'Mesopotamia Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by Act of Parliament to Enquire into the Operations of War in Mesopotamia, together with a Special Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP, and Appendices. London: HMSO, 1917.' [‎92v] (184/248)

178
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On December 3rd a sanitary officer was appointed to
each brigade, and the orders regarding chlorination of
water, incineration of night-soil and animal rubbish, etc.,
republished. Units that had lost their chlorinating
apparatus were supplied with others from the Medical
Depot. There were practically no difficulties encountered
in the trenches and fort, where the complete absence of
flies indicated that the sanitary work was conducted
secundum artem —pan system of removal of night soil asso
ciated with deep burial, and absorption pits for urine ;
the water-supply was obtained from the river to which
communicating trenches were made and the water drawn
by hand pumps.
138. The sanitary task of the billeted areas was less
simple. Previous to the siege several public latrines were
erected for Arabs on the outskirts of the town. These
were kept clean by Arab sweepers who deserted when the
siege began. The latrines were taken over by the corps
units billeted in and near the town, and kept clean by an
establishment of our own. The night soil of these was
consumed in adjacent incinerators. Other latrines and in
cinerators were erected to meet requirements. In the wet
weather the incinerators failed and deep burial had to be
resorted to. In the later stage of the siege incineration
was relinquished; there was not enough stable refuse
(which was used as fuel) to keep it up. Urine pits were
employed throughout for the garrison in Kut.
Water-Supply of the Billeted Troops
Throughout the siege the water-supply question was an
exceedingly difficult one both as regards the billeted
troops and those in the neighbourhood of the town. For
the first few days water was drawn directly from the river,
but subsequently this was impossible on account of the
activity of the enemy’s snipers. Then trenches com
municating with the river were made and pumps protected
by maheillahs, etc., were fixed. Even under this arrange
ment casualities were frequent.
HO. Later the water-supply was from three excava
tions lined with canvas tarpaulins, each of 27,000 gallons
capacity and about 200 yards from the river. They were
connected with raised surface uncovered channels which
ran to the river and were filled by an oil-engine pump
working on the bank. Direct access to the channels
was prevented by a barbed wire fence. The water
from the reservoirs was drawn by hand pumps. Of the
three troughs two were used as settling reservoirs whence
the water was siphoned into the third from which the
supply was drawn. This arrangement ceased when the
level of the river fell below' that of the suction pipe of
the pump and the banks fell in and blocked the sump ;
then hand pumps on the river bank had once more to be
resorted to. A similar reservoir excavated for the civilian
people reduced the casualties from snipers. These
reservoirs were under cover.
141. A water-supply scheme for animals, horses, mules,
and battery bullocks, was also established in connection
with reservoirs at the East end of the town : this was a
great boon and saved many animals.
Disposal of the Dead.
142. As soon as the siege began separate burial places
were selected for British and Indian troops and followers ;
the British were interned in a small cemetery to the N.E.
of the town ; the Indians in the old cemetery adjacent to
the brick kilns.
Disposal of Dead Animals.
143. The disposal of carcases of dead animals (horses,
mules, cattle, etc.) was associated with numerous diffi
culties. During the early stage of the siege, when the
mortality from snipers and gun fire w'as high, the carcases
wnre partially incinerated, and then deep buried, or they
were thrown into the river. In the mid-period of the
siege they were completely incinerated, heavy oil being
used to help in the process—deep burial was too big a
task to continue. Using the river became dangerous as
the men dragging the animals were sniped. Finally,
the carcases were deposited in a deep ravine, partially
incinerated and covered with two feet of earth. At the
time of capitulation we had to destroy a number of horses ;
these were placed in deep pits, shot in situ, and covered
with earth.
Sanitation of the Civil Town of Kut.
144. On December 4th, I appointed a health officer,
organized and started the sanitary woik of the civil town.
This proved to be one oi my heaviest duties throughout
the siege.
The sanitary personnel consisted of the health officer,
one British and one Indian N.C.O., and some privates from
British and Indian infantry units, several Indian and Arab
sweepers, six donkey boys and 12 donkeys for removal
of dry refuse ; Arab coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. were employed when required
to assist in the work. The sanitary squad supervised the
work of the Arab sweepers and the donkey boys, and, as
far as was practicable, saw that the elementary sanitary
rules promulgated were duly observed.
The supervision of the conservancy was heavy; the
civil population used the thoroughfares as latrines, and
sweepers threw the night-soil in unauthorized places
instead of into the deep pits for the purpose : diseiplinary
measures had to be resorted to frequently. Sniping and
bombardment necessitated the trenching grounds being on
the confines of the town, and carrying on conservancy work
mainly at night when supervision was limited.
145. Rough latrines w'erc improvised in various parts of
the town from which the ordure was regularly removed to
the deep trenches outside the town. Owdng to the over
crowding in some quarters the latrine accommodtion was
insufficient; a large number of houses had no privies at
all. To meet these cases latrines were erected on the roofs
and the excreta removed daily and buried. This arrange •
ment was greatly interfered with during rainy days
Urine pits were excavated, but the Arabs continued to use
the thoroughfares and their own compounds as urinals.
When the siege began large quantities of dry refuse
which had been collected in heaps promiscuously in various
parts of the town for years had to be removed. As the
donkeys could not remove all this A.T. carts were used,
the refuse being put into gunny bags. The streets and
bazars were daily swept and the refuse deposited at the
dumping ground to the East of the town.
Flies.
146. For the first tw'o months of the siege the flies were
in small numbers only. During March and April, however,
they increased very considerably, and before the capitu
lation were in swarms everywhere. Climatic conditions
and use of disinfectants were, to some extent, unfavourable
to their breeding to the end of February, then the rising
temperature, shortage of disinfectants and insanitary con
dition of the town generally fostered their multiplication.
147. The Health Officer and Military Governor were in
perpetual conflict with the Arabs of the town who persisted
in their insanitary practices which have been already
alluded to. The custom of using the alluvial plain on
the outskirts of the town as a latrine having been inter
fered with by the enemy’s snipers and bombardments,
the people defecated in any available spot within the town,
mainly at night. The streets continued to be used as
urinals. Corporal punishment had little effect in stopping
these habits. Our sanitary squads went round the whole
town regularly and cleared up all visible filth. The
ultimate effect was that when the hot weather began,
about the time of the capitulation, the whole town was
distinctly malodorous. Kut was, of course, densely
overcrowded and housed considerably more people than
it did before the siege began.
148. The civil population experienced much difficulty
regarding its water-supply. After the first few days of
the siege all the approaches to the river were dangerous
as they were covered by the enemy’s snipers. This
necessitated the inhabitants drawing w'ater after dark.
After December 20th, 1915, the enemy sniped everyone
coming to the bank. On December 28th, one girl was shot
dead, two women sustained gunshot fractures of the legs,
one man was hit in the head and another in the chest.
Covered trenches communicating with the river were made
on the Western side of the town. We assisted them as
mentioned in the last section.
149. Although the covered bazar was allocated to the
General and other hospitals, some shops were opened in
various parts of the town and the people started food
stalls in several of the main streets. The chief of these
was in No. 1 Avenue which was for the first three months
thronged with vendors and purchasers. There was a
much smaller bazar in No. 3 Avenue. These were the
tw'o bazars used by our troops and followers.
Separate shops for the sale of staple articles of food—
atta, barley flour, lentils, dried beans, dates and meat,
were opened for the sale of these articles to the civil
population only ; these were under the Military Governor.
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