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Phillip Gunn served in the Royal Navy during both World Wars, eventually rising to the rank of captain. At the start of the First World War he was a very junior seaman, serving on HMS Clio, one of the last sail and coal powered warships to be serving in the Royal Navy. His ship soon joined the fleet supporting the Mesopotamia campaign, and ended up going up the Tigris as part of the first attempt to capture Baghdad. Gunn found himself moved to ever smaller ships as the army advanced into shallow waters, eventually commanding two horse boats armed with 4.7in guns and towed by a single launch. He commanded these boats all the way to Ctesiphon, 20 miles outside Baghdad, where the previously victorious expedition was eventually forced to turn back. Gunn was struck down by Malaria during the battle, and thus missed the siege of Kut and the risk of Turkish captivity. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the campaign.
Gunn did suffer from the appallingly flawed medical services of this campaign. After falling ill he was taken back to Basra on a notorious 'hospital' ship and probably only survived because he was moved back to his own ship, where he could be treated by the ship's doctor. He took months to recover from the illness, and was eventually moved back to Home Waters to avoid further illness.
This book has been written by Gunn's son David, and is based on diaries and conversions with his father. The book also includes Phillip's own splendid oil paintings of the campaign.
This is a fascinating account of one of the less familiar British campaigns of the First World War and the Navy's role in it.
Chapters
1 - A Shark Steals the Dinner
2 - The International Arms Race
3 - A Seaman's Work - Early 1914
4 - War
5 - The Navy's Fuel Supply is Threatened
6 - Turks Attack the Suez Canal
7 - A Brief Refit in Bombay
8 - HMS Clio's Role in Mesopotamia
9 - The Politics
10 - The Aim Surreptitiously Changes
11 - Phil Meets the Arabs
12 - The Disgusting Garden of Eden
13 - A Punitive Expedition
14 - Conditions up the Tigris
15 - Townshend's Regatta
16 - They Destroy a Turkish Gunboat
17 - An Arab's Anaesthetist
18 - Travelling with the General
19 - Amara Gives in to Nine Men
20 - Amara Formally Surrenders
21 - The Army Arrives Just in Time
22 - Phil Volunteers for 'Hazardous Duties'
23 - Savagely Attacked by Mosquitoes
24 - A School Friend
25 - His Muslim Crew Need Halal Meat
26 - Nixon Presses the Case for Baghdad
27 - What's Happening in Mesopotamia?
28 - Phil to Lead the Entire Expedition
29 - They Land the Army
30 - A Briefing for the Fight
31 - The Forgotten War
32 - The Mirage
33 - The Attack on Kut al Amara
34 - Death of a Friend
35 - A Gun Battle
36 - Reflection but Still no Recognition
37 - Ordered Forward to Destroy a River Obstacle
38 - A Victoria Cross
39 - Horror after the Battle
40 - Phil to Work for Townshend
41 - Collecting Canoes for a Bridge
42 - Where is the Medical Back-up?
43 - Nixon Wins the Argument for Taking Baghdad
44 - Townshend Points out Baghdad Risks
45 - Memories of Street Games
46 - A Bullet in His Pillow
47 - The Fighting Becomes Intense
48 - The Battle of Ctesiphon
49 - Phil is Carried Ashore
50 - The Ox Cart
51 - The Medics are Overwhelmed
52 - The River Journey Through Hell
53 - Phil Moves Towards Death
54 - Besieged in Kut
55 - 'One Less To Watch Dyin'
56 - 'Alive But That's About All I Can Say'
57 - A Conversation with the Captain
58 - The Fate of Townshend's Force
59 - Recovery
60 - Farewell to Clio
Author: David Gunn
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 160
Publisher: Pen & Sword Maritime
Year: 2013