Kut 1916: Courage and Failure in Iraq *Signed Copy*

Crowley, Patrick

ISBN 10: 0752454471 / ISBN 13: 9780752454474

Published by The History Press, 2009

About this Item

The book itself is Near Fine with pristine text & plates, no inscriptions, binding tight and red cloth boards displaying a trace of edge-wear to spine ends only. The unclipped dust wrapper remains Very Good - a tiny nick to crown of spine else in pleasing condition all round. Signed by the author with a dedication on the half-title page. Please see five pictures attached for a closer look.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1720000842272

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Kut 1916: Courage and Failure in Iraq *Signed Copy*
• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0752454471
• ISBN 13: 9780752454474
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

"There is plenty of horseflesh, which the Indians have been authorized by their religious leaders to eat, and I have to recall with sorrow, that by not having taken the advantage of this wise dispensation they have weakened my power of resistance by one month."  —Major Gen Townshend

The siege of Kut is a story of blunders, sacrifice, imprisonment, and escape. The allied campaign in Mesopotamia began in 1914 as a relatively simple operation to secure the oilfields in the Shatt-al-Arab delta and Basra area. Initially it was a great success, but as the army pressed towards Baghdad its poor logistic support, training, equipment, and command left it isolated and besieged by the Turks. By 1916 the army had not been relieved, and on April 29, 1916, the British Army suffered one of the worst defeats in its military history. Major-General Sir Charles Townshend surrendered his allied force to the Turks in the Mesopotamian (now Iraq) town of Kut-al-Amara. More than 13,000 troops, British and Indian, went into captivity; many would not survive their incarceration. In Kut 1916, Colonel Crowley recounts this dramatic tale and its terrible aftermath.

About the Author

Patrick Crowley is a serving infantry officer who has been deployed in Iraq. He is the author of A Guide to the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, Afghanistan: The Three Wars, and The Infantry Regiments of Surrey. Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb is Commander Field Army serving in Iraq.