Major Sir Alexander Anderson

Ms diary (139pp), with later ts transcription (105pp), kept as Major commanding the Volunteer Artillery Battery, Indian Army, in Mesopotamia during September 1915 - April 1916, during which time the Battery was involved in the defence of Kut, consisting of full daily entries describing Turkish infantry assaults, shelling and air raids on the town, a truce arranged by the Turks to bury the dead, the failure of British relief attempts which had raised the hopes of the besieged soldiers, the shortage of food and attempts to supply the garrison by air and river, and the bad weather conditions which bedevilled the defenders, while providing a full breakdown of the forces defending Kut. Also held with the diary are a series of 22 ms letters (total 50pp), July 1915 - November 1918, written home mainly to his sisters and chiefly during his time as a prisoner of war in Turkey, together with an ms notebook (42pp) kept during August 1916 - August 1917 while in Castemoni prisoner of war camp, including brief notes on conditions in the camp and various jottings, sums and lists of supplies.

<p>INM PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIVE, REF DPH (Q113025)</p>

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