Book Extract - History of Royal Warwickshire Regiment

The Story Of The Royal Warwickshire Regiment - By C. L. Kingsford.

In December 1915, after a vain attempt to take Kut by assault, the Turkish forces had turned the siege to a blockade and constructed a series of strong lines lower down the river to prevent the advance of the relieving force. The most forward Turkish position was at Sheikh Saad (about twenty-five miles east of Kut by land) which was captured by the British under General Aylmer on 9^th January 1916.

The next Turkish line at Umm-el-Hanna was much stronger, and the attack on January 21 failed. An attempt to turn the Turkish position by an advance on Es-Sinn (on the right or south bank of the river), was equally unsuccessful on March 8. General Gorringe, who then took over the command, thereon set himself to prepare the way for a renewed assault at Umm-el-Hanna.

At 4.45 on the morning of April 5 the attack started on Umm-el-Hanna began, the Royal Warwickshire being on the extreme left on the river bank. The position was weakly held and by seven o'clock five successive lines of Turkish trenches had been carried with few casualties. The advance continued till noon, when the battalion dug temporary cover and rested. At nightfall the attack on the next position at Falahiyeh began. The advance had to be made over flat ground, and the Royal Warwickshires coming under heavy fire suffered severely. Nevertheless Falahiyeh was taken by the combined efforts of the 9th Royal Warwickshire and the 9th Worcester, as the climax of the one brilliantly successful day in the attempted relief of Kut.

The chief credit rested with the 13th Division, who between dawn and midnight had stormed two whole labyrinths of trenches. The Royal Warwickshire had 7 officers [including Captains Baker and Marshall] and 35 men killed or mortally wounded, and 7 officers and 154 men wounded.