TCD MS 3414 folio 76 recto
[December 1915]
advance, he himself being all out “for self glorification at the expence of his countrymen, were considerations which would sicken most soldiers who realised them. Still, labouring with these conditions & against such odds, Townshend & his 6th Division did far more than I ever thought to be possible. There is, as I write this, little doubt that Townshend decision to hold Kut at all costs to the last was the only way out of the difficulty, for by so doing the Turks would be prevented for some considerable time if ever to advance on Amarah & Nararieh for obvious reasons. Had he, as some at the time advocated, retired to Amarah it might have ultimately meant the expulsion of the British Forces from Basra; because, firstly, his men were dead beat on arrival at Kut; secondly, we had not the troops in the country to cope with their numbers; thirdly, what we would have had to have been divided up between Amara & Nasarieh, & lastly the huge Arab population would have risen against us. There was therefore only one thing to do, hold Kut & save the country until a force could be sent from Howe to cope with the situation, & relieve us if possible. We had to be sacrificed, & we were determined to make ourselves as expensive as possible.