Chapter V: The Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia

Turkey's entry into the war has had four results: 1, The annexation of Cyprus (previously a protectorate) by Britain on Nov. 5; 2, the British expedition against Turkish territory on the Persian Gulf two weeks later; 3, the loss of Turkey's suzerainty over Egypt, which became a British protectorate under a Sultan on Dec. 17, and, 4, the attack on the Gallipoli Peninsula, still in progress.

An excellent summary of the Persian Gulf expedition is given in The Sphere, May 15:

The Shatt-el-Arab, (the united Euphrates and Tigris,) for
the greater part of its course, forms the boundary between
Persia and Turkey. Some twenty miles below Basra (or
Bussorah) it is joined by the Kasun, near whose course,
about a hundred miles from its mouth, are the Anglo-Persian
Company's oil fields.

The effective protection of these is necessarily an object
of vital importance. It was also of considerable importance
to create a diversion which should cause the Osmanli
Generals to feel uneasiness as to a possible advance up the
Euphrates. Whether more than the occupation of Basra and the
protection of the oil fields was or is intended cannot, of
course, be at present definitely stated.

The expeditionary force, under Lieut. Gen. Sir Arthur
Barrett, consisted--apparently--of three Indo-British
infantry brigades, a brigade of Indian cavalry, and
artillery and auxiliary services in proportion--in all
probability some 15,000 to 18,000 men. It included at least
three British battalions--the Second Dorsets, the Second
Norfolks, and the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.

The advanced brigade reached the Shatt-el-Arab on Nov. 7,
and after a brief fight occupied Fao, a few miles up the
river. On the 9th a night attack was made upon it by a force
from Basra, which was easily beaten off. Shortly afterwards
the main body of the expeditionary force began to arrive,
and by the 16th it had entirely disembarked at Saniyeh, a
place above Fao.

The weather was wretched. Rain converted the alluvial flats
into a wilderness of mud. The men were drenched and caked
with the riverine clay, the very rifles were often choked.

Meanwhile the advance guard carried out a reconnoissance up
the river and located the enemy in position at Sahilo, about
nine miles distant. They numbered about 5,000 men, with
twelve guns, under General Subr Bey, the Vali (Governor) of
Basra. The reconnoissance carried an advanced position with
a loss of sixty killed and wounded, and withdrew unmolested
to report.

On the 17th General Barrett paraded for the attack the bulk
of his force. After a trying march through a veritable
quagmire, the troops sometimes up to their waists in slush,
the division at about 9 A.M. came within range of the
Turkish position, and the leading brigade, the Belgaum,
(Major Gen. Fry,) deployed for attack.

The ground was absolutely open, and the Turks had a perfect
field of fire. On our side the men had the greatest
difficulty in getting forward through the clayey mud-beds
and the worn-out horses could not bring up the field
artillery. Nevertheless, the Belgaum brigade steadily
advanced, and the attack being presently supported by other
troops and assisted by the first of the two gunboats on the
river, at last closed upon the Turkish intrenchments and
carried them, capturing two guns and one hundred prisoners,
besides inflicting a very heavy loss in killed and wounded.

The retreat of the enemy was assisted by a mirage which
disconcerted our gunners. Subr Bey retreated on Basra, but
he had no hope of being able to hold the big spreading place
with his small force, and evacuated it. He retreated to
Kurna, where the Tigris joins the Euphrates. There he
intrenched himself. His main body was in Kurna, a large
village encircled by palm groves, in the marshy angle formed
by the two rivers, with a strong detachment in the
straggling village of Mazera, on the left bank of the
Tigris.

On Dec. 7 General Fry advanced upon the Kurna position. The
defenders of Mazera made a hard fight of it, assisted by the
strength of their position among a maze of pottery works
backed up by the ubiquitous palms, but in the afternoon the
village was carried.

Kurna was now isolated, but its capture presented great
difficulties. All through the 8th General Fry bombarded it
from Mazera, while his infantry were slowly ferried over
higher up. This was prepared by some daring sappers, who
swam the broad river and fixed a wire rope by which the
boats were worked backward and forward, and an advance was
made against Kurna from the rear.

Subr Bey had lost very heavily at Mazera, so he accepted the
inevitable and surrendered. So a brilliant little episode
came to a victorious conclusion. Subr Bey was returned his
sword and complimented on his stubborn defense.

The capture of Kurna secured the possession of the Basra
region. Since then operations have been directed to securing
it against Turkish attempts at recovery.

A recent stage of this campaign is thus described in The Pioneer Mail (Allahabad) June 4, 1915:

It is announced from Simla that on the morning of May 31 a
further advance up the Tigris River was made by the British
expeditionary force in close co-operation with the navy.
Notwithstanding the excessive heat the troops advanced with
great dash and determination, and successively captured four
positions held by the enemy. As far as reported we suffered
only a few casualties. Valuable work was performed by our
aeroplanes. The operations are proceeding.

The British force at the end of June had reached Shaiba.