Gallipoli Diary, Volume 1

ch, 1915, having entered the harbour at th

ting aboard that lovely sea m

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owitzers and field guns fire from concealed positions and make the clearing of the minefields something of a V.C. sort of job for the smaller craft. Even when the Fleet gets through, these moveable guns will make it very nasty for store ships or transports which follow. The mine-sweepers are slow and bad with worn out engines. Some of the civilian masters and crews of the t

and are ranged by field guns and howitzers, which, thus far, cannot be located as our naval seaplanes are too heavy to rise out of rifle range. There has been a muddle about these seaplanes. Nominally they possess very powerful Sunbeam engines; actually the d--d things can barely rise off the water. The naval guns do not seem able to knock the Turkish Infantry out of their deep tren

rough and the Army then attacks at Bulair, we would have the Turkish Army on the Peninsula in a regular trap. Therefore, whether from the local or the la

s views. The Admiral's "real good try" leads up to

now is to hammer away at our band-o-bast[5] whilst the Navy pushes as hard,

When he stopped, Roger Keyes, the Commodore, inquired, "Is that all?" An

orces the passage and disembarked us on the Bosphorus; or, whether the Fleet did not force the

ses in the Phaeton to-morrow; that it would not be possible to land large forces on the neck of Bulair itself as there were no beaches, but that I should reconnoitre the coast at the head of the Gulf as landing would be easier with every few miles we drew away towards the North. I told him it would be useless to l

ways the way. Until the plunge is taken, the man in the arm chair clamps rose coloured spectacles on to his nose and the man on the spot is anxious; but, o

not speak for myself for I have so far only examined the terrain through a field glass. I refer to the ton

ilors do not agree). Now that phase has passed. Many more troops have come down, German Staff Officers have grappled with the situation, and have got their troops scientifically disposed and he

it was the Admiral's innings for so long as he could keep his wicket up. Braithwaite asked a question or two about the trenches and all of

t to be in too great a hurry to bring the Army to the front. I devoutly hope indeed (and I thin

because the type of seaplanes sent us "are too heavy to rise out of effective rifle range"-(one has to put these things mildly). I add that the Admiral, "while not making light of dangers was evidently determined to exhaust every effort before calling upon the soldiers for their help on a large scale"; and I wind up by telling him Le

ng the Royal Naval Division, came on board with one or two Staff Officers. After consulting these Officers as well as McLagan, the Australian Brigadier, cabled Lord K. to say Alexandria must be our base as "the Naval Division transports have been loaded up as in peace time and they

ituation, and am now steaming in company with Generals d'Amade and Paris to inspect the North-western coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula." I tell him that the real place "looks a much tougher nut to crack than it did over the map,"-I say that his "impression that the ground between Cape Helles and Krithia was clear of the enemy," was mistaken. "Not a bit of it." I say, "The Admiral tells me that there is a large number of men tucked away in the folds of the ground there, not

yonder the amorous breath of Leander changed to soft sea form. Far away to the Eastwards, painted in dim and lovely hues, lies Mount Ida. Just so, on the far horizon line she lay fair and still, when Hector fell and smoke from burning Troy blackened the mid-day sun. Against

field gun range, trusting that the Turks would not wish prematurely to disclose their artillery positions. So we managed a peep at close quarters, and were startled to see the ramifications and extent of the spider's web of deep, narrow trenches along the coast and on either front of the lines of Bulair. My Staff agree that they must have taken ten thousand men a month's hard work from dark to dawn. In advance of the trenches, Williams in the crow's nest reported that with his strong glasses he could pick out the glitter of wire over a wide expanse of ground. To the depth of a mile the whole Aegean slope of the neck of the Peninsula was scarred wi

Bay, the country is too big; it is the broadest part of the Peninsula; also, we should be too far from its waist and from the Narrows we wish to dominate. Merely to hold our line of Communications we should need a couple of Divisions. All the coast between Suvla Bay and for a little way South of Gaba Tepe seems feasible for landing. I mean we could get

feet high. But there are, in many places, sandy strips at their base. Opinions differ but I believe myself the

going on in the Straits. Now and then, too, we can see a huge shell hit the top of Achi B

frightfully keen to see the fight, and I thought it fair to allow one mile as being the mouth of the Straits and not the Straits. Before we had covered that mile we found ourselves on the outskirts of-dream of m

at it tooth and nail! Shells of all sizes flew hissing through the skies. Before my very eyes, the graves of those old G

ws close up beside them. Before he charged in at Edgehill, Astley (if my memory serves me) exclaimed, "O, God, I've been too busy

As for myself, there are two moments; one when I think I would not miss the show for millions; another when I think "what an ass I am to be here

s battle ground whereon two sets of people who have no cause of quarrel can blow one another to atoms? Why are these Straits the cockpit of the world? What is it all about? What on earth has happene

e. If we keep on another thirty seconds we

he Forts made no reply-or none that we could make out, either with our ears or with glasses. Perhaps there was an attempt; if so, it must have been very half-heart

ew up level with her. Some 250 yards from us was the Inflexible slowly coming out of the Straits, her wireless cut away and a number of shrapnel holes through her tops and crow's nest. Suddenly, so quickly did we turn that, going at speed, the decks were at an angle of 45° and several of us (d'Amad

erly in their ranks, facing the imminence of death, I got my answer to the hasty moralizings about war, drawn from me (really) by a regret that I would very soon be drowned. On the deck of that battleship staggering along at a stone's throw was a vindication of war in itself; of war, the state of being, quite apart from war motives or gains. Ten thousand years of peace would fail to produce a spectacle of so great virtue. Where, in peace, passengers have also shown high constancy, it is because war and martial discipline have lent them its

tege which might at any moment be transformed into a funeral affair, but slow as we went we yet went fast enough to give the go-by to the French batt

d to clear right out so as not to be in the way of the Navy at a time of so much stress. After we had gone ten miles or so, the Phaeton intercepted a wireless fro

on of my problem. More by good luck than good guidance I have got into personal touch with the outer fringes of the thing we are up against and that is so much to the good. But oh, that we had been here earlier! Winston in his hurry to push me out has shown a more soldierly grip than those who said there was no hurry. It is up to me now to revolve to-day's do

a P.S. to K

and down again to the South-west point looking at the network of trenches the Turks have dug commanding all possible landing places, we turned into the Dardanelles

ht information the extent of these losses. Certainly it looks at present as if the Fleet wou

at

vet, they say, just slithered down like a saucer slithers dow

ed tries. They had knocked out the Forts, they claim, and one, three-word order, "Full steam ahead," would have cut the Gordian Knot the diplomats have been fumbling at for over a hundred years by slicing their old Turkey in two. Then came the big delay owing to ships changing stations during which mines set loose from

y driven to the conclusion that the Straits are not likely to be forced by battleships as at one time seemed probable and that, if my troops are to take part, it will not take the subsidiary form anticipate

he vicinity of the Straits, I would like to take them right off to Alexandria so as to shake them out there and reship them ready for anyth

ys' delay I must land somewhere as mules and horses are dyi

lowing letter. It confirms officiall

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nk. I gather from intercepted signals that the Ocean also is sunk, but of this I am not quite certain. I am off in Dublin immediately she comes in and expect I may be back to

eve m

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"R. We

Telegram

V.A.

N.O. M

8th Marc

ting mines or torpedoes from shore tubes fired at long range. H.M.S. Irresistible and Bouvet sunk. H.M.S. Ocean still afloat, but probably

arbour. Stormy weather, and even here, inside

ardanelles passage must be forced, and that if large military operations on the Gallipoli Peninsula by your troops are necessary t

ll hinges on

ot admit a check and must get to work again as quickly as they can. Wemyss is Senior Naval Officer at the Dardanelles and

dated "Q.E. the 19th," ha

oss of life was quite small, though the Frenc

ed clear and swept the previous night I do not know, u

re all getting ready for another 'go' and not in the least beaten or downhearted. The big forts were silenced for a long time and everything wa

dence of the sailors seems quite unshaken by the events of the 18th, Birdie seems to have made up his mind that the Navy have shot their bolt for the time being and that

a." At 10 a.m. we had another Conf

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he was now quite clear he could not get t

e the seamen to settle their own job, saying nothing for or against land operations or amphibious operations until the

he fat (that is us)

ways make hay in foul weather had been extra active since the sinking of the three men-of-war. Suppose the Fleet could get through wi

to that opinion at the conference, then I was ready, as a soldier, to make light of military croaks about troopships. Constantinople must surrender, revolt or scuttle within a very few hours of our battleships entering the Marmora. Memories of one or two obsolete six inchers at Ladysmit

ld not fight through without help, there was

rked out to a ball cartridge and a pail of water. By the British system (?) I have been obliged to concoct my own plans in a brace of shakes almost under fire. Strategically and tactically our method may have its merit

incredible really, we should have to decide so tremendous an administrative problem off the reel and without any Administrative Staff. But time presses, the responsibility cannot be shirked, and so I have cabled K. that Lemnos must be a wash-out and that I am sending my troops to get ship-shape at Alexandria although, thereby, I upset every previous arrangement. Then I have had to cable for Engineers, trench mortars, bombs, hand grenades, periscopes. Then again, seeing things are going less swimmingly than K. had thought they w

the Asiatic side of the Straits there are at least a Division, but there may be several Divisions. The Admiral's information tallies and, so Birdie says, does that of the Army in Egypt. The War Office notion that the guns

ey would carry five hundred men; had bullet-proof bulwarks and are to work under their own gas engines. If I can possibly get a petition for these through to Winston we would very likely be lent some and with their aid the landing under fire will be child'

h the sailors want me to pull this particular chestnut out of the fire, it is just as well they should know I am not going to speak to their Bos

improvise and send us out post haste 20 to 30 large lighters difficulty and duration of this phase will be cut down to at least one hal

nd. He assumed that we had definitely turned down any plan of scrambling ashore forthwith, as best we could? I said, "Yes," and that the Navy were with me in that

scheme, I might have had a dart. But the operation of landing in face of an enemy is the most complicated and difficult in war. Under existing conditions the whole attempt would be partial, décousu, happy-go-lucky to the last degree. There are no small craft to speak of. There is no provision for carrying water. There is no information

s of war but the certainties of commonsense. If I did so handle my troops on the spot as to sup on Achi Baba to-morrow night, I still could not counter the inevitable reactio

g simultaneous blow and I am resolved that, so far as in me lies, the orders and preparations wi

toe: or,-had my staff and self been here ten days ago, we could have already got well forward with our plans and orders, as well as with the laying of our hands upon the thousand odds and ends demanded by the invasion of a barren, trackless extremity of an Empire-odds and ends never thoug

g things a

h less worked out or practised,

ce of 29th

itary) for any landing on a larg

nough to support me were I to put it to K. that

ur war paint. He will see to it, he says, that they think more of battleships than of landings. He is greatly relieved to hear I have practically made up my mind to go for the South of the Peninsula and to keep in closest touch with the Fleet. The Commodore also seems well pleased: he told us he hoped to get his Fleet Swee

bothers me! Am specially keen about trench mortars; if it comes to close fighting on the Peninsula with its restricted area

practical necessity, although a point of honour makes it impossible for him to suggest turning his back to the Turks to his own Government." But, I say, "he will be enchanted if they give him the order." D'Amade says I have not quite correctly represented his views. Not fantastic honour, he says, caused him to say we had better, for a while, hold on, but

rigade). I made them carry out a little attack on a row of windmills, and really, they did not show much mor

d to boat work, and twice as well equipped by the time the 29th turn up, and by then the weather will be more settled. As d'Amade said too, it will be worth a great deal to us if the French troops get a chance of working a little over the ground together wit

I can make the preliminary arrangements, of which the proper allocation of troops, etc., to transports is not the least important, the success of my plans

to K. and is pleased with them. He accepts the fact, I think, that the Army must tackle the mobile artillery of the Turks before the Navy can expect to silence the light guns protecting the mine fields and then clear out the mines with the present type of mine sweeper. But the Admiral's going to fix up the mine sweeper question while we are away. Once he has done that, Keyes believes the Fleet

lass letter from the Admir

.S.

Marc

ear G

uld have been better. If only they were on the spot, they would realise that to hurry would write failure. In my very humble opinion, good co-operation and organisation means everything f

ieve

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J.M. de

le) came to make his salaams. We served together at Malta and bo

Naval Division has none at all and that the guns of the 29th Division make that body even more indispensable than he had probably realised. I would very much like to add that these are no times for infantry divisions minus artillery seeing that they ought to have three times the pre-war complement of guns, but Braithwaite's good advice has prevailed. As promised at the Conference I express a hope

't hear then, we may take it de Robeck will have endorsed the purport. Of course, if he does no

do "Intelligence": the cable was approved