"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [و‎‎١‎٣‎٩] (٥٤٠/٢٨٢)

DIFFICULTIES OF DEFENCE
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from Baku, who prolonged their line to the left. Major Ley
decided to hold the line Stafford Hill-Warwick Castle-
Baladjari Station, his action being subsequently confirmed by
Colonel Faviell, who at 5 p.m. received orders to move out
from Baku and take command of the British troops on the
Baladjari-Digya line. At 9 p.m., the remainder of the 8 th
Field Battery, which had arrived at Baku that day, also reached
the position.
The Warwicks (three companies) at Digya had not been
e n g a g e d I but in the evening one of their companies moved up
on the left of the local troops holding the line east of Binagadi
Lake, so as to close part of the gap existing between them and
Binagadi village.
From the 27th to the 29th August the enemy displayed
little activity beyond some artillery fire. Colonel Faviell
took advantage of the interval to improve his defensive line,
including the emplacement of seven more machine guns and the
formation of a post held by seventy North Staffordshire under
Lieutenant Russell in the low ground between Warwick Castle
and Baladjari village. As Colonel Faviell reported on the
28th, however, this line though naturally strong was anything
but secure. Though some of the gaps between the British
posts were partly filled by local troops—who were not, however,
properly entrenched—the line was too extended for the troops
available for its defence. The only reserves were furnished
by local troops ; but, as these could not be relied on, a serious
attack could hardly fail to capture any of the British posts.
Much remained to be done in the way of inter-communication,
a second line of defence was required, and, as soon as reinforce
ments made it possible a British battalion should be kept in
reserve.
Considerable movement among enemy troops was observed
on the 30th August; and next morning they attacked. The
first assault was made against Stafford Hill, where the North
Staffordshire company, 80 strong under Lieutenant Petty,
held trenches just below the crest line facing north, north-west,
and west, while some local troops had been detailed to hold a
trench at the south-west corner. A line of wire entanglement,
which ran along the foot of the hill about five hundred yards
from the trenches, had just been more or less completed by an
Armenian working party. But there was much dead ground ;
and the local troops abandoned the south-western trench,
which commanded the valley between Stafford Hill and the
hill immediately east of Dirty Volcano.
(19465) Q