"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. مجلد I" [ظ‎‎٨‎٥] (٤٥٤/١٧٥)

150 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
Miners, very gallantly swam across the Tigris with a log
line. The river was about one hundred and thirty yards
wide with a strong current, but fortunately the Turks did
not notice them and they succeeded in reaching the right
bank. Lieutenant Campbell and two other men of the
same unit followed them, and hauling over a wire cable
they fixed the running tackle for a flying bridge, attaching a
mahaila secured with the assistance of some friendly Arabs.
By this time some of the Turks, however, had seen what was
happening and had begun to fire on them from some mahailas
downstream. The first party of the 110th, consisting of
about seventy men under Lieutenant-Colonel Frazer, got across
about 1.20 p.m., and the rest of the battalion followed in
successive trips. In addition to the gun of the 82nd Battery
north of the plantations, the 30th Mountain Battery were
entrenched in a position a little further north to support the
crossing. It was not found necessary, however, to utilise
their fire. The Turks in Qurna appeared to be unaware of
the significance of the movement upstream, and the sappers
and the 110th were only subjected to moderate rifle and shell
fire while making the crossing.
The first party of the 104th crossed, it is said, just after
Colonel Frazer’s party, but the whole battalion were on the
right bank, about one and a half miles above the flying bridge,
before 2 p.m. They then moved southward, and came into
touch with part of the 110th, who were also advancing south.
Pushing on together they found themselves opposed by the
enemy holding a line of towers and trenches at right angles
to the river. Two mountain guns of the 30th Battery, without
mules, had meanwhile crossed by the flying bridge; but
Lieutenant-Colonel Frazer, meeting with this opposition,
decided that it was too late in the day to start an action
which seemed likely to entangle his force in the thick plantations
and in the lanes of Qurna in the dark.* At 3.30 p.m., he
ordered the force under him on the right bank to draw out
of the fight and to retire to bivouac near the flying bridge.
He was then unaware that Lieutenant-Colonel Britten of the
110th, with a company, had succeeded in getting round the
enemy’s left and occupying some of their towers. Lieutenant-
Colonel Britten subsequently received the order to retire,
and, seeing no signs of any reinforcements, withdrew his
detachment also to the bivouac.
On the left bank, General Fry, on receiving the report of
• Sunset was about 4.55 p.m.