The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-03-24
HIS LIFE FOR BOAT.
Commander Tried to Expedite
Trip Up Tigris.
Oh ,ps at Cable Turks Stretched Across
River Until, Wounded Seven
Times, He Has to Turn
Back.

London.-How Lieutenant Com.
mander Edgar Christopher Cookson,
in command Of the British Gunboat
Comet, during the advance up the IT,
girls river, attempted single handed
to cut a steel cable which the Turks
had stretched across the river as an
obstruction is wildly told by letter
which one Of the crew wrote to MS
mother and which was recently pub
lished in the English newspapers.
While trying to cut the cable the gal
liant commander was shot seven times
and died soon after reaching the deck
of his vessel again. For his gallantry
he received the Victoria Cross.
In his letter the seaman explains
that the Turks were heavily IN.
trenched not far from Ali Gharbi.
During the time that we were bonn
harding them," he writes. some OF
our troops and cavalry went inland to
try to surround them. They nearly
succeeded, but found the enemy little
too strong, though they captured 1900
prisoners and about twenty guns. Just
as it was getting dark our seaplane
dropped on the water alongside US
and told Lieutenant Commander Cook
son that the Turks were on the run.
"A little further up the river they
had placed distractions so that we
could not pass without clearing them
away, giving them time to get away.
This turned out to be the liveliest
time | have had since the fighting
started. Commander Cookson decid-
ed to go up and clear the obstruction
and then give chase to the Turks. 1t
was very dark when We started off
with the Shaitan and Sumana follow
ing.
When we got around the head Of
land the Turks opened fire with rifles,
but we steamed right up to the OBJ
struction. The Turks were then close
enough to throw hand bombs, but
luckily none of them reached the deck
of the ship. The obstruction turned
out to be a big cable stretched across
the river with dhows made fast to
it. An attempt was made to sink the
center dhow with guntire, but when
this failed the commander ordered
that we steam alongside of it.
Commander Cookson, when he saw
that the boat could not be sunk by fir
ing, took an AK and leaped over the
bows of the Comet on to the dhow.
He chopped at the cable until he had
to turn back. he was so badly wound
ed. He was shot in seven places, and
when we dragged him back aboard
his last words were, I am done. 1t is
a failure. Return at full speed He
never spoke afterward. We had six
wounded, but none seriously.
During that time we had not been
silent. We fred at them with guns
and rifles, and the Shaitan and the
Sumana were also blazing away. Our
troops ashore said it was lovely sight
to see the vessels with all their guns
working. We must have frightened
the Turks. because on going up again
at daybreak after burying our officer
we found that they had cleared out
and retired farther up the river. We
steamed after them, and when we
reached Kut-el-Amara we found the
cavalry there. This is the first place
to which the army has got before the
navy. subsequently we received or
ders to pursue the flying Turks and
forced the enemy to leave several
dhows laden with stores. provisions
and ammunition"