On December 5th the enemy began to close round Kut and opened with artillery fire and a few snipers. The Cavalry Brigade and greater portion of land transport crossed the river on their way to Ali Gharbi on the 6th, on which day the last steamer also left, and Kut was isolated. Work was continued on the defences to the limit of the men’s endurance. The enemy strength increased daily and he gradually closed in on the front line. Intense artillery bombardment was kept up for about two hours morning and evening when the mirage disappeared and enabled observation of fire to be made. On the 9th the enemy attacked the bridgehead on the right bank and captured it. Under cover of fire from the left bank it was temporarily reoccupied, but again captured by the Turks. After dark the bridge was cut adrift, the right bank having been occupied in force by the enemy. The Turkish artillery fire had become so severe by the 10th that orders were issued to discontinue working in the open in daylight. The usual routine for the reserve brigade was to move out at dusk, work till 1 a.m., when the units went into close reserve and support to the front line till dawn. They then returned to bivouac dug-outs on the outskirts of the town. After food, work was again commenced on communications, improving roads, second line trenches, etc. Return to bivouac for the evening meal preparatory to moving out again at dusk. Piquets along the river bank, to prevent entry or egress of enemy agents, were also found in turn by night and day by the reserve brigade. On the afternoon of the 12th the Turks made a determined attack on the north-west sector and succeeded in establishing themselves within a hundred yards of the front-line trenches, although they failed to enter them. The same night the 76th moved up in relief to the front line. This relief of the 16th Brigade by the 30th Brigade, and vice versa, took place weekly after this date. The front line taken over was only of an average of two and a half feet deep, with no sanitary arrangements, many dead being just thrown on the parapet or parados, and no direct communication trenches. The enemy was extremely active, pushing up his saps and opening new parallels. At night he was particularly active, making many attempts on the wire. These were all driven off by rifle and machine-gun fire and by bombs, while his working parties were harassed by fire whenever possible. Our men were kept employed to the utmost limit of their strength improving the trenches, etc. During this first tour of duty in the front line the Battalion lost severely, 2nd-Lieutenant Muirhead being mortally wounded, Jemadar Ram Sarup killed, Subadar Sundar Singh wounded, and about fifty men killed and wounded.