Sir Stanley Maude, who had now succeeded to the command in Mesopotamia, determined to make his main attack on the right bank of the Tigris and thus to threaten the communications of the Sanna-i-yat lines. On December 1 the Royal Warwickshire's started to march back to Sheikh Saad, where they crossed the Tigris and so came to the front line, on the south bank, where considerable progress had been made during the previous month. By a surprise march on December 14, General Marshall seized a position near the Turkish lines on the Shatt-el-Hai. A month of small engagements, and continued sapping followed, till by January 25 the main Turkish defences were no more than 100 yards distant.

That morning the Worcesters and North Staffords stormed and carried the enemy front line trench and began to consolidate. When the development of the Turkish counter-attack threatened to drive them back the Royal Warwickshire was brought up to our front line trenches. About noon, under a fresh and very heavy counter-attack the Worcesters and North Staffords were forced from a part of the captured position and were in danger of being overwhelmed. The moment was critical. Colonel Henderson, who had been shot in the arm just before, jumped on to the parapet, and shouting to his men to follow him advanced alone some distance under the most intense fire over 500 yards of open ground. He was shot down, but rose and again led in the most gallant manner till they were within 100 yards of the Turks. Then the battalion raced in with the bayonet and reestablished our position from end to end. Colonel Henderson was again twice wounded, and as he lay out in the open Captain R. E. Phillips, who had already shown great courage in the attack, went out under very heavy fire and with the help of a comrade succeeded in bringing him back to die in our trenches. Both Colonel Henderson and Captain Phillips were afterwards awarded the Victoria Cross. In the afternoon the Turks, who had thus been driven back again to their second line, made another counterattack supported by artillery, and by sheer weight of numbers gradually forced the Royal Warwickshire to retire.

 

Besides Colonel Henderson, the Royal Warwickshire had 4 officers killed and 7 wounded (1 mortally); of other ranks there were 52 killed, including Harvey, 118 wounded, and 11 missing.