The allied campaign in Mesopotamia began in 1914 as a relatively simple operation to secure the oilfields in the Shatt-al-Arab delta and Basra area. Initially it was a great success, but as the army pressed towards Baghdad its poor logistic support, training, equipment and command left it isolated and besieged by the Turks. In his lecture, Colonel Crowley recounts this dramatic tale and its terrible aftermath. The siege of Kut is a story of blunders, sacrifice, imprisonment and escape.

Colonel Patrick Crowley is a serving officer who was commissioned into The Queen's Regiment and is now a Deputy Colonel in its successor, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. He has served in Belize, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Zimbabwe and Iraq. His own regimental forebears, the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment and the Hampshire Regiment both participated in the Mesopotamia campaign. He is the author of his regiment's history, Afghanistan - The Three Wars and The Infantry Regiments of Surrey.

An optional £10 sandwich lunch shall be available from 1215.

Colonel Crowley will be on hand to sign copies of his latest book, Kut 1916: Courage and Failure in Iraq (The History Press, 2009), which will be on sale.

This event is open to all RUSI members. To become a member, please click here.

To attend this event, please register online using the "Book your place" button above. If you have any queries please contact Sophie Cordes, Events Assistant, at sophiec@rusi.org or call +44 (0)20 7747 4971.