"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. مجلد I" [و‎‎١‎١‎٨] (٤٥٤/٢٤٠)

THE TURKISH TRENCHES
213
from the Norfolks and 120th*. The Turkish trenches were
at an angle to the British line of advance and to save themselves
from enfilade fire some of the British troops on the right now
brought up their left shoulders.
The British were at a further disadvantage. The Turkish
first-line trenches faced upwards on a glacis-Y\ke, slope leading
down past them to Barjisiya wood and they opened a heavy
fire as soon as the British appeared on the skyline. This
checked the British firing line before they had reached the
edge of the slope, with the consequence that for a time they
could only see to fire by sitting, kneeling or, in some cases,
by standing ; and for the same reason the British artillery,
already hampered sufficiently by the mirage, could not fire
effectively on the Turkish trenches.
There was also a second line of Turkish trenches some
five or six hundred yards farther back, which were particularly
well sited and concealed from view among small shrubs and
with a favourable background. To these, owing to the shape
of the ground, the British firing line presented a very good
target, and the battalions of the 16th Brigade suffered some
what severely at this stage. On the other hand, the Turkish
first and second lines were not connected by communication
trenches with each other or with their reserves, so that rein
forcement would be difficult ; and the Turkish artillery, being
badly served, was having little effect.
By about 1 p.m., the Norfolks and 120th, on the right,
had managed to push slightly forward, but were kept from
a further advance by the well-maintained Turkish rifle and
machine-gun fire. The Dorsets and the 24th had also managed
by creeping forward to make a slight advance and could fire
on the enemy from a lying-down position. But there was
still a large gap between the 16th and 18th Brigades; and
General Melliss ordered General Delamain to fill this gap.
As his men were closely engaged, however, he considered
this impossible, and ordered half the 117th,f half the
119th and the 22nd Company of Sappers to move to the
right to close this interval and to get into touch with the
Norfolks. The 119th half battalion, however, missed its
direction, and, instead of moving into the gap, reinforced
* At this time there was a gap of some twelve hundred yards between the
16th and 18th Brigades.
t During the afternoon, a company of the 117th, withdrawn from the left
flank guard, reinforced the left of the Dorsets firing line. The exact time is
not given in the records.