Formed in 1915, the Machine Gun Corps saw heavy fighting in all theatres of the First World War, including the Mesopotamia campaign.

Under the command of General Sir Frederick Maude, Anglo-Indian troops advanced back up the River Tigris capturing Kut and Baghdad on their way. This offensive, culminating in the Battle of Istabulat and the capture of Samarra, would be a great boost to the British war effort, although at a great cost.

Drawing on his grandfather’s letters, diaries and sketches, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham explores the role of the Machine Gun Corps in the renewed Mesopotamia campaign of 1916-17. He also shines a spotlight on his grandfather’s actions at Istabulat that earned him a Victoria Cross.

About Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham

Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham Bt CB CBE followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, great uncle and cousins when he commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He has commanded infantry soldiers at every level in areas such as Hong Kong, Cyprus and the South Atlantic. He commanded an Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland, spent six months in Baghdad in 2004 as DCG Multi-National Corps - Iraq, and also commanded the Army Recruiting and Training Division and the Defence Academy at Shrivenham.

He took over as Colonel of The Argylls in 2000, became Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006, and handed over after 8 years as Colonel Commandant of the Infantry (the first) on 31 January 2021.

With Maude and the Machine Gun Corps, 1916-17