Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-04
BRITISH ARMY At
KUT SURRENDERS
TO TURKISH FOES
Ten Months Tigris Campaign
Ends-PrisOners Estimated
to Be from 5000 to
$4,000.

London. April Ga Constantinople
dispatch. received by way of Berlin,
says that the vice-chief commander of
the Turkish army announces that the
British garrison at Kut-elAmara, under
General Townshend, which surrendered
Internationally, numbered 1890 men.
Although the British report puts the
size of the surrender garrison at 500
men, it refers to the Indian troops land
their followers" This may account for
the additional 1900 reported from Con-
stantinople and the seeming discrepancy
between the British and Turkish Off
cial reports Of the surrender.
London. April 3o.-The British Tigris
army under the command of Major
Gen. Charles Townshend which has
been besieged at Kut-e-Amara, has
surrendered to the Turkish foes Ex-
haustion of supplies compelled the force
to yield
here yesterday:
After a resistance protracted for 1i3
days and conducted with gallantry
and fortitude that will be forever me-
morable, General Townshend has been
compelled by the final exhaustion of his
supplies to surrender.
Before doing so he destroyed his guns
and ammunition.
The force under him consists of 900
British troops of all ranks and serv-
ices, and some 5000 Indian troops and
their followers.
The eventual surrender Of General
Townshend had been expected since the
recent failure of the forces under Lieut.
Gen. Gorringe and General Eeary to
break through the Turkish position at
Sannayyat, about twenty miles below
Kut-elAmara on the Tigris river, and
an unsuccessful attempt to send to the
blockaded army provisions by steamers
1t had been touch and 80 with the small
British forces for many days.
The location of Kut-el-Amara, on 4
peninsula extending into the Tigris
river made it impossible to send sup
plies by air as there was no landing place
for aeroplanes.
While n supply vessel n few days ago
got beyond the main Turkish lines at
Es-Sinn, it was a forlorn hope, as thu
Turks investing the city, advised If
her coming, could have easily sunk her
from shore, even if she had escaped the
artificial barriers in the river
AS for the forces which attempted TO
relieve General Townshend, they met
with almost continual mlsfortunes. Sew
eral times when it was believed they
We're on the point of success, rising
waters made further progress impossible
After penetrating Turkish positions theY
were compelled to fall back or remain
stationary, owing to the ilnpossibility %
attacking the position at Sannayyat
which was surrounded by water. Tho
British troops did actually attack tho
prepared position there, after wadin-
through mud and water waist deer, but
while meeting with some success, failure
at other points made their sacrifices
futile.
The British public never lost faith in
General Townshend, and even now that
he has been forced to capitulate after de q.
stroying everything at Kut-el-Amara that
might be valuable to the Turks they look
back upon his campaign as brillian:
one.
The surrender of General Towns
hend's army to the Turks Is one OF the
few instances of the war in which an
entire fighting unit OF important num-
bers has laid down It's arms. 1t is one
of the largest body of troops of the
entente allies which has surrendered
at one time and larger than any other
captured French or British force.
Signs have not been wanting for a
month that the Anglo Indian force at
Kut- ell Amara was in sore straits.
Communication had been kept up by
aeroplanes, but the official British
statement of Friday that n vessel load
cd with food had grounded four miles
below the city was a strong indication
that the force had lacked supplies to
n dangerous degree.
1t was early in June, 1915, that Cen
eral Townshend, moving northward on
his way to Bagdad, captured Kut-el-
Amara with the Turkish force Of 1870
men and the governor
ToWnshend had with him two divis-
ions of AnGlo-Indian troops. or few
over 10000 men.