Sheik Sa’ad – 1.4.1916: Camp and occupation of perimeter trenches.

Casualties: Officers Nil, OR  3 sick
Effective strength: Officers 34 OR 831

Sheik Sa’ad – 2.4.1916: As previous day. At 7pm the Battalion left Sheik Sa’ad en route (march) for Orah. 1 OR left to guard camp.

Orah Camp – 3.4.1916: Arrived in camp at Orah at about 4.30am. The Battalion rested during the day  & at 7pm proceeded by march route to the trenches in front of the Hannah position arriving at 11.30pm.

Trenches near Hannah – 4.4.1916: During the day Battalion rested and made preparations for the attack at down on the morning of the 5^th.

Casualties for past 3 days: Officers Nil, OR  3 sick
Effective strength: Officers 34 OR 827

Trenches near Hannah – 5.4.1916: At 4.30am the Battalion in cooperation with the other Battalions of the 39^th Brigade attacked the Hannah trenches occupied by the Turks and continued to advance until noon when the Battalion dug temp cover and rested.

At 7pm the Battalion went forward again relieving a Battalion belonging to the 40^th Brigade and attacked the Falahiyeh Position again causing the enemy to retire. At about 11pm the Brigade was relieved by Indian troops of the 3^rd Division.

Casualties for the two actions. Officers killed 5; wounded 7, died of wounds 2. Other Ranks killed 29, wounded 154, died of wounds 6.
Effective strength Officers 20, OR’s 638.

The Battalion returned to the Bivouac on the left bank of the Tigris about 2000 yards in rear of the Falahiyeh position.

Click to enlarge

Left Bank of Tigris – 6.4.1916: In bivouacs

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.