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Remembered Today:

Unreadable place name in War Diary


AlanCurragh

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This is an excerpt from the war diary of the 1/4th Hampshires, for January 1916. The first place name is "Orah" - can anyone tell me what the second one is?

Thanks

Alan

post-2705-1209897252.jpg

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Looks like: ANNA'AH or ANNAAH

If you know where Orah might be (Palestine/Jordan/Magreb?) then perhaps Anna'ah (maybe today spelt slightly differently) could be nearby?

Ian

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Was not part of their Battalion in Kut during that time period? So the place names could be near there if the remainder of the battalion where close by.

There was a town/village called hanna in the region.

sm

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Steve and Ian - yes, I think it is somewhere near Kut - certainly Orah is.

Alan

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I think I know what is it - unless any Mesopotamia experts know otherwise - there was a Battle of "Umm-el-Hannah" that day - so my guess is Hannah

Alan

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I think actually it was Steve's guess <_<

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Oops - it was indeed! :blush:

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This is an excerpt from the war diary of the 1/4th Hampshires, for January 1916. The first place name is "Orah" - can anyone tell me what the second one is?

Thanks

Alan

Orah was south of Kut on the River Tigris where there was a British camp and a field hospital which became notorious for poor treatent during the attempt to relieve Townshend in Kut in 1916.

The 1/4th Hampshires served throughout the Mesopotamian Campaign, were part of Dunsteforce and even garrisoned

Bandar-e-Anzali afterwards when the British 'Caspian' Royal Navy was set up with ships turned into passable imitations of cruisers commanded by Commodore Norris!

Ron

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From the History of the Hampshire TFA and War record of Units, entry for 1/4th hampshires, january/Feby 1916:

"Draft of 12 officers and 534 other ranks (DCLI 200, Somerset LI 50, remainder from 5th, 6th, 7th Hampshire reserve units) left Devonport 10.12.15, landed Basra 7.1.16, left Basra on trek for Regiment 15.1.16......arrived at Wadi Camp Orah (a few miles below El Hanna), where three officers and about 80 other ranks joined the Regiment on 12.2.16....."

On 21st January, the battalion had taken part in the Battle of Umm El Hannah, losing (amongst others) their Colonel.

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This is the full war diary entry for the battle - over 250 casualties summed up in a very few words!

Alan

post-2705-1210017701.jpg

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