance,  if  ours  have 
been  sent  home)  for  Begg.  Baillon,  and  me? 
Corporal  Grant  has  been  sent  elsewhere.  Also  some 
money  in  cash,  about  ^100.  If  you  will  write  to 
Cox's  they  will  settle  this  for  me.  No  parcels  or  gold 
allowed  out  of  England  for  prisoners  in  Turkey 
now.  Captain  Schu'tz  has  undertaken  to  have  tHis 
parcel  safely  delivered  if  you  will  have  it  dropped. 
Begg's  extension  fell  off  in  the  air  while  we  were 
both  diving  on  a  Halberstadt,  and  my  engine  never 
picked  up  again  when  I  shut  off  to  help  him.  I  am 
so  sorry.  Good-bye.  With  best  wishes  to  all. 
"  I  remain, 

"  Yours  obediently, 
«'J.  R.  PHILPOT,  Capt.  R.F.C. 
"  PS. — Also,    if    possible,    some    chocolate    or 
tobacco." 

This  was  the  last  we  heard  of  Philpot. 

And  so  another  Christmas  came  round;  it  was 
perhaps  more  gay  than  the  last,  for  the  flesh- 
pots  of  Baghdad  were  of  greater  resource  than 
those  of  the  desert,  and  many  officers  were  given 
leave  for  a  few  days  from  the  Fronts. 

Humr  was  again  bombed  on  the  night  of  'the 
27th,  and  a  large  formation  of  fourteen  machines 
from  both  squadrons  mopped  the  place  up  on  the 
28th.  Two  Halberstadts  were  encountered  during 
the  bombing.  The  first  followed  for  three  minutes 
at  a  distance  of  two  hundred  yards,  but  on  coming 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  245 

under  the  concentrated  fire  of  three  R.E.  8's  dived 
away,  and  preferred  to  land  on  the  aerodrome 
among  the  bombs.  The  second  Hun  took  six 
drums  of  Lewis  gun-fire,  and  was  driven  on  'to  the 
ground  near  the  junction  of  the  Lesser  Zab  and  the 
Tigris.  A  cluster  of  four  enemy  machines  was 
found  outside  a  hangar ;  these  and  the  hangars  were 
plastered  with  bombs.  All  pilots  and  observers 
agreed  that  they  must  have  been  destroyed.  At 
one  particular  moment  eleven  bombs  were  seen  to 
burst  simultaneously  around  and  among  the  enemy 
aeroplanes.  The  rear  of  the  formation,  under 
Captain  Everidge,  was  unable  to  see  the  ground 
for  smoke  of  burs'ting  bombs  and  fire  coming  from 
the  hangars. 

All  that  the  enemy  could  muster  in  reply  to  this 
were  two  machines,  which  bombed  the  camp  of 
63  Squadron  at  Samarra,  at  the  stroke  of  midnight 
on  the  last  night  of  the  Old  Year.  To  quote  Major 
Bradley,  commanding  63  Squadron  :  "  We  had  a 
good  doing  last  night  by  the  Huns.  The  waiter 
was  just  heralding  in  the  New  Year  on  an  empty 
shell  case,  and  I  was  proposing  'the  health  of  all  in 
a  glass  of  stout,  when  they  came  over.  They  made 
very  good  shooting;  one  bomb  twenty  yards  from 
my  pony,  one  near  'A'  Flight  mess,  another  ten 
yards  from  the  motor  transport  park,  and  one  by 
the  cookhouse  door,  which  destroyed  our  cookers, 
'  dixies/  water-carts,  etc.,  and  nearly  got  some 
N.C.O.s  in  a  trench.  A  large  piece  of  bomb  went 
through  the  orderly-room  tent.  Altogether  a 
pleasant  New  Year's  evening.5' 


246       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

This  was  too  much,  so  on  the  3rd  January  we 
attacked  Humr  again,  twelve  strong,  and  put 
seventy-nine  bombs  among  them.  The  Huns  were 
out  to  stop  us,  and  three  combats  took  place  over 
the  aerodrome.  Lieut.  Jacks  and  Corporal 
Huxley  were  singled  out  by  three  scouts,  above, 
behind,  and  below.  After  fifteen  rounds  from  the 
Corporal's  gun  the  enemy  astern  went  spinning 
down  into  the  clouds,  apparently  out  of  control, 
and  the  other  two  veered  off.  Two  other  R.E.  8's 
had  brushes  with  the  enemy,  who,  however,  would 
not  close.  Page  had  a  forced  landing  twenty  miles 
from  home,  but  was  located  by  a  search  machine, 
and  rescued  by  armoured  cars,  who  remained  out 
all  night,  and  towed  'the  aeroplane  back  on  the 
following  day. 

On  New  Year's  Day  our  wireless  station  picked 
up  the  following  message,  faint  but  clear,  from  the 
Eiffel  Tower : — 

'  Journee  marquee  seulement  par  de  vives 
actions  d'artillerie  en  Champagne,  dans  la  region 
des  Monts  et  sur  la  rive  droite  de  la  Meuse,  dans 
le  secteur  de  Bezonvaux.  Pas  d'action  d'infanterie. 

"  A  tous  nos  Allies  et  amis  nous  addressons  nos 
meilleurs  souhaits  de  Bonne  Annee." 

Early  in  the  New  Year  Lieut.  Caldwell  met  with 
a  tragic  death.  He  started  out  to  rendezvous  with 
two  other  machines,  and  was  heard  of  no  more. 
Parties  searched  the  country  in  vain;  it  was  not  till 
a  week  later  that,  acting  on  Arab  advice,  his  body 
was  found  near  Daur.  There  were  no  signs  of 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  247 

violence,  but  he  had  been  stripped  except  for  socks, 
which  were  caked  with  mud  from  walking.  Medical 
officers  certified  that  he  had  died  from  exposure. 
Caldwell  was  found  about  fifty  miles  from  where  it 
was  reported  that  an  English  machine  had  come 
down.  Evidence  seems  to  point  that  he  had  evaded 
the  Turks,  but  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Arabs, 
who  had  taken  all  his  clothes.  The  perishing  nights 
and  scorching  sun  by  day  would  not  allow  a  human 
to  go  far  under  those  conditions.  Another  fifteen 
miles  and  he  would  have  won  back. 

Another  forced  landing,  with  not  quite  such 
disastrous  results,  befell  Lieuts.  Mills  and  Taylor, 
who  burnt  their  machine  and  set  off  as  hard  as  they 
could  'to  reach  our  lines  by  a  wide  detour  through 
the  desert.  Our  armoured  cars  and  aeroplanes 
were  scouring  the  country,  so  was  the  Turkish 
cavalry.  Alas,  with  armoured  cars  in  sight  they 
were  caught  by  the  enemy,  after  having  covered 
thirty  miles,  a  stout  effort. 

The  enemy  scored  their  first  direct  hit  with  anti- 
aircraft gun-fire  during  a  raid  made  by  twelve 
machines  on  the  Kifri  aerodrome.  The  machine  hit 
was  a  D.H.  4,  the  first  of  a  powerful  fighter-recon- 
naissance 'type;  its  occupants,  Lieut.  Bean  and 
Sergt.  Castor,  were  blown  to  atoms  at  7,000  feet. 
The  pilot  next  behind  in  the  formation  was  suddenly 
aware  of  debris  in  mid-air;  there  was  nothing  left 
larger  than  one's  hand. 

On  'the  1 2th,  while  I  was  at  Felujah,  a  "  Zepp" 
message  reported  a  Hun  coming  down  the 


248       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Euphrates  from  Hit.  We  were  sitting  down  to 
lunch  in  the  Flight  mess  when  the  orderly  came  in ; 
there  was  a  general  bolt  for  'the  aerodrome.  My 
own  machine  was  standing  ready,  and  two  others 
were  run  out  without  delay.  Not  waiting  for  coats 
or  other  gear,  Merton  leapt  in  behind  me,  and  we 
were  off  the  ground  within  five  minutes  of  the  call. 
Having  gone  some  miles  up-river  beyond  where 
the  Hun  had  been  reported,  and  having  hunted  the 
air  without  result,  we  came  back.  To  our  surprise 
on  landing  we  were  met  by  the  jubilant  remainder 
of  the  Flight  with  two  German  officers.  Appar- 
ently 'they  had  watched  us  pass  close  underneath 
the  enemy  machine  soon  after  leaving  the  ground. 
The  Huns  had  seen  the  three  British  machines 
pass  to  cut  them  off,  and  thereupon  landed 
near  the  aerodrome  owing  to  their  engine  seizing 
up.  They  managed  to  bum  'their  machine  before 
capture. 

It  was  a  cheap  victory,  for  not  a  shot  was  fired. 
The  two  prisoners  were  given  lunch  by  'their 
would-be  destroyers.  Being  the  Flight-Com- 
mander's birthday  it  was  a  good  lunch ;  I  remember 
there  was  beer  and  pate  de  foie  gras.  The  captives 
had  not  seen  the  4 ike  since  leaving  Germany.  Both 
were  dour  and  Hunnish ;  'the  pilot  was  very  young, 
he  looked  about  seventeen,  and  his  observer,  a 
grim-looking  monster  in  spectacles,  was  old  enough 
to  be  his  father.  To  my  surprise  the  pilot  gave  the 
name  of  Haider,  my  correspondent  of  a  few  weeks 
back.  This  was  amusing,  for  I  remembered  that  he 


Hun  aviators  who 


machine  at  Ramadi 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  249 

had  written  on  the  envelope  :  "  We  are  again  ready 
to  accept  challenges  in  the  air  " !  I  asked  him 
about  his  lost  "  kelpek,"  but  he  explained  that  that 
was  just  a  joke.  Well,  his  joke  had  ended  badly. 
Taking  two  men  as  guard,  I  motored  them  across 
the  forty  miles  of  desert  to  Baghdad  in  the 
afternoon.  We  broke  down  en  route  \  it  was  a 
curious  situation,  being  stranded  in  'the  desert  with 
two  foes.  They  were  of  course  unarmed,  and  I 
had  a  couple  of  Sepoys  with  me ;  the  fifth  man  was 
the  driver;  fortunately  we  got  ahead  again.  They 
were  our  first  informants  that  poor  Paddy  Maguire, 
captured  a  year  before,  had  died  of  his  burns;  we 
also  learnt  that  his  opponent  had  died  of  dysentery 
in  the  summer,  and  that  Lander  was  still  in  hospital 
at  Mosul. 

On  the  night  of  24th  January  there  was  an  air 
raid  on  Baghdad.  This  was  the  first  and  only  time 
that  they  bombed  the  city,  although  we  had  long 
expected  them.  A  system  of  defence  had  been 
worked  out,  and  anti-aircraft  guns  were  situated  at 
various  points  to  co-operate  with  the  searchlights 
of  the  gunboats,  but  they  came  and  went  unscathed, 
only  causing  a  few  casualties  in  a  hospital.  We 
decided  on  a  night  of  persecution  as  a  lesson  against 
any  further  disturbance  of  our  slumber.  From  8.30 
p.m.  on  the  following  evening  till  dawn  of  the  26th 
our  machines  harried  'the  enemy  camps,  bivouacs  and 
aerodromes  at  Humr  and  Kifri.  They  left  at  half- 
hour  intervals  through  the  night  and  bombed  and 
machine-gunned  everything  that  came  in  'their  path. 
It  was  a  night  out  for  the  squadrons,  and  must  have 


25O       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

been  a  night  out  for  the  Turks.  In  spite  of  the 
nature  of  the  operation  there  was  only  one  casualty, 
and  that  was  the  second  D.H.  4. 

Page,  who  went  out  from  Baqubah  to  search  in 
an  old  B.E.,  was  attacked  by  a  Halberstadt,  which 
he  drove  off,  and  returned  with  a  negative  report. 
The  two  officers  in  the  D.H.  4  were  Nuttall  and 
Bob  Sievier,  both  veterans  of  fame,  and  a  greater 
loss  than  we  cared  to  consider.  But  to  our  joy  they 
eventually  turned  up.  Turkish  bullets  had 
damaged  their  engine  at  1,000  feet,  but  Nuttall 
glided  down  and  made  a  perfect  landing  in  strange 
country  in  the  dark,  his  engine  on  fire.  They  were 
two  miles  N.E.  of  Kara  Tepe,  twenty-four  miles 
behind  the  enemy's  lines,  and  close  to  his  camps. 
Taking  a  Lewis  gun  apiece  and  the  three  remaining 
drums  of  ammunition  they  wasted  no  time  in  getting 
clear  of  the  burning  machine.  Making  a  detour, 
they  then  struck  a  course  by  the  stars  for  the  Diala. 
Nuttall  and  Sievier  were  thoroughly  enjoying 
themselves.  If  only  a  Turkish  cavalry  patrol  would 
come  along,  'they  intended  to  wipe  it  out  with  their 
machine-guns  and  capture  'the  horses  to  save  further 
walking.  Stumbling  all  night  across  the  broken 
country  'they  eventually  reached  the  river  without 
being  intercepted.  But  here  there  was  difficulty,  for 
they  could  get  no  further,  and  were  still  in  enemy 
country.  The  British  bridgehead  at  Mir j ana  could 
not  be  far  off,  but  watery  nullahs  prevented  further 
exploration.  Having  come  far  carrying  heavy  loads 
they  lay  down  in  a  ditch  and  slept  soundly. 
Awakened  by  the  hot  sun  they  exposed  themselves 


ON  THREE  FRONTS  2$ I 

in  order  to  attract  the  attention  of  British  outposts 
on  the  far  bank,  and  were  greeted  by  a  burst  of 
machine-gun  fire,  which  nearly  proved  their 
undoing.  A  handkerchief  tied  to  a  reed  eventually 
produced  "  R.  U. "  signalled  from  the  opposite 
side.  They  answered  "  R.F.C.,  S.O.S.,"  then 
moved  within  hailing  distance,  and  an  armoured 
car  was  sent  to  bring  them  in.  The  two  officers 
had  really  achieved  rather  a  notable  performance  in 
covering  twenty-four  miles  in  the  dark  carrying  two 
machine-guns  with  ammunition,  and  winning  back 
to  our  lines. 

The  inhabitants  of  North-West  Persia  were 
starving,  so  British  posts  were  extended  up  the 
Persian  road  as  far  as  the  head  of  the  Pai  Tak  Pass 
to  open  up  the  road  and  improve  it  for  trade  and 
food  supplies.  Before  the  end  of  January  we 
established  a  landing-ground  and  petrol-dump  at 
Kasr-i-Shirin,  thus  enabling  two  aeroplanes  to  reach 
Kirmanshah,  a  hill  town  5,000  feet  up  and  eighty- 
five  miles  in  from  Kasr-i-Shirin.  Despatches  were 
brought  down  from  the  British  Consul  there  the 
following  day.  A  message  had  come  through 
describing  the  ground  in  this  mountain  fastness, 
and  we  relied  on  the  skill  of  the  pilots  to  land  on 
the  snow  without  crashing.  It  is  necessary  to  start 
from  Kirmanshah  before  the  sun  is  up,  as  the  heavy 
frost  in  the  night  leaves  the  snow  hard,  but  imme- 
diately the  sun  rises  the  thaw  makes  the  ground 
impossible.  The  'troops  camped  high  up  on  the 
road  endured  many  hardships  from  the  cold  and 


252       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

shortage  of  rations,  for  in  bad  weather  it  was 
difficult  to  supply  them.  Living  under  canvas  in 
the  snow  is  trying  to  the  human  frame  after 
sojourning  in  the  fires  of  the  desert,  and  we  had  not 
gone  to  Mesopotamia  clad  for  the  Arctic. 


Chapter  VIL 

A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR. 

And   when   Thyself  with   shining    Foot    shall   pass 
Among   the   Guests   Star-scattered   on    the   Grass 
And   in  thy  joyous  Errand  reach   the  Spot 
Where  I  made  one — turn  down  an  «mpty  Glass  ! 

— OMAR. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CLOUDS  were  gathering  over  the  Caspian  in  the 
north,  and  a  phantom  army  of  officers,  N.C.O.s, 
and  men  from  overseas  was  arriving  at  Busrah. 
Volunteers  from  Mesopotamia  and  all  scenes  of  war 
began  to  accumulate  at  Baghdad.  Australians,  New 
Zealanders,  Canadians,  and  English,  they  were 
known  as  the  "  Hush  Hush  Army."  We  were  not 
allowed  to  talk  about  their  mission,  but  we  knew 
that  some  swashbuckling  game  was  afoot,  for  they 
were  as  tough  a  looking  crowd  of  cheery  customers 
as  our  race  could  produce ;  veteran  fighters  all,  and 
a  formidable  enough  gang  to  back  any  man  into 
battle.  General  Dunsterville,  the  original  of 
Kipling's  "  Stalky,"  arrived  to  lead  them.  They 
were  to  cut  themselves  away  from  Mesopotamia, 
migrate  north  through  Persia  into  Armenia,  and 
there  muster  the  Armenians  and  train  them  into  an 
army  to  march  against  the  Turk  or  Bolshevik,  thus 
securing  our  threatened  right  flank.  It  was  a  daring 
enterprise.  They  faded  away  over  the  mountains 
as  silently  as  they  had  come. 

The  situation  at  Teheran  was  volcanic;  intern- 
ally there  was  faction  against  faction ;  the  power  of 
the  Shah  was  doubtful.  There  were  Germans, 

255 


256      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Turks,  Russians,  Swedes,  French,  Austrians, 
Americans,  British,  all  living  cheek  by  jowl  in  this 
"  neutral  "  capital. 

Colonel  Stokes,  who  had  been  military  attache 
in  Teheran  for  several  years  before  the  war,  was 
ordered  'to  reach  the  British  Legation  at  that  place 
as  soon  as  possible.  A  convoy  of  Ford  cars,  under 
Major  Sir  Walter  Bart'telot,  were  making  prepara- 
tions to  trek  from  Baghdad,  but  would  probably 
take  some  weeks  to  get  through.  Stokes 
approached  me  about  getting  there  by  air,  and  we 
decided  it  was  a  practicable,  though  perhaps 
hazardous,  undertaking.  Teheran  is  seven  hundred 
miles  from  Baghdad;  the  course  lay  over  12,000 
feet  mountain  ranges  and  wild  uncivilised  country. 
There  was  no  map  of  any  accuracy,  and  'the  winding 
road  lost  itself  among  snows  and  mountain  passes. 
It  promised  to  be  a  wonderful  flight,  and  one  felt 
a  great  desire  to  see  this  remote  capital,  situated 
high  up  in  the  mountains  hundreds  of  miles  from 
civilisation,  a  centre  of  the  intrigue  of  many 
nations.  But  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  go. 
Browning,  who  had  been  with  us  as  observer  before 
the  capture  of  Baghdad  and  was  now  a  full-blown 
pilot,  was  entrusted  with  the  enterprise.  Two 
machines  started  off,  one  carrying  extra  petrol 
instead  of  a  passenger.  They  both  replenished  at 
Kasr-i-Shirin,  and  went  on  to  Kirmanshah.  Land- 
ing at  Kirmanshah,  one  was  filled  up  with  the  spare 
fuel  from  the  other,  and  thus  able  to  negotiate  the 
further  three  hundred  miles  to  Teheran. 

Browning  left  Kirmanshah  in  a  snowstorm  on  the 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  257 

morning  of  the  24th,  and  climbed  to  13,500  feet  on 
a  bearing  for  Asabad.  He  did  not  again  pick  up 
the  ground  till  near  Kangavar,  and  only  just 
cleared  the  Asabad  Pass.  The  19,000  feet  peak 
of  Demavand,  behind  Teheran,  was  sighted  a 
hundred  and  eighty  miles  away,  and  gave  a  good 
landmark.  On  arrival  at  the  Persian  capital  all 
efforts  were  made  to  intern  him  by  'the  Swedish 
gendarmerie,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  machine-guns 
and  other  armament  had  been  stripped  from 
his  aeroplane  at  Kirmanshah,  so  'that  he  should 
not  violate  neutrality.  (British,  Russian,  and 
Turkish  forces  had  been  fighting  in  Persia 
for  two  years !)  But  the  designs  of 
the  Swedes  were  frustrated  by  the  superior 
numbers  of  Cossacks  present.  A  guard  of  forty 
was  maintained  to  preserve  the  machine  from 
destruction.  The  natives  of  Teheran  could  not 
understand  'that  the  aeroplane  itself  was  the  means 
of  flight,  but  thought  it  only  the  carriage  to  sit  in, 
and  that  the  propeller  merely  acted  as  a  fan  to 
keep  the  airman  cool  while  he  exerted  himself  with 
some  hidden  wings,  which  they  were  very  intent  to 
discover  on  the  person  of  the  pilo't.  They 
examined  Browning's  flying  badge,  but  pointed  out 
in  argument  that  these  "  wings  "  were  too  small  to 
fly  with,  and  that  there  must  be  others  elsewhere. 

The  town  was  crowded  with  enemy,  particularly 
Austrians  freed  by  the  Bolsheviks  from 
Russian  prisons.  The  German  flag  flew  cheerfully 
opposite  the  Union  Jack  on  the  respective  Lega- 
tions. The  warring  nationalities  kept  sullenly  to 


258       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

themselves.  The  Shah's  palace  is  outside  the  town ; 
he  expressed  great  curiosity  to  see  'the  British  aero- 
plane, but  did  not  dare  to  come  into  Teheran  :  'there 
were  those  who  were  engaged  in  starving  the  popu- 
lation, having  appropriated  all  the  wheat  in  order  to 
put  up  the  price.  Meanwhile  Browning  awaited 
the  arrival  of  the  Ford  convoy,  to  refill  with  fuel 
for  the  return  journey.  The  time  was  spent  playing 
poker  with  Swedes  and  Russians  and  their  ladies. 
The  night  before  taking  off  he  received  a  note  from 
the  Shah  requesting  him  to  fly  over  his  palace  on 
his  return  journey.  Immediately  before  starting, 
however,  came  another  note  cancelling  the  request 
in  case  foreign  eyes  should  probe  the  sanctity 
of  the  harem  from  above.  Browning  had 
telegraphed  to  me,  via  India,  that  he  had  landed  in 
a  barrack  square,  out  of  which  it  was  hazardous 
work  to  fly  the  aeroplane.  I  had  wired  back 
suggesting  knocking  down  a  gap  in  the  wall;  this 
apparently  entailed  the  demolition  of  the  Regular 
Persian  Army  barracks,  and  the  project  was  but 
coldly  received  by  the  Legation !  However,  he 
eventually  flew  out  into  the  open  country  by 
emptying  the  tanks  and  lightening  his  machine. 
Before  leaving,  Sir  Charles  Marling  insisted  that 
a  passenger,  who  could  speak  Persian,  should 
accompany  Browning  in  case  of  a  forced  landing. 
Their  "  ghulam  "  (porter)  was  accordingly  ordered 
to  go,  and  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  flight  to  Kir- 
manshah,  where  oil  and  petrol  were  picked  up. 
From  there  Colonel  Bicharakov,  commanding  the 
Russian  Partisan  Detachment,  was  brought  down 


TT 


Browning's  arrival  at  Teheran 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  259 

to  Baghdad.  It  was  a  notable  achievement;  our 
aeroplanes  then  were  not  Handley-Pages  or 
Vickers-Vimy. 

In  the  middle  of  February  another  squadron 
arrived  at  Busrah,  a  fighting  squadron,  under  Major 
von  Poellnitz,  equipped  with  the  latest  machines. 
Fortunately  their  arrival  was  timed  more  happily 
than  the  last,  for  the  weather  was  still  cool,  and 
they  came  up-river  with  few  casualties  from 
sickness.  Two  of  their  Scout  Flights  were  located 
at  Samarra  and  Mirjana,  to  attack  any  Hun 
'that  approached  our  forward  positions.  The  long- 
distance D.H.  4  Flight  remained  at  Baqubah. 
Von  Poellnitz  unfortunately  was  killed  soon  after 
by  the  capsizing  of  his  motor-car  over  an  embank- 
ment. The  wing  had  grown,  and  now  mustered 
more  than  a  thousand  men  and  a  hundred  officers. 

The  marshes  of  the  Euphrates  south  of  Hilla  to 
Nasiriyeh  being  uncharted,  two  aeroplanes  went 
to  Kufa  to  carry  out  a  survey  of  this  little-known 
land.  The  whole  area  was  in  an  unsettled  state, 
and  troops  had  been  despatched  south  to  pro'tect 
the  isolated  political  officers  and  friendly  tribes. 
While  flying  to  Kufa  a  failing  engine  forced  me  to 
land  within  a  mile  of  the  ruins  of  Babylon.  Armed 
Arabs  commenced  'to  collect  at  once,  and  I  was 
glad  to  see  the  arrival  of  a  few  "  shabbanas,"  or 
local  levies,  organised  by  the  political  department. 
These  desperados,  on  their  little  Arab  ponies, 
revelling  in  their  authority,  set  about  "  knouting  " 
the  crowd  in  a  most  energetic  manner.  A  Sheikh 
lent  me  his  pony,  and  with  a  "  shabbana "  as 


260       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

escort,  I  galloped  six  miles  to  Hilla,  where  there 
was  a  British  garrison  and  'telegraph  wire.  The 
short  stirrups  and  impossible  Arab  saddle,  with 
only  the  usual  single  cord  to  the  pony's  mouth, 
afford  no  control  and  cause  agonies  of  cramp  'to  the 
European.  My  steed,  however,  knew  the  road,  and 
clattered  over  the  rough  ground  with  a  wonderful 
skill  and  fine  turn  of  speed  which,  with  only  my 
cord,  I  was  quite  incapable  either  of  controlling  or 
directing.  A  breakdown  party  flew  out  from 
Baghdad,  and  with  Durward,  the  photographic 
officer,  I  flew  on  to  Kufa  the  next  day. 

While  stranded  we  had  a  look  at  Babylon,  a  mass 
of  half-buried  ruins  rising  in  a  cluster  from  the 
sand.  Since  1899  the  Germans  had  been  hard  at 
work  excavating,  and  had  built  a  museum  by  the 
river.  As  soon  as  our  influence  penetrated  as  far 
as  Hilla,  the  military  authorities  protected  the 
museum,  otherwise  there  would  have  been  little 
left  of  it  after  a  few  visitations  from  roving 
subalterns.  Nearly  every  brick  bears  an  inscrip- 
tion, records  of  the  days  of  Nebuchadnezzar  and 
prehistoric  dynasties,  for  'the  Babylonian  ruins,  as 
at  present  seen,  have  their  foundations  on  previous 
Baby  Ions.  The  salient  features  of  the  place  are 
the  Ishtar  Gate,  built  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  a 
statue  of  a  lion  standing  over  a  man. 

On  the  way  to  Kufa  we  passed  the  mound  and 
ruins  which  Arab  tradition  regards  as  all  that 
remains  of  the  Tower  of  Babel.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  Scottish  "  doocot,"  and  is  certainly  a  very 
ancient  edifice.  These  traces  of  a  bygone 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  26 1 

standing  by  themselves  in  the  wilderness,  seemed 
in  their  silence  to  hold  aloof  from  the  latest 
achievements  of  man ;  one  felt  in  an  aeroplane  that 
one  was  outraging  their  sanctity. 

We  found  the  two  survey  aeroplanes  in  the  desert 
half-way  between  Kufa  and  Nejef,  guarded  by 
Territorials,  and  "here  I  me't  an  old  friend,  Frank 
Balfour,  political  officer  of  this  wild  district.  There 
had  been  shooting  in  the  bazaars,  and  this  lonely 
work  among  fanatical  thousands  was  no  light 
responsibility.  A  few  days  later  Marshall,  of  the 
Dogras,  was  murdered  in  Nejef,  and  Frank 
Balfour,  besieged  in  his  house,  held  out  until  relief 
arrived.  Nejef  was  blockaded  by  our  troops  and 
thereby  cut  off  from  water  except  for  a  few  brackish 
wells  inside  the  city.  After  a  period  of  siege  those 
responsible  were  surrendered.  A  somewhat 
unfortunate  incident  took  place  when  I  sent  a  flying 
officer  with  important  despatches  from  G.H.Q.  to 
the  officer  commanding  the  British  column.  It 
was  not  without  humour.  The  pilot  entrusted  with 
the  despatches  was  'told  to  drop  them  without 
landing,  so  on  getting  into  his  machine  he  explained 
to  the  mechanic  who  was  accompanying  him  to 
throw  them  over  when  he  waved  his  hand  and 
pointed  down.  They  set  off;  on  approaching 
Babylon  the  pilot  thought  he  would  like  to  point 
out  the  ruins  for  the  edification  of  his  mechanic. 
So  he  circled  round  and  pointed.  Away  went  the 
despatches  !  The  pilot  arrived  back  with  this  sorry 
tale;  there  were  hectic  interviews  with  the  powers, 
and  Indian  cavalry  searched  the  area  for  two  days, 
s 


262       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

until  'the  secret  papers  were  fortunately  recovered. 
The  pilot  and  mechanic  received  their  fill  of  abuse  ! 

I  took  F.  B.  over 'the  southern  extremities  of  this 
district,  an  area  of  swampy  vegetation  thickly  popu- 
lated by  marsh  Arabs,  and  then  left  him  at  Kufa 
and  went  on  to  Baghdad.  A  few  days  later  news 
filtered  'through  of  the  death  of  Marshall  and  the 
plight  of  Balfour  a  hundred  miles  to  the  south- 
ward. Armoured  cars  were  despatched  to  his 
assistance,  and  aeroplanes  went  down  to  co-operate 
with  'the  column.  But,  more  important  still,  I 
possessed  a  bottle  of  old  liqueur  brandy,  which  'the 
pilot  was  to  deliver,  come  what  might.  It  reached 
him. 

In  the  middle  of  February  our  eyes  were  turned 
towards  the  Euphrates  front.  Since  the  capture  of 
Ahmed  Bey  at  Ramadi  there  had  been  no  fighting ; 
the  resources  of  the  district  had  been  developed, 
and  our  influence  established  among  the  local 
tribes.  The  enemy  had,  however,  reinforced  'this 
front,  and  were  concentrated  about  Hit  and 
Salahiyeh,  with  his  forward  troops  at  Uqbah, 
between  Hit  and  Ramadi.  The  railway  from 
Baghdad  to  Felujah  was  complete.  The  enemy, 
in  considerable  strength,  were  well  within  striking 
distance,  and  General  Marshall  again  decided  to 
take  the  offensive,  and  at  least  eject  him  from  his 
positions,  if  not  destroy  or  capture  his  force.  After 
Ramadi  the  latter  event  seemed  unlikely.  By  the 
occupation  of  Hit  we  should  also  appropriate  the 
valuable  bitumen  wells,  for  which  the  place  is 
famed,  and  deny  him  the  desert  road  connecting  his 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  263 

Euphrates  front  with  Tekrit,  on  the  Tigris.  On 
the  i Qth  February  a  column,  under  General  Lucas, 
moved  up  from  Ramadi  and  occupied  Uqbah 
without  opposition.  Air  reconnaissance  reported 
the  enemy  to  be  evacuating  their  trenches  south  of 
Hit  and  taking  up  a  position  on  high  rocky  ground 
two  miles  above  the  town  at  the  Broad  Wadi,  where 
gun-pits  and  dumps  were  located;  two  enemy 
aircraft  were  at  Hit;  one  in  the  air  refused  action 
and  dived  for  his  aerodrome. 

A  Flight  from  Baqubah  and  one  from  Samarra 
flew  to  Ramadi  and  formed  a  composite  squadron 
under  D.  H.  for  the  Euphrates  offensive.  The 
transport  from  Samarra  came  down  to  Baghdad  by 
rail  and  completed  the  journey  by  road;  there  was 
no  suitable  road  between  Samarra  and  Baghdad; 
at  that  time  a  road  meant  an  unmetalled  desert 
track  cleared  of  boulders  and  carried  by  rough 
bridges  over  the  nullahs.  The  transport  from 
Baqubah,  in  spite  of  heavy  rain  which  made  the 
desert  well-nigh  impassable,  reached  Ramadi,  a 
hundred  miles  distant,  in  one  day;  52  Kite  Balloon 
Section  pushed  up  to  the  advanced  troops  at 
Uqbah,  and  the  next  fortnight  was  spent  accumu- 
lating supplies,  concentrating  troops  in  the  forward 
area,  and  bombing  the  enemy.  In  one  week  three 
tons  of  bombs  were  dropped  and  9,000  rounds  fired 
from  the  air  at  ground  targets.  The  Hun  aero- 
planes on  Hit  aerodrome  received  particular 
attention,  and  were  subjected  to  showers  of  bombs 
at  short  intervals.  One  enemy  machine  was  'totally 
destroyed  by  a  direct  hit  by  Lieut.  Berrington,  so 


264      IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

they  moved  their  aerodrome  fifty  miles  back  to 
Hadi'thah.  Rain  and  low  clouds  did  much  to 
hamper  both  aerial  work  and  the  movement  of 
transport. 

The  influence  of  a  German  political  officer  at 
large  in  Persia  had  been  causing  considerable 
annoyance.  Traps  had  been  laid  for  him,  but  the 
elusive  von  Drueffel  had  never  been  caught. 
Aeroplanes  scoured  the  country  where  his 
presence  had  been  reported  from  outside  sources, 
and  eventually  two  machines  found  and  bombed 
his  camp.  It  was  later  ascertained  that  six  of  his 
wireless  operators  were  killed,  but  that  von 
Drueffel  still  lived. 

There  was  still  another  front  for  which  Force 
"  D "  was  responsible,  at  Ahwaz,  up  the  Karun 
river,  far  away  to  the  south-east.  Here  a  British 
garrison  had  been  engaged  for  the  last  three  years 
in  protecting  the  oilfields  and  guarding  our  flank 
against  the  wild  Bakhtiari  tribes  to  our  right  rear. 
For  German  influence  was  rife  in  Southern  Persia. 
There  had  again  been  'trouble,  and  the  need  of 
aeroplanes  was  telegraphed  to  Baghdad  by  General 
Younghusband.  Petrol  and  oil  were  despatched  up 
the  Karun  river,  and  officers  who  happened  to  be  at 
Busrah  were  ordered  to  proceed  there  in  two  new 
machines  from  the  Aircraft  Park.  Unfortunately 
Captain  Parker  and  Air-mechanic  Neilson  were 
killed  when  starting  off  on  this  expedition.  Their 
machine,  which  was  heavily  loaded,  crashed  into 
the  ground  from  three  hundred  feet.  Two  aero- 
planes reached  Dizful,  and  with  a  political  officer 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  265 

as  observer  reconnoitred  the  disturbed  area.  They 
were  stranded  at  Shush  by  bad  weather,  but 
eventually  regained  Ahwaz  and  returned  to  Busrah. 

The  enemy,  becoming  uncomfortable  at  our 
forward  movement  and  concentration  on  the 
Euphrates,  left  nothing  to  chance,  and  evacuated 
Hit  on  the  afternoon  of  March  8th.  Our  troops 
advanced  and  occupied  the  town  without  opposi- 
tion on  the  following  day.  Flying  along  the 
Aleppo  road  I  watched  their  columns  winding  back 
and  we  managed  some  execution  with  the  machine- 
gun.  The  country  above  Hit  becomes  rocky,  and 
the  Euphrates  flows  down  past  cliffs  and  steep 
banks.  As  with  the  Tigris  at  Samarra,  it  is  the 
end  of  the  alluvial  plain  of  Mesopotamia.  The 
desert  is  broken  and  hilly,  as  between  Suez  and 
Cairo.  Captain  Haight  and  Lieut.  Hancock  had 
vanished  into  it  five  days  previously;  search 
machines  eventually  discovered  the  charred  remains 
of  their  aeroplane  two  and  a  half  miles  N.E.  of 
Hit.  A  deserter  reported  that  their  engine  had 
been  damaged  by  rifle-fire, that  the  officers  had  burnt 
their  machine,  and  were  believed  to  be  prisoners. 

I  landed  on  the  German  aerodrome  at  Hit  just 
as  our  advanced  troops  were  passing  'through,  and, 
borrowing  a  bombardier's  horse,  caught  up  the 
head  of  the  column  with  my  report.  Hit  stands  up 
from  the  desert  like  a  mediaeval  fortress,  the  cause 
of  this  elevation  being  ruins  of  former  Hits;  the 
town  crumbling  with  decades  is  built  up  again  on 
its  own  ruins,  and  so,  with  the  passage  of  time, 
it  clmbs  up  above  the  surrounding  country.  It  was 


266       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

the  same  with  Babylon.  Hit  smelt  worse  perhaps 
than  anywhere  in  the  world.  I  remember  once 
lying  off  Castellamare,  in  the  Bay  of  Naples,  a  hot 
evening  with  faint  airs  off  the  land.  I  thought  then 
the  odour  was  intolerable,  but  Hit  was  worse. 
First  of  all  there  were  the  bitumen  wells;  boiling 
pitch  bubbles  to  the  surface,  giving  off  sulphuretted 
hydrogen;  the  odour  of  rotten  eggs  hangs  heavy 
on  'the  atmosphere.  Then,  near  the  town,  even  this 
is  subjugated  by  the  deadly  stench  of  rotting 
carcases,  drainage  and  refuse,  littered  round  the 
walls  and  in  the  dark  alleys  which  serve  as  streets. 
There  are  palm  groves  outside  Hi't,  and  with  the 
quaint  town  standing  out  from  among  them  and  the 
broad  Euphrates  flowing  past,  the  place  possessed 
a  fairy-story  appearance.  The  retiring  enemy 
columns  were  a  fine  quarry  for  airmen.  We  began 
bombing  'them  at  dawn  on  the  Qth,  and  continued 
till  dusk;  havoc  was  caused  among  troops  and 
transport  both  by  bombs  and  machine-gun  fire  from 
ground-level  upwards.  The  deeds  of  the  squadron 
could  be  read  along  the  road.  The  enemy 
moved  right  back  to  Khan  Baghdadi,  where 
he  took  up  a  position  on  rocky  heights 
running  into  the  desert  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Euphrates. 

Bad  weather  hampered  movements  both  on 
the  ground  and  in  the  air.  Von  Drueffel,  on 
the  Persian  side,  received  his  weekly  ration 
of  bombs,  and  more  of  his  native  following 
were  reported  to  have  been  killed.  All  'this  time 
General  Cassels  had  been  feverishly  training  the 


Kite-balloon  and  Anti-aircraft  gun  in  the  desert 


Hit 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  267 

nth  Cavalry  Brigade  in  the  vicinity  of  Baghdad. 
The  7th  Hussars  and  the  Guides  Cavalry,  recently 
arrived  from  India,  the  23rd  Cavalry  from  Ahwaz, 
and  W  Batteiy  R.H.A.,  with  i8-pounder  guns, 
hauled  by  four  pairs  of  horses  instead  of  the  usual 
i3-pounder  R.H.A.  battery  with  three-pair  teams. 
They  trained  night  and  day  as  an  independent 
brigade,  and  Bob  Cassels,  dreaming  of  victories  to 
be,  awaited  the  opportunity  to  lead  his  finely- 
tempered  machine  into  action.  He  hoped  hard  'to 
be  sent  to  the  Euphrates,  and  to  get  his  chance 
before  the  enemy  slipped  away  out  of  reach.  I 
arrived  back  at  Baghdad  in  time  to  play  polo  one 
afternoon,  and  told  him  the  sad  news  of  the  rapid 
Turkish  retirement  to  Khan  Baghdadi.  It  looked 
as  though  for  the  rest  of  the  war  our  energies 
would  be  confined  to  polo.  Poor  Cassels  was  a 
disappointed  man. 

A  Baghdad  "  week  "  had  been  arranged  :  racing, 
polo  tournament,  horse  show,  golf  tournament, 
football,  boxing,  etc.  As  many  as  could  be  spared 
came  in  from  the  desert;  the  G.O.C.  himself  cap- 
tained one  of  the  polo  teams,  and  for  four  days 
Baghdad  was  a  scene  of  sport  and  jollification  such 
as  it  had  never  witnessed  before.  Keenness  and 
competition  were  at  fever  heat,  and  concerts  at  night 
culminated  the  day's  programme.  The  messes 
were  crammed,  and  a  special  camp  had  been 
arranged  for  the  overflow.  The  final  of  the  polo 
tournament  was  a  sight  that  will  never  be  forgotten. 
The  match  was  watched  by  thousands;  the  22nd 
Cavalry  and  i4th  Bengal  Lancers  were  the  finalists, 


268       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

their  'teams  composed  of  famous  players.  When  the 
histle  blew  at  the  end  of  the  last  "  chukker  "  it 
was  still  a  draw.  It  had  been  a  galloping  game, 
and  the  ponies  were  tired.  Two  more  "  chukkers  " 
went  by  with  widened  goal-posts,  and  still  the  22nd 
and  I4th  went  thundering  up  and  down  the  dusty 
ground  with  the  ball  in  the  middle.  The  Sowars 
around  waved  and  yelled  themselves  hoarse  with 
excitement.  The  syces  'tried  to  restore  freshness 
to  the  soaked,  bloodshot-eyed,  game  little  ponies. 
Riders  and  ponies  were  almost  beat,  and  it  had  been 
agreed  that  a  draw  should  be  declared  if  no  scoring 
took  place  in  the  coming  "chukker."  The  multitude 
was  tense  with  excitement  when  "  click  "  went  the 
sticks  once  more  as  the  umpire  threw  in  the  ball. 
The  air  was  electric ;  we  had  forgotten  the  war  and 
all  else  for  the  great  god  Sport.  With  staggering 
ponies  the  i4th  Lancers,  a  team  of  magnificent 
sportsmen  of  fine  polo  and  pig-sticking  fame, 
pressed  the  ball  through  their  opponents'  goal- 
posts. The  army  thundered  applause. 

The  Indian  soldier  is  a  born  sportsman; 
"  Shikar,"  Love,  and  War,  the  three  'things  that 
matter  to  all  true  gentlemen,  are  the  creed  of  the 
fighting  tribesman;  that  was  the  root  and  glorious 
tradition  of  the  native  army;  by  it  the  Sowar  or 
Sepoy  judged  his  "  Sahib,"  and  because  of  this 
sense  of  fellow-feeling,  of  being  dealt  with  by 
"  men,"  he  loved  his  "  sahib  "  better  than  life. 
When  this  love  dies  it  is  the  end  of  the  Indian 
army,  and  modern  democratic  developments  are 
hanging  over  it  like  the  Sword  of  Damocles.  Officer 


First  race  meeting  at  Baghdad,  showing  cloud  shadows  on  the  desert 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  269 

your  wild  Pathan  regiments  with  "  Babus  "  from 
the  cities  or  second-rate  Britishers,  but  do  not 
expect  them  to  follow  into  the  Armageddon  of 
modern  warfare.  Why  did  Sikh,  Garhwali,  or 
Punjabi  endure  the  exposures  and  tortures  of  the 
damned  through  all  the  long  war?  Different  in 
race,  religion,  and  language,  they  followed  gladly 
over  unheard-of  seas  to  fight  in  unknown  lands  and 
foreign  climates  and  be  mowed  down  and  maimed 
in  thousands.  Ask  the  Risaldar  or  Sepoy  why  he 
left  all,  to  fight  for  the  infidel  against  his  brother 
Mahommedans  :  "  Smith  Sahib  go  to  war,  then  I 
go  to  war."  Our  orators  who  preach  sedition  in 
Hyde  Park  would  have  done  well  to  have  witnessed 
that  polo  match  in  Baghdad. 

While  we  exercised  our  muscles  at  Baghdad, 
General  Brooking  still  followed  the  Turk  by 
moving  forward  men  and  supplies  on  the  Euphrates, 
for  General  Marshall  had  issued  orders  to  drive 
the  enemy  as  far  as  possible.  Our  advanced  troops 
at  Salahiyeh  were  already  70  miles  from  the  rail- 
head at  Felujah.  They  were  entirely  maintained 
by  motor-lorries,  and  it  seemed  that  further  forward 
movement  would  overtax  the  burden  of  the 
transport  services. 

But  the  new  Ford  convoys  were  proving 
their  use,  and  as  much  motor-transport  as  could  be 
spared  was  sent  to  the  Euphrates.  Cassels5  Cavalry 
Brigade  marched  there  by  night,  hiding  during  the 
day,  and  armoured  cars  rolled  out  under  cover  of 
darkness.  The  enemy  were  fourteen  miles  away, 
at  Khan  Baghdadi.  General  Brooking  decided  to 


270       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

attack  the  front  early  on  26th  March,  while  the 
cavalry  and  armoured  cars  worked  round  the  desert 
flank  during  the  night,  and  got  across  the  Aleppo 
road  and  his  line  of  retreat.  The  broad  principles 
of  this  operation  were  the  same  as  at  Ramadi ;  we 
could  only  pray  that  he  would  stick  to  his  ground. 

On  the  evening  of  the  24th,  Hobart,  Brigade- 
Major  of  the  8th  Infantry  Brigade,  dined  with  me  in 
Baghdad  to  say  farewell ;  his  division,  the  3rd,  were 
following  'the  7th,  which  had  left  for  the  Palestine 
front.  I  happened  to  say  that  I  was  flying  out 
to  Hit  on  the  following  morning  to  have  a  look  at 
the  enemy's  position  and  see  the  squadron.  I  could 
not  say  more,  as  the  impending  operations  were 
deadly  secret;  but  it  was  my  intention  to  complete 
the  final  air  arrangements  with  the  i5th  Divisional 
S'taff  and  the  squadron  on  that  front.  To  do  so  it 
seemed  necessary  to  gain  a  personal  knowledge  of 
the  enemy's  position  at  Khan  Baghdadi.  Hobart, 
who  had  never  seen  the  Euphrates,  and  who  had 
many  friends  there,  was  keen  to  come  out  and  see 
them  before  he  went  down-river  and  left  the 
country.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th, 
we  set  out  from  Baghdad  in  the  third  new  D.H.  4; 
'the  fate  of  the  other  two  has  already  been 
described. 

The  weather  was  cool,  with  the  wind  in  the  north 
and  driving  black  rain  clouds.  The  D.H.  4  forged 
along  in  the  teeth  of  this  at  a  comfortable  100  miles 
an  hour.  The  Euphrates  was  eventually  picked  up, 
and  'then  we  were  immersed  in  the  fluffy  fog  of  a 
rainstorm  at  4,000  feet.  We  broke  out  of  it  with 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  271 

Hit  astern  and  to  our  left,  the  country  below  a  mass 
of  nullahs  and  rocks.  We  had  gone  fairly  low  'to 
avoid  the  heavy  clouds;  I  could  hear  the  well- 
known  crackling  of  machine-guns  somewhere  down 
there  on  the  floor,  but  could  see  no  sign  of  life. 
Glancing  at  my  instruments,  the  temperature  of  the 
water  had  suddenly  gone  up  to  boiling  point;  when 
that  happens  it  is  time  to  turn  for  home.  Then  the 
dial  went  back  to  o ;  the  only  possible  inference  from 
these  wild  fluctuations  could  be  that  there  was  no 
water  left;  those  infernal  machine-guns  must  have 
hit  our  radiator.  Easing  down  the  engine,  I  made 
for  our  lines  in  the  hope  of  crashing  somewhere 
among  'the  rocks  within  reach  of  friends,  but  it 
was  soon  apparent  that  we  were  dropping  too  fast 
to  clear  enemy  country,  and  the  overheated  engine 
could  not  be  expected  to  revolve  much  longer.  A 
thousand  feet  up  the  propeller  stopped,  and  the 
sudden  silence  intensified  the  racket  of  machine- 
gun  and  rifle  fire  from  below.  They  were  hitting  us 
now,  and  we  could  see  the  Turks  running  about  on 
the  ground.  There  seemed  no  place  where  it  was 
possible  to  land,  but  we  turned  up  a  nullah  running 
down  from  the  desert,  and  somehow  alighted  on  a 
few  yards  of  sand  without  crashing.  The  hills  and 
rocks  rose  up  all  around  us,  and  from  these  the  fire 
continued,  the  bullets  crashing  through  the 
machine  and  throwing  up  the  dust.  I  'tore  at  a 
petrol-pipe  with  the  blackness  of  despair,  while 
Hobart  searched  in  his  clothing  for  matches;  at 
least  we  would  burn  the  machine.  Having  ignited 
a  leak  we  jumped  clear  of  the  machine;  Turks 


272       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

appeared  from  cover  and  advanced  cautiously,  for 
the  zone  was  still  bullet-swept  from  sportsmen  on 
the  further  heights.     They  ran  in  and  we  held  up 
our  hands.    A  little  officer  rushed  up  and  greeted 
us  warmly,  telling  us  not  to  be  frightened,   and 
congratulating  us  on  being  alive.     But  we  cared 
neither  for  his  remarks  nor  the  fact  that  we  were 
still    alive !      They   led    us    to   a    shelter,    which 
happened  to  be  battalion   H.Q.,  where  we  were 
politely  received  by  a  lieutenant-colonel,  to  whom 
we  handed  the  contents  of  our  pockets.      Several 
other  officers  came  in,  and  all  chattered  unceasingly 
while  the  battalion  commander  wrote  a  report,  and 
we   endeavoured  to    make    them   understand    the 
spelling  of  our  names  and  ranks.    Coffee  was  pro- 
duced, and  the  excited  eloquence  of  the  enemy 
became  more  voluble.     They  seemed  pleased  with 
their  capture.    We  were  growing  a  bit  bored  with 
this,  when  a  new  officer  burst  in,  and  informed  us 
we  were  to  ride  back  with  him.    After  much  hand- 
shaking, we  mounted  two  broken-down  ponies,  and, 
surrounded  by  a  magnificent  escort,  clattered  down 
the   Wadi.      How  I  longed  for  one  of  my  polo 
ponies;  that  ragged  crew  would  have  been  left 
standing.    En  route  we  were  met  and  ecstatically 
greeted   by  a   dapper   little   Turkish   officer,   who 
explained  that  he,  he  alone,  was  responsible  for 
our    capture.      He    it    was   who   commanded   the 
machine-guns,  and  who  had  so  aptly  directed  the 
barrage  against  us;  with  eighteen  mitrailleuses  on 
one  hill,  he  assured  us  that  there  had  been  no 
possibility  of  our  escape ;  but  he  expressed  profound 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  273 

satisfaction  that  we  were  unhurt,  and  were  we  not 
lucky,  as  we  would  now  be  alive  at  the  end  of  the 
war.  So,  fuming  with  pride  and  self-satisfaction, 
this  droll  specimen  of  the  Turkish  army  strutted 
back  to  his  mitrailleuses. 

Rounding  a  corner  we  came  upon  a  suspiciously 
British-looking  bell-tent,  with  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  at  a  garden  outside  it.  Dismounting  here, 
we  were  greeted  by  a  genial  old  Turk,  whose 
benign  smile  disclosed  two  complete  rows  of  golden 
teeth.  This  suave  old  gentleman  did  nothing  but 
express  condolence  and  attempt  to  persuade  us  that 
our  lot  was  most  fortunate.  The  Germans  were 
advancing,  and  Paris  was  being  bombarded;  the 
war  would  soon  be  over,  and  we  should  return  safe 
to  our  homes  in  England;  with  this  well-meant  but 
distasteful  sympathy  ringing  in  our  ears,  coffee  and 
cigarettes  were  handed  round.  He  told  us  of  his 
various  visits  to  Paris,  and  said  he  intended  coming 
to  London  as  soon  as  the  war  was  over;  we  must 
give  him  our  addresses,  and  together  we  should 
have  an  evening's  entertainment,  for  he  had  heard 
that  the  ladies  were  lovely  in  London,  and  the  sly 
old  roue  winked  his  eye !  With  the  utmost 
courtesy  he  bade  us  farewell,  and  we  left  him,  his 
gold  teeth  flashing  in  the  sunlight. 

After  another  hour's  ride  the  Divisional  H.Q. 
were  reached,  and  we  were  brought  before  Nazmi 
Bey,  commanding  the  Euphrates  Front.  A  tall, 
spectacled,  serious-looking  Turk,  communication 
with  him  was  impossible  as  he  could  speak  no 
French.  A  smart-looking  boy  who  talked  broad 


274       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

Yankee  arrived  'to  interpret.  The  conversation  was 
long  and  flagging,  for  his  part  dwelling  mostly  on 
the  German  successes  in  France ;  news  had  reached 
us  at  Baghdad  of  the  March  offensive  at  Cambrai, 
but  we  were  disinclined  to  believe  that  the  reverse 
on  the  Western  Front  was  as  serious  as  they  stated. 
Ali,  the  boy,  seemed  most  friendly,  and  during  the 
conversation  volunteered  advice  regarding  our 
answers,  and  kept  telling  us  not  to  be  frightened  of 
the  General !  Nazmi  Bey  was  inquisitive  about  our 
aerial  activity  :  Why  did  we  not  leave  them  alone  for 
a  minute  ?  Was  it  fair  that  they  should  be  bombed 
and  machine-gunned  night  and  day?  What  did  it  all 
mean?  His  questions  were  rather  inopportune,  as, 
knowing  the  plans  for  the  morrow,  it  was  vital  to 
allay  any  suspicion  that  might  be  latent  in  the  mind 
of  the  enemy  commander.  We  parried  them  by 
subtle  flattery  in  the  suggestion  that,  with  such  an 
opponent,  the  strictest  vigilance  was  essential.  The 
.Turkish  General  informed  us  that  we  should 
probably  remain  in  camp  with  him  for  two  or  three 
days;  this  suited  us  well,  for  on  the  morrow  the 
British  army  were  to  move.  Ali  led  us  off  to  a 
tent;  on  the  way  we  passed  four  German  officers 
sitting  at  their  mess.  The  Germans  lived  entirely 
by  themselves;  their  isolation  was  most  marked. 
Later  one  came  to  interrogate  us;  as  he  approached, 
Ali  made  the  astonishing  announcement,  "  Here 
comes  the  sausage,  but  pay  no  attention  to  him." 
Our  visitor  proved  to  be  the  Intelligence  officer ;  he 
spoke  English  as  an  Englishman,  and  his  name  was 
Boyes.  Having  been  a  merchant  in  Calcutta  for 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  2? 5 

fourteen  years,  it  was  curious  that  he  should  have 
packed  up  his  home  and  belongings  to  return  'to 
Germany  in  June,  1914.  As  an  inquisitor  he  was 
weak;  he  seemed  kindly  disposed  towards  us, 
perhaps  in  deference  to  his  English  forbears.  The 
evening  was  cold,  and  our  request  for  a  little 
exercise  being  granted  gave  us  an  opportunity  for 
a  reconnaissance  of  our  surroundings  with  regard 
to  escape;  but  the  numerous  sentries,  dogs,  and 
brilliant  moon  extinguished  any  hopes.  AH 
produced  some  soup  and  black  bread,  and  informed 
us  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  cigarette-maker  in 
Stamboul ;  he  gave  us  his  father's  address,  and  said 
he  would  write  to  him  to  help  us.  He  was  most 
sympathetic  and  friendly ;  educated  in  an  American 
college,  his  demeanour  was  more  Occidental  than 
Oriental.  They  gave  us  a  blanket,  and,  settling 
down  on  the  ground  for  the  night,  we  had  hardly 
got  to  sleep  when  an  officer  roused  us  at  10  p.m. 
and  informed  us  that  we  must  move. 

Knowing  what  I  did  of  the  plans  of  the  army, 
our  chief  aim  was  to  keep  near  the  front  as  long  as 
possible;  we  argued  with  the  Staff  officer,  and 
eventually  made  him  wake  the  General  'to  ask  if  we 
might  be  left  till  the  morning,  as  we  were  very  tired. 
The  General  replied  that  "  an  order  was  an  order," 
and  we  were  to  move  at  once.  So,  cold,  tired,  and 
depressed,  we  were  bundled  into  a  waggon  behind 
drawn  curtains  and,  escorted  by  a  guard  of  a  dozen 
men,  jolted  off  across  the  broken  ground.  The  cold 
was  intense,  the  cart  had  no  springs,  and  Hobart 
and  I  were  thrown  up  and  down  on  the  seat  like 


276       IN  THE,  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

peas    on    a    drum.      Although    bright    moonlight 
without,  in  our  palanquin  all  was  darkness.      A 
Cossack  rode  at  each  wheel,  a  picturesque  company 
with  their  strange  clothing  and  shaggy  mounts.  The 
nationality  of  our  guard  was  surprising;  we  learnt 
that  they  were  deserters  from  the  Russian  army. 
On  the  box  sat  a  Turkish  Jehu,  whose  imprecations 
shattered  'the  stillness   of   the   night  as  we  dived 
almost  perpendicularly  into  nullahs  or  pitched  and 
tossed  among  the  boulders.     We  knew  not  where 
we  were  going,  neither  did  we  care;  the  night  was 
interminable.     Dawn  came  at  last,  but  in  spite  of 
brutal  belabourings  the  mules  could  go  no  further; 
so,  weary  and  numbed,  we  emerged  and  restored  our 
circulation  by  marching.     High  in  the  sky  droned 
a  British  aeroplane ;  soon  he  would  be  back  having 
breakfast  at  Hit,  lucky  devil !     The  sun  rose  and 
warmed  us  up,  and  as  the  blood  ran  more  freely 
through  the  veins  our  spirits  improved.  The  village 
of  Hadithah  hove  in  sight,  and  here  we  were  taken 
into  the  "  serai,"  after  passing  through  the  youth 
of  the  place,  who  gazed  open-mouthed.  Our  prison 
was  the  usual  flat-roofed  Oriental  mud  building,  on 
which  we  were  allowed  to  walk  about.     We  took 
careful  stock  of  our  surroundings,  for  we  had  been 
informed  that  we  should  spend  the  night  here,  and 
were  determined  to  make  a  good  attempt  to  escape. 
Our  position  was  not  exactly  promising;  outside  our 
room  a  sentry  was  posted,  there  was  another  in  the 
street  below,  and  yet  another  on  the  edge  of  the 
desert  v/ho  must  be  passed  in  any  attempt  to  get 
away.    We  planned  to,  after  dark,  jump  out  of  the 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR 

window  of  our  room  on  to  'the  head  of  the  sentry 
in  the  street,  thus  breaking  his  neck;  then  run  for 
the  desert.  Two  Armenian  doctors  came  to  see  us, 
and,  as  usual,  were  more  friendly  towards  the 
English 'than  towards  the  Turk.  They  promised  us 
a  meal  and  blankets  for  the  night,  and  we  obtained 
leave  from  the  commandant  to  visit  their  hospital 
in  the  afternoon.  This  was  situated  in  the  main  town 
of  Hadithah,  on  an  island  in  the  Euphrates,  to 
which  we  were  ferried  in  an  ancient  barge.  The 
hospital  was  a  dismal  sight :  an  ordinary  Arab  house 
with  men  lying  in  rows  on  mattresses  on  'the  floor ; 
there  was  the  usual  complete  lack  of  medical 
arrangements.  While  we  were  there  a  Turk  died  as 
the  result  of  wounds  from  an  aeroplane  bomb.  The 
Armenians  were  most  sympathe'tic,  and  showed  us 
a  testimonial  from  Haight  and  Hancock,  express- 
ing gratitude  at  their  treatment  a  few  weeks  before. 
We  induced  our  guard  'to  allow  us  to  walk  round 
the  island,  thereby  making  further  reconnaissance 
of  the  lie  of  the  country.  So  friendly  were  the  two 
doctors  that  I  decided  to  ask  them  outright  what 
they  thought  of  any  chance  of  escape.  To  my 
surprise  and  relief  they  were  quite  open  to 
discussion,  which,  however,  had  to  be  carried  on  in 
an  even  tone  of  voice  so  as  not  to  attract  attention. 
While  marching  in  single  file  through  a  narrow  lane 
conversing  thus  disinterestedly  in  French,  I  heard 
Hobart,  who  was  behind  me,  growl,  "  For  God's 
sake,  be  careful,"  and  I  switched  off  on  to  another 
topic ;  when  we  got  clear  of  the  lane  he  told  me  that 
above  us  as  we  passed  he  had  seen  two  German 
T 


278       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

officers  looking  down  from  a  verandah.  The 
Armenians  held  out  little  hope,  and  we  returned  to 
our  prison  and  former  plan.  Ravenous  with 
hunger,  we  were  looking  forward  to  a  long- 
promised  meal,  when  the  clatter  of  a  horseman  and 
a  buzz  of  conversation  below  caused  us  'to  think. 
It  was  5  p.m.;  we  had  heard  no  guns,  but  if  the 
betting  were  on  Bob  Cassels  he  should  be  across 
the  enemy's  line  of  retreat  somewhere  down  that 
road ;  at  all  costs  we  must  try  to  stay  where  we  were. 
But,  in  burst  the  commandant,  who  informed  us  we 
must  leave  at  once,  and,  in  spite  of  argument  and 
obstinacy,  we  were  hurried  downstairs  and  shoved 
into  'the  same  old  cart.  We  started  off  at  a  gallop; 
in  every  direction  were  fleeing  Turks ;  all  organisa- 
tion and  discipline  seemed  to  have  collapsed;  it 
was  a  most  perfect  sample  of  sauve  qui  pent.  With 
every  stride  our  chances  lessened,  yet  Hobart  and 
I  could  but  chuckle  at  the  apparent  success  of  our 
friends  as  demonstrated  in  the  utter  terror  of  the 
flying  Orientals. 

The  mules  that  were  galloping  us  into  captivity- 
were  the  same  wretched  animals  that  had  dragged 
us  through  the  preceding  night;  but  now  the 
Cossacks  were  flying  for  their  lives.  We  wondered 
how  far  down  the  road  were  the  British  cavalry, 
and  what  the  measure  of  their  success.  The  pace 
gradually  slackened,  but  it  was  not  until  midnight 
that  we  halted,  and  were  allowed  to  restore  our 
circulation  by  walking  up  and  down  in  the  moon- 
light. A  keen  wind  blew  across  the  desert,  and 
the  pangs  of  hunger  augmented  the  pains  of  cramp. 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  2  79 

The  mules  staggered  on  through  the  rest  of  the 
night,  while  we  longed  for  the  dawn  and  the  warmth 
of  the  sun ;  eventually  the  cart  was  abandoned,  and 
we  took  to  our  feet.    By  9  a.m.  we  /cached  the  out- 
skirts of  Ana ;  on  approaching  the  town  aeroplanes 
flew  over  and  commenced  bombing  and  machine- 
gunning  among  the  houses;  our  escort  rushed  us 
into  a  narrow  lane  and  hid  us  from  view  till  we 
sadly  watched  our  friends  disappear  towards  the 
British  lines,  and  then,  in  spite  of  the  low  ebb  of 
our  spirits,  marched  with  a  swing  into  the  barrack- 
square.    We  realised  that  we  were  now  out  of  reach, 
and  prospects  of  escape  by  'the  desert  had  become 
remote.     So  we  fell  to  planning  future  flight  from 
Asia  Minor;  the  war  might  go  on  for  many  years, 
and  waste  our  lives  in  prison  we  would  not;  being 
a  prisoner,  as  the  Turkish  General   later  agreed 
with  me,  is  pis  que  le  mort.     We  were  so  far  back 
at  Ana,  fifty  miles  from  Khan  Baghdadi,  where  we 
had  been  captured,  that  a  rest  at  least  was  to  be 
expected ;  we  had  had  none  for  two  nights  and  two 
days,  and  only  'two  meagre  meals.     Black  bread 
and  a  bowl  of  sour  milk  were  brought  into  our  room, 
which  we  devoured  eagerly,  and  the  thought  of  the 
comparison  with  other  meals  at  the  Ritz  made  us 
laugh.    Various  officials  came  in  to  look  at  us  while 
this  meal  was  in  progress ;  they  were  mostly  Arabs ; 
one  aroused  my  curiosity  by  the  furtive  way  in 
which  he  several  times  visited  us.     I  asked  him  in 
Arabic  when  he  thought  the  war  would  be  over,  and 
gave  him  several  other  questions ;  the  fellow  looked 
as  if  he  wanted  to  talk.     He  eventually  confessed 


280       IX  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

that  he  was  sick  of  the  war,  and  wished  he  was  back 
at  home  in  Baghdad;  this  was  enlightening,  and 
we  dragged  it  out  of  him  that  he  intended 
joining  a  caravan  of  blockade-runners  leaving 
for  Baghdad  by  the  desert  in  a  few  days' 
time.  We  immediately  proposed  that  we  should 
accompany  him ;  but  at  this  he  put  his  fingers  to  his 
lips  and  went  out.  The  thought  seemed  'too  good ; 
hopes  were  at  least  buoyed  by  the  fact  that  during 
the  last  two  days  we  had  managed  twice  to  discuss 
terms  of  escape  with  the  enemy.  But  to  our  dismay 
another  officer  came  in  and  gave  the  order  for  the 
road  once  more.  It  seemed  the  climax.  I  shammed 
sick,  and  told  them  to  get  a  doctor,  explaining  that 
I,  a  senior  officer  in  his  Britannic  Majesty's  army, 
was  in  no  condition  to  go  on,  and  could  not  possibly 
be  treated  thus.  An  Armenian  doctor  was  pro- 
duced, but  although  sympathetically  inclined,  our 
remonstrances  were  of  no  avail,  and  we  trundled 
out  on  to  the  road  once  more. 

Hobart  and  I  each  had  a  camel;  the  guard 
consisted  of  twelve  Tartars  on  foot;  a  more  evil- 
looking  crowd  I  have  nevqr  seen.  A  Turkish 
"  yuzbashi  "  who  could  not  speak  Russian  was 
quite  useless,  and  entirely  in  the  hands  of  'the 
Tartars.  The  camels  were  completely  out  of  control, 
as  we  had  no  head-roges,  and  on  the  word  "march" 
they  commenced  describing  circles  until  rounded 
up  by  the  Tartars,  a  ridiculous  enough  sight, 
though  our  sense  of  humour  was  near  to  failing. 
All  day  long  we  trekked  across  open  rolling  plain, 
a  vast  wraste,  the  only  relief  given  being  some 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  28 1 

grass  and  wild  flowers.  It  was  difficult  to  remain 
awake  in  order  to  stay  on  the  camel,  and  the  hours 
seemed  unending.  The  sudden  mental  blank  after 
the  activity  of  life,  work,  and  companionship  over- 
shadowed physical  discomfort,  and  a  million  devils 
tortured  one's  mind.  Our  aeroplanes  came  over, 
and  made  good  shooting;  bullets  flicked  the  grass 
all  round,  but  no  one  was  hit.  On  the  approach  of 
the  machines  the  guard  grew  very  threatening,  and 
dragged  us  off  our  animals  into  nullahs.  They  kept 
their  rifles  pointed  at  us,  and  one  man  got  so  excited 
that  I  saw  him  pull  his  trigger  in  the  small  of 
Hobart's  back;  by  some  act  of  God  it  did  not  go 
off.  One  boiled  with  rage  at  being  man-handled  by 
these  savages,  but  it  was  useless.  An  amazing 
thing  happened  after  sunset ;  the  full  moon  came  up 
behind  a  snowy  cloud  and  all  its  edges  looked  as 
if  they  were  on  fire;  it  was  the  finest  moon  effect 
I  have  ever  seen,  and  made  an  inspiring  sight;  even 
the  Tartars  turned  round  and  looked  at  it  with  awe. 
I  told  Hobart  that  that  was  our  cloud  with  the  silver 
lining;  (by  'the  next  sunset  we  were  back  in  the 
British  lines).  Long  after  dark  a  light  flickered  in 
the  distance  yet  never  seemed  'to  get  any  closer; 
we  eventually  reached  a  mud  fort,  a  hundred 
thousand  miles  away  from  anywhere  on  earth, 
without  a  kick  left  in  us. 

In  a  filthy  little  room  we  found  a  still  filthier 
Armenian  clerk,  who  went  to  rouse  the  com- 
mandant. A  vision  in  beautiful  silk  pyjamas 
appeared,  and  proved  to  be  a  young  Turkish  officer 
of  the  German  school,  arrogant  and  annoying;  but 


282       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

he  did  his  best  as  regards  the  little  food  he  had,  and 
gave  us  his  last  thimbleful  of  "  arak,"  a  native 
spirit.  This  sleek  young  officer  seemed  incongruous 
among  his  remote  and  filthy  surroundings.  He 
talked  large  of  his  successes  in  Beyrout,  and  was 
evidently  a  young  spark  of  that  town.  The  "  arak  " 
made  him  more  arrogant  and  ego'tistical  than  ever; 
be  became  offensive  and  then  boring,  and  even- 
tually, at  2  a.m.,  when  our  patience  was  about, 
exhausted,  he  lurched  off  to  bed.  They  gave  us  a 
blanket,  and  we  slept  like  logs  on  the  mud  floor. 

The  morning  of  the  28th  found  the  place  full  of 
fleeing  Turks  and  Germans  from  Ana,  and  on  we 
went.  They  told  us  Aleppo  was  our  destination, 
many  more  hundred  miles  over  the  limitless  plain. 
We  probably  should  never  have  got  'there,  for  the 
Tartars  were  getting  bored;  besides,  the  food 
outlook  was  a  bit  dismal.  A  few  Germans  talked  to 
us  before  we  left,  and  told  us  of  the  great  battle  in 
France,  and  that  the  British  were  being  smashed, 
which  we  did  not  believe.  Our  aeroplanes  were 
bombing  and  machine-gunning  along  the  road,  but 
of  course  could  not  identify  us  from  others.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  they  had  been  looking  for  us  every 
day,  and  the  four  we  saw  that  morning  had  come 
out  to  land  ahead  and  effect  our  rescue. 

We  were  having  our  first  wash  on  the  banks  of 
the  Euphrates  at  about  n  a.m.,  when  a  Cossack 
galloped  past  shouting  "  Auto!"  (automobile),  but 
I  paid  no  attention,  as  I  was  certain  that  our  fellows 
could  not  come  nearly  as  far;  we  did  not  know  the 
extent  of  the  defeat  of  the  Turkish  force.  In  fact, 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  283 

we  had  given  up  any  idea  of  being  rescued,  under 
the  impression  that  there  could  be  nobody  within 
fifty  miles.  The  Tartars,  however,  seemed  alarmed, 
and  became  threatening.  We  managed  to  cool  them 
down,  got  on  our  camels,  and  went  on.  Suddenly 
there  burst  the  regular  stammer  of  a  Maxim  quite 
close;  we  looked  up  expecting  to  see  another 
aeroplane ;  it  was  so  loud  and  sudden  that  the  idea 
flashed  through  our  minds  'that  an  aeroplane  had 
landed  to  attempt  our  escape,  and  we  threw  our- 
selves off  our  camels  and  made  for  the  cover  of  the 
river  bank.  But  there,  a  hundred  yards  along  the 
road,  as  large  as  life,  was  an  armoured  car,  with 
others  behind.  I  howled  it  to  Hobart,  and  we  went 
with  heads  down  as  if  all  the  devils  in  hell  were 
after  us.  The  Tartars  scattered  behind  the  rocks 
under  the  machine-gun  fire ;  we  never  looked  round. 
The  officer  commanding  the  cars,  Captain  Tod, 
leapt  out  and  dragged  us  into  the  turret,  the  men 
within  yelling  with  excitement.  It  was  beyond 
one's  wildest  dreams.  We  lay  and  panted  and 
talked  'till  the  open  plain  was  reached,  where  sniping 
would  be  impossible.  There  the  cars  halted, 
and  we  all  jumped  out;  whiskey  and  bully-beef 
were  produced — the  most  wonderful  meal  of  one's 
life. 

But  for  its  perfect  execution  Tod's  exploit  could 
never  have  been  achieved.  He  told  us  that  the 
Cavalry  Brigade  were  in  Ana,  Bob  Cassels  having 
got  behind  the  entire  Turkish  force.  To  finish  off 
his  triumph  Cassels  determined  to  get  us  back,  and 
told  Tod  to  pursue  with  his  armoured  cars  up  to 


284       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

ioo  miles;  if  necessary  he  would  feed  him  with 
petrol  by  aeroplane.  Tod  came  on,  scattering  the 
retreating  enemy  as  he  went;  the  sight  of  the  low 
rakish  cars  terrified  the  Turk  and  Arab,  who  cleared 
off  the  road  under  cover  of  the  rocks  to  let  him  go 
by.  Many  surrendered,  and  were  left  by  the  road- 
side without  their  arms ;  at  Nahiyeh,  where  we  had 
spent  the  night,  a  few  bursts  of  machine-gun  fire 
induced  our  sleek  young  friend  to  haul  down  the 
star- and-crescent  and  surrender  the  fort;  the  dirty 
Armenian  informed  Tod  that  we  were  only  a  few 
hours  ahead,  and  on  camels.  The  utmost  caution 
was  now  necessary,  for  the  escort  had  only  to  drag 
us  a  few  yards  off  the  road  and  we  should  have  been 
lost  among  the  rocks,  inaccessible  to  armoured 
cars ;  or  even  a  surprise  semi-complete  would  give 
the  guards  time  to  put  a  bullet  through  us  as  they 
made  good  their  escape.  Tod,  in  the  leading  car, 
a  snake-like  Rolls-Royce,  sighted  us  from  a  hill 
some  miles  away,  and  crept  on  cannily.  It  must 
have  been  about  this  time  that  the  Cossack  had 
galloped  past  shouting  "  Auto !  "  and  it  was  well 
that  we  had  managed  to  quiet  our  guards  and 
induced  them  to  consider,  as  we  honestly  did  our- 
selves, that  there  could  not  possibly  be  any  cause 
for  a  scare.  Meanwhile  Tod  shortened  his  distance ; 
the  road  bending  among  the  rocky  cliffs  helped 
him,  and  'then  he  was  suddenly  on  top  of  us ;  seated 
at  the  gun  himself,  cool  and  steady,  he  let  fly  over 
our  heads;  the  rest  remained  with  the  gods,  and  1 
have  told  about  it. 

Jubilant  we  resumed  our  journey,  stopping  to 


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A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  285 

collect  various  prisoners  en  route ;  safe  in  Ana,  we 
were  received  ecstatically  by  our  friends  of  the 
Cavalry  Brigade.  They  had  captured  5,000 
prisoners,  and  raided  the  enemy's  line  of  communi- 
cation to  90  miles  behind  his  battle-front  in  two 
days. 

The  battle  of  Khan  Baghdadi  had  proved  a 
second  Ramadi;  Subri  Bey  had  just  been  super- 
seded by  Nazmi  Bey  for  retiring  from  Hit; 
therefore,  when  the  infantry  of  'the  I5th  Division 
collided  with  Nazmi  Bey  on  the  early  morning  of 
the  26th  March,  he  stuck  to  his  ground  instead  of 
retiring,  the  front  position  was  carried  by  n  a.m., 
and  the  enemy  took  up  a  firm  stand  a  mile  north  of 
the  Khan.  All  this  time,  Cassels,  with  his  cavalry, 
guns,  and  armoured  cars,  was  surmounting  impossi- 
bilities in  the  rocky  country  away  to  'the  west, 
and  working  round  behind  the  enemy.  By  5  p.m. 
he  was  across  the  Aleppo  road  in  rear  of  the  Turk. 
(It  was  at  6  p.m.  that  the  horseman  had  arrived  at 
Hadithah,  and  we  had  been  galloped  off  in 'the  cart.) 
At  6  p.m.  the  infantry  assaulted  and  carried  the 
main  position,  taking  many  prisoners.  Then,  at 
ii  p.m.,  Nazmi  made  a  desperate  effort  to  break 
through  the  cavalry,  but  was  held  by  Cassels' 
machine-guns,  and  lost  a  thousand  more  prisoners. 
At  dawn  the  victory  was  complete.  A  battalion 
standing  by  in  Ford  vans  took  up  the  pursuit  with 
the  cavalry  and  armoured  cars,  while  aeroplanes 
mowed  down  the  fleeing  enemy  further  back, 
Hadithah  was  captured,  and  early  the  next  morn- 
ing, the  28th,  the  armoured  cars  were  into  Ana 


286       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

supported  by  the  cavalry  and  motor  column.  The 
Turkish  army  was  wiped  out;  of  their  troops  on  the 
lines  of  communication  few  got  away,  for  the 
galloping  pursuit  did  not  even  give  'them  time  to 
destroy  their  war  stores.  The  road  was  a  mass  of 
wandering  prisoners  anxious  to  give  themselves  up 
and  be  delivered  from  the  attentions  of  Arabs  and 
certainty  of  starvation.  In  one  cave  were  found  a 
cluster  of  corpses  murdered  by  the  Arabs.  The 
pursuing  column  had  no  time  to  stop  and  collect  all 
these  prisoners,  but  disarmed  them  and  passed  on. 
A  vast  dump  of  ammunition  was  discovered  at  Ana ; 
it  took  some  few  days  to  destroy;  also  a  good  store 
of  Turkish  gold.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  great 
offensive  had  been  planned  down  the  Euphrates; 
the  improved  road,  new  bridges,  arrangements  for 
huge  quantities  of  stores  and  ammunition,  and 
irrefutable  evidence  in  captured  documents,  all 
told  the  same  tale,  endorsed  by  prisoners  them- 
selves, that  a  Turco-German  descent  had  once  been 
imminent,  only  to  be  diverted  by  Allenby's 
offensive  at  Gaza. 

General  Cassels  returned  to  report  to  General 
Brooking,  and  Hobart  and  I  escorted  him  in  an 
armoured  car  through  the  night,  reaching  Khan 
Baghdadi  early  on  the  morning  of  the  29th.  It  was 
another  sleepless  night,  but  nothing  mattered  now. 
Nazmi  Bey  would  not  believe  that  we  had  been 
recaptured,  so  we  went  to  visit  him;  he  was  in  the 
depth  of  depression  and  could  say  nothing;  I 
understood  how  he  felt.  There  was  our  old  friend 
with  the  gold  teeth,  as  cheerful  and  philosophic  as 


NAZMI  BEY         COL.  TENNANT 
MAJOR  HOB  ART 

Comparing  notes  on  captivity  with  the  Turkish  Commander, 
March  29th.  1918 


i 


The  Wadi  where  we  were  shot  down  :    advancing  British  troops 
examining  the  wreckage  of  the  D.H.  4 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  .l8/ 

ever;  Ali,  the  boy,  very  pleased  to  be  in  British 
hands,  and  many  other  faces  we  knew;  the  tables 
were  turned. 

We  motored  on  to  Hit;  the  squadron  were 
waiting  spread  out  along  the  road,  and  as  we  arrived 
rushed  the  car  and  carried  us  off  to  the  messes, 
which  we  had  to  visit  each  in  'turn.  That  welcome 
I  shall  never  forget;  the  old  faces  that  had  risked 
their  lives  daily  at  one's  order  for  nearly  two  years 
were  there.  To  see  their  pleasure  was  very  sweet; 
one  has  no  right  to  say  these  things,  but  nothing  can 
bring  a  man  more  genuine  happiness  than  to  know 
that  his  command  are  at  his  back  not  only  from  the 
mere  force  of  duty;  they  were  my  best  friends  as 
well.  Then  a  great  roar  of  cheering  went  up 
outside  the  tent,  where  the  mechanics  had  collected ; 
it  was  difficult  to  know  what  to  say,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  say  it;  but  those  cheers  ringing  in  my 
ears  were  the  most  touching  sound  I  had  ever 
heard.  I  suppose  popular  heroes  get  used  to  such 
demonstration ;  when  one  is  unused  to  acclamation 
one's  vanity  is  perhaps  keener.  I  learnt  that  Nut'tall 
and  three  other  pilots  had  gone  out  the  day  before 
intent  on  spotting  us,  landing  on  some  open  ground 
far  back  and  holding  up  our  escort.  They  had 
picked  two  marksmen  as  passengers  who  were  to 
shoot  the  nearest  guards ;  the  rest  were  to  work  the 
machine-guns.  Frank  Nu'ttall  was  certain  that  if 
he  had  spotted  us  the  scheme  would  have  been 
successful.  It  was  a  desperate  enterprise.  From 
Hit  we  flew  back  to  Baghdad.  Our  mess  sat  up 


288       IN  THE  CLOUDS  ABOVE  BAGHDAD 

late;  it  was  impossible  to  ge't  to  bed,  although 
Hobart  and  I  had  had  about  five  hours'  sleep  since 
the  24th;  this  was  the  29th. 

There  was  a  Court  of  Enquiry  as  to  our  capture. 
It  had  been  deemed  undesirable  that  I  should  pro- 
ceed over  the  enemy's  lines,  but  the  court  were  of 
the  opinion  that  "  capture  was  due  to  chances  of 
war."  So  I  returned  to  my  command;  Hobart 
caught  his  division  at  Busrah,  and  sailed  with  them 
to  join  Allenby. 

During  the  26th  and  2 7th  the  squadron  on  the 
Euphrates  dropped  5,550  Ibs.  of  bombs  on  the 
enemy;  these  aeroplanes  were  continually  under 
heavy  machine-gun  and  rifle  fire,  and  were  often 
damaged,  but  casualties  were  singularly  light.  The 
moral  and  material  effect  was  great.  One  of  our 
machines  was  shot  down,  but  Lieut.  Tanner,  acting 
as  escort,  boldly  followed  and  rescued  both  pilot 
and  observer;  it  was  a  phenomenal  feat  for  the 
R.E.  8  to  get  off  the  ground  with  four  people  up. 
No  enemy  aircraft  were  seen  on  this  front  during 
the  fighting;  they  confined  their  attentions  to  the 
Tigris  and  the  Diala,  where  they  accomplished  little 
and  risked  less.  Owing  to  the  wide  nature  of  the 
front  in  Mesopotamia  the  chances  of  intercepting 
an  odd  machine  were  not  good ;  they  always  flew  at 
great  heights,  and  invariably  tried  to  avoid  combat, 
both  on  our  side  of  the  lines  and  over  their  own 
aerodrome. 

Three  weeks  later  my  orders  came  to  leave  and 
take  up  a  group  command  at  home,  but  by  the  time 
I  reached  Busrah  this  was  changed  for  Headquar- 


A  LAST  CROWDED  HOUR  289 

ters  in  India.  It  was  a  sorry  business  packing  up 
and  bidding  farewell  to  the  little  house  in  Baghdad 
and  all  the  old  friends  in  the  force. 

Where  are  you  now,  old  companions  ?    Scattered 
to  the  four  winds,  some,  alas !  flown  to  Valhalla. 


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SHAKESPEARE    IDENTIFIED 

in  Edward  de  Vere,  17th  Earl  o!  Oxford 

BY  J.  THOMAS  LOONEY 

Demy  8vo.     Cloth.     21s.  net.     Illustrated. 

This  book  has  aroused,  if  not  the  traditional  storm,  at  least 
a  good  strong  wind  of  controversy.  Inevitably  a  certain  amount  of 
scoffing  was  waiting  ready  for  it.  Thanks  to  the  rather  wild  specula- 
tions of  the  Baconian  cryptogramists,  it  has  become  the  custom 
to  take  up  an  attitude  of  amused  scepticism  towards  any  attempt 
to  study  the  matter  of  Shakespearean  identity.  Many  great  men 
and  scholars,  though,  have  considered  the  question  a  real  one  and 
worthy  of  their  attention.  In  an  article  by  E.  Nesbit,  in  the  New 
Witness,  obviously  inspired  by  tin's  book,  a  list  is  given  of  men  who 
are  known  to  have  been  either  doubters  or  frank  unbelievers  in  the 
Stratfordian  authorship.  It  includes  Disraeli,  James  Russell  Lowell, 
W.  H.  Mallock,  W.  Hepworth  Dixon,  Sir  Lewis  Morris,  Bismarck, 
Byron,  Henry  Hallam,  Coleridge,  Emerson,  Palmerston,  Cardinal 
Newman,  Dickens,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  J.  G.  Whittier,  Thomas 
Davidson,  John  Bright,  Lord  Penzance,  Walt  Whitman  and  Glad- 
stone. Mr.  Looney's  is  probably  the  most  serious  endeavour  that 
has  yet  been  made  to  solve  the  mystery. 

"  It  is  impossible  here  even  to  indicate  the  array  of  chronological 
fact  and  biographical  details  marshalled  against  the  Stratfordian. 
They  are  startling  enough.  Very  ingenious,  too,  is  Mr.  Looney's 
success  in  tracing  a  conformity  between  De  Vere's  life  and  the  plots 
of  Shakespearean  plays." — W.  L.  GEORGE  in  The  World. 

THE  POEMS  OF  EDWARD  DE  VERE 

With  biographical  introduction  and  notes 

BY  J.  THOMAS  LOONEY 
Small  Quarto.     6s.  net.     Cloth. 

Most  of  the  critics  of  Shakespeare  Identified,  even  those  frankly 
hostile  to  Mr.  Looney's  theory,  were  agreed  that  Mr.  Looney  had 
performed  a  good  service  in  bringing  forward  the  early  and  acknow- 
ledged work  of  this  little-known  Elizabethan.  Mr.  Looney  has  now 
prepared  an  edition  of  these  poems,  including  several  which  he  finds 
reason  to  attribute  .to  De  Vere,  or  which  have  some  connection  with 
his  work.  The  book  contains  a  long  biographical  and  critical  intro* 
duction,  as  well  as  some  additional  matter  bearing  on  the  controversy. 

SHAKESPEARE'S  LAW 

BY  SIR  GEORGE  GREENWOOD 
Cr.  Svo.     2s.  6d.  net.     Boards. 

In  this  book,  Sir  George  Greenwood,  having  dealt  with  Shake- 
speare's handwriting,  turns  his  attention  to  his  knowledge  of  law.  Mr. 
Holbrook  Jackson,  in  a  recent  speech,  alluding  to  the  announcement 
of  this  book,  said  *  "  Sir  George  Greenwood  is  so  impartial  in  his 
views  of  Shakespeare  that  he  is  one  of  the  few  critics  of  the  poet 
whom  we  can  trust." 


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A  MISCELLANY  OP  POETRY-1919 

Edited  by  W.  KEAN  SEYMOUR. 
Cr.  8vo.     Cloth.     6s.  net.     Second  Edition. 

A  collection  of  poems  by  G.  K.  Chesterton,  W.  H.  Davies,  Laurence 
Binyon,  T.  Sturge  Moore,  Alec  Waugh,  Laurence  Housman,  etc.,  etc. 

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