THE BALKANS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLII, Issue 90, 19 May 1916, Page 6

THE BALKANS.

THE SIEGE OF KUT. FIKST COX X ECT ED X'ARRATI VE. HEROIC DEFENCE. EOXDOX, May 15. -Mr Edmund Candler supplies the first connected narrative of the siege of Kut-el-Amara: "When General Townshend arrived at Knt on .December :> there were four Turkish divisions aud some thousand tribesmen within 10 miles of Hie -British forces, holding a peninsula <>-00 yards long by 1700 yards wide, while two British battalions fortified the garrison, occupying a liquorice factory in a village on the right bank qf the Tigris. The troops were worn out with a long fighting march. "The enemy immediately commenced the investment of Kut, and by December 7 a Turkish division had moved around General Townshend's flank, four miles to the south, and two divisions took up a position west of Kut. General Townshend's refusal to surrender on the 9th was followed by a heavy bombardment, and attacks were pressed severely all day. We lost 120 men on the 10th and 202 on the 1 ltli. The enemy dug within 600 yards of our position, strengthening his works with sandbags land timber. The casualties dropped to 02 on the 15th, the Turks becoming tired of ineffectual attacks, having lost at least 1000 men. "General Townshend throughout made repeated sorties with a small force from the liquorice factory and drove the enemy out of their trenches, Lilt the increased boldness of an attack on the 24t.1i indicated that the enemy had been reinforced, the famous 52nd Division having arrived from the Caucasus. The tort was heavily shelled, and large breaches having been made in the wall, the garrison were driven out, from -the first line of defence. The enemy also repulsed a counter-attack. By another fierce attack at midnight the Turks carried the northern bastion, but were again driven out. Our casualties were :115. "One prisoner said: 'Our fort is a cemetery for Turkish dead; the 52nd Division has been annihilated.' The enemy on the 2!>th asked for an armistice to bury their dead'. Our casualties for the month were IS4O killed aud wounded; the enemy's 4000. " The failure of the 'Christmas Day attack and the approach of a relieving force introduced a new phase into the siege, the enemy shelling the garrison nightly with big guns. General Town- ! shend had to fight hunger, though horse I meat was at first "plentiful. Large quani tities of grain were discovered on January 21, though it was impossible to utilise them, owing to the difficulty of grinding, but millstones were dropped from aeroplanes. .Scurvy set in on February 5, though the vegetables that General Townshend planted bore welcome fruit before the capitulation. British soldiers on February 5 were receiving a 12oz loaf, ll : b of meat, a few groceries and dates; the Indian rations were lib of flour, half-rations t>f tea, chillies, ginger and dates. The rations lasted on this scale until March 5, when the British loaf and Indian flour were reduced to 10oz. The rations were again reduced on March *>l, and on April (i the British and Indians were receiving only 4oz of llour. During the last phase salt, flour and tea were dropped by aeroplanes, which previously dropped light articles, including rifle cleaners, spare parts of wireless, fishing nets, cigarettes and tojljacco. As it was impossible to supply | luxuries for all, General Townshend rei fused further tobacco, fie personally ■ shared every privation. ] "After April 20 many of the Arabs, ; feeling the pinch of hunger, attempted to escape by swimming. Two got through to the British at Sannaiyat with the help of the current, one (supported i by skin bladders) making the journey | in a night of eight, hours, and another i (who was a survivor of a party on the 518 th) came aboard a raft with a bullet, in his leg. The Arabs emphasised the cheerfulness of the garrison. They said they looked thin, but well and strong. Their admiration for General Townshend amounted to superstition. They said cigarettes were selling at Sd each. The only member of the Kut garrison that lias yet arrived at Basra is Spot, I General Townshend's fox terrier."