"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [و‎‎١‎٤‎١] (٥٤٠/٢٨٦)

BRITISH WITHDRAWAL
227
headquarters, so they remained in ignorance ofjthe situation.
But, seeing some local troops retiring, half “ B ” Company
moved out and covered their retirement, coming under some
hostile machine gun and rifle fire at about 1,400 yards range.
The local troops in Binagadi village appear about this time
to have made an attempt to move towards the eastern slopes
of Stafford Hill. But it was too late and the movement was
unsuccessful. About 8.30 a.m. Turkish infantry were seen
swarming over the top of Stafford Hill and the second forward
observing officer of the 8 th Field Battery reached Warwick
Castle just in time to turn the guns on to them with good
effect. By this time the section of the battery at Binagadi
had been obliged to withdraw hastily, as enemy infantry had
got within one hundred yards.
About 10 a.m. the Turks advanced from Stafford Hill against
Warwick Castle, which was held by a Warwickshire company
and the survivors from Stafford Hill. An Armenian battahon
on the left of the Warwicks retired at once, leaving this flank
open ; and by 11 a.m. the enemy had worked round three sides
of the position, being then within forty yards of its northern
face. Its evacuation was clearly necessary if the garrison was
to evade capture or annihilation. Withdrawal to the south
eastward was therefore ordered and was successfully carried
out under the covering fire of Lieutenant Russell's party of
North Staffordshire ordered forward for the purpose.
A further short retirement to the south was made and the
whole line re-formed. The 5th Russian Battalion* is mentioned
in the war diaries as having done very well in this retirement,
the only instance in which the local troops took any effective
part in the fighting. The others had all retired across the
railway line, the first place where it was found possible to rally
any of them.
The line of defence now ran northward from Baladjari
village to near the Binagadi derricks and thence to Digya.
But there were large gaps in the line, which the few weak
companies of British infantry and the 5th Russian Battalion
(about 150 strong) were insufficient to fill, and there was no
reserve. Colonel Faviell reported this unsatisfactory state
of affairs and obtained permission to fall back after dark to a
line along the railway embankment from Baladjari to the west
end of the Beyuk salt marsh, leaving two companies of the
Warwicks still at Digya. The total British casualties for the
Apparently this was one of the battalions from Binagadi village.