The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment 7th August 1916

7^th August   1916 –

1st Battalion – The Battalion rested Companies spent their time in cleaning up & refitting.

A short Route march by Companies was carried out in the morning.

The Drums played in the village square in the afternoon.

2nd Battalion – Coy Training.

Details of strength.

Officers 29. O.Rks 770.

2/4^th Battalion –

1/5^th Battalion – Operations 4.15 am – The Battn paraded outside the barbed wire entanglement as part of a column of all arms to punish village of ABADAH in connection with recent sniping. Brigadier Gen Patch C.R.A. was in command & column consisted of ½ Squadron 12^th Cavalry,

B Battery 222^nd Bde R.F.A. (late 1/2^nd Kent Battery).

1/5 Queen’s.

1 Section 12^th Bde M.G. Coy.

1½ Bearer Sections No 3 C.F.A.

The General’s intention was to get the gun’s in position about 1000 yards N of ARDUR RIDHAS TOWER & about 4700 S. SE of ABADAH as soon after sunrise as possible with the infantry & machine guns in a semi-circle about 1000 yards distance in front & flanks & cavalry screen 2000 yards ahead of infantry.

The position the Battn was ordered to take up was as follows:-

Advance Guard

1 company, 1 machine gun )from & including village of QATI at Buti in semicircle N & NW of guns at 1000 yards distance & centre of semicircle 1 mile N of RIDHAS TOWER.

Right Flank Guard

1 company, 1 machine gun) from & excluding village of QATI at Buti on left in line SE thro’ villages of ABIDA MYSAL, SAIYED RUMI, NASIRAL SAKHI, & thence along nullah.

Left Flank Guard

1 company, 1 machine gun )from left of Advance Guard in line SW 1000 yards distant from guns & RIDHAS TOWER.

H.Q. & 1 reserve Coy 1 machine gun at RIDHAS TOWER where column H.Q. were also situated.

25 rifles with guns.

Owing to trouble with loading some of the 1^st line mules in the dark the Battn did not move off till 4.35 am, when it started in the following order:-

Advance Guard A Coy under Lieut Evetts with 1 machine gun.

Right Flank Guard B Coy under Lieut Stoop with 1 machine gun.

Left Flank Guard C Coy under Capt Gabb with 1 machine gun.

These companies moved independently to their postions taking 1 S.R S A A mule only with them.

The remainder of the Battn H.Q. D Coy (Capt Bray) & 1^st Line Transport (less 1 S.R S A A mule with each Coy) 1 machine gun moved straight up SHATRA ROAD. 1^st Line Transport was left under Sergt Major ¼ mile S of RIDHAS TOWER. H.Q. & reserve Coy moved on to RIDHAS TOWER, the Battn was in position by 5.35 am & communication by helio & flag established between H.Q. & all companies.

Guns opened fired at 5.50 am. At 6.5 am the advance guard on its right front was fired at a range of about 500 yards. At no time were more than 20 Arabs ever seen tho’ opening burst of fire was heavy.

At 6.20 am the guns were ordered to retire to a position 800 yards S of RIDHAS TOWER & from there to cover the retirement of the infantry.

At 6.30 am the order was given for the advance guard to retire but owing to a faulty communication between H.Q. & A Coy the advance guard commander did not get the order till 6.55 am.

By 7.15 am the Advance guard was back on RIDHAS TOWER, The retirement having been most effectually covered by the guns, the enemy’s fire being entirely stopped. At RIDHAS TOWER A Coy passed thro’ D Coy who became the rear guard back to camp.

As A Coy retired the flank guards were also ordered to retire keeping their relative positions.

The above order was maintained till the near sandhills when companies closed & marched back independently to camp. The enemy made no attempt to follow. Our casualties were nil. The Battn reached camp at 8.45 am. The 5” gun from the Fort also took part in the bombardment.

The work of the Battn was marred by the breakdown of communication between A Coy & H.Q. This was due to signalling station with advance guard finishing long message to H.Q. & then moving before ascertaining if any messages from H.Q. were waiting to be sent, as in fact was the case with the important order to retire. Also, having moved, owing to crops & broken country it was impossible for this station to find a new place which was not absolutely exposed to enemy’s fire.

Strength on parade was 12 officers 518 other ranks. The above figures were only reached with utmost difficulty taking several regimentally employed men.

Course of Instruction 3.45 pm – Lieut E.W. Mountford, 2/Lt W.A. Bell & 3 N.C.O’s left for Tigris Corps H.Q. to attend course of instruction in Stokes gun.

1/6^th Battalion – The Battalion was relieved in the trenches 3 Companies by 6^th Buffs & one Company of 7^th East Surrey Regt were relieved by 5^th Berkshire Regt. The Battalion on relief went into huts in MARTINSART WOOD.

7^th Battalion – Work of improvement of billets was proceeded with and new battalion headquarters completed. Enemy heavily shelled B 84 & C 85 batteries in rear of battalions position, doing no damage to battalion.

8^th Battalion –

10^th Battalion – Normal – Battn employed on fatigues – Our artillery active all day.

11^th Battalion –