109 years ago today, April 29, 1916 (March 27, 1916 in the lunar calendar), the British task force surrendered to Turkey. On April 29, 1916, the British army commanded by Major General Charles Townsend laid down its arms at Kut Amara, Mesopotamia. The army of 8070 people surrendered. In this war, it was rare for entire combat troops to surrender. While London was frustrated by the news, it also praised Townsend for his extraordinary holding of ground for 196 days. Tang Lin first occupied Amara in June 1915. Najin led 40,000 Anglo-Indian soldiers, who moved north and west in an attempt to encircle Turkish defenses and move closer to Baghdad, 200 miles away, but made little progress. Townsend led thousands of troops to the retreat to Kut, which has been stationed there since December 3. Kut Amara is a filthy town on the Tigris River. After Townsend built trenches here, the town was often surrounded. For months, a reinforcement team had been stationed just 20 miles away, but Turkish artillery fire shattered the force's attempt to join Townsend. Townsend's surrender was not so much due to heavy artillery fire as to lack of supplies. The soldiers were short of food and fresh water. Due to Turkish attacks and the frequent flooding of the Tigris River, steamships carrying essential supplies were inaccessible. A letter from King George boosted the morale of the soldiers. Before surrendering, General Townsend destroyed all ammunition reserves. The army has nothing but to feed more people.