E S J Anderson

With the 33rd "Q.V.O." Light Cavalry in Mesopotamia E S J Anderson

The war in Iraq in 2003 was not the first time that British troops were fighting in that benighted land. This book sheds light on the near-forgotten Great War theatre of Mesopotamia - today's Iraq - when British Empire forces engaged Turkish troops of the Ottoman Empire. The volume, originally privately printed for the author's family and friends, is the war diary of Major M. H. Anderson, serving with the 33rd 'Queen Victoria's Own' Light Cavalry, supplemented by letters home written to his brother, E. S. J. Anderson, who edited them for publication. The book tells the story of the early phase of the Mesopotamia campaign, from 8th November 1914 when Anderson's unit arrived from India, to the 29th April 1915 when he was killed in an ambush by local Arabs masquerading as allies. With its topical references to places recently in the news, the book should be read by anyone interested in mounted warfare, Indian forces, Iraq and the Great War generally.