Battle or Action:


Mesopotamia


  Detail :

 At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.

The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.

The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.


 Rank Initials Surname Died Lodge
 2Lt G.C. MACKINTOSH 26-03-1917 Bhore Ghaut No. 3465
 Maj. H.M.P. HOWARD 21-04-1917 Himalayan Brotherhood No. 459
Kitchener No. 2998
St Aldhelm No. 2888
 Capt. H.G.T. NEWTON 25-04-1917 Hope No. 413
Shakespeare No. 284
 Sgt. G.D. KELLEY 25-05-1917 Lodge of Affability with Villiers No. 317
 Lt. C.H. BAKER 14-07-1917 Cinque Ports No. 1206
Lodge Light in the Himilayas No. 1448
Lodge of Faith, Hope and Charity No. 1285
Malwa No. 1994
Mayo No. 1413
 Lt.Col. F.J.C. HEFFERNAN 16-07-1917 Chutter Munzil No. 3276
In Arduis Fidelis No. 3432
Ligonier Lodge No. 2436
Malwa No. 1994
Morning Star No. 552
 Spr. H.J. RAMPLING 17-07-1917 Cheerybles No. 2466
 Q.M.S. S.F. SLOPER 18-07-1917 Star of Agra No. 1936
 SSgt C.H. VINCE 19-07-1917 Cranleigh No. 3445
 SSgt J.C.C. ALFORD 22-07-1917 Anglesea No. 1113
 Capt. T.F. PERRIN 24-07-1917 Ampthill No. 2490
Whitgift No. 3617
 Pte. R.A. STUCKEY 27-07-1917 Royal Hampton Court No. 2183
 Lt. W.H.J.S. SPENCE 23-09-1917 Dundas No. 1255
 Lt.Col. R.W. HEWITT DSO 30-09-1917 Malwa No. 1994
Southern Brotherhood No. 3311
United Service No. 2735
 Maj. E.C.O. ROSS 23-04-1918 Friendship No. 2307
Lodge Orion in the West No. 415
 Cond. D. DAVIDSON 30-04-1918 St. John's No. 434
United Service No. 2735
Unknown Lodge No. 2219
 Lt. W. PEARSON 24-05-1918 Nosocomia No. 3395
 Cond. H.W.A. BURDETT 17-10-1918 Mesopotamia No. 3820
Mooltan No. 1307
Triune Brotherhood No. 2121
 P.O. W.C. GATES 27-10-1918 United Service No. 3124
 Lt.Col. R.K. LYNCH - STAUNTON DSO 07-11-1918 Hope No. 413
Khartoum No. 2877
Ubique No. 1789
 Pte. J. MOURANT 09-11-1918 Yarborough No. 244
 Gnr. G.R. JOHNSON 11-11-1918 Lindisfarne No. 2762
 Capt. P.J.W. CROCKER 16-11-1918 Canute No. 3104
 Lt. A.M. WILSON 10-08-1920 Maguncor No. 3806
Palatine No. 97

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