GALLIPOLI.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 May 1920, Page 1

GALLIPOLI.

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.: lAN HAMILTON AND GALLIPOLI. LONDON, May 14, The Australian Press has secured the rights of the early publication of Sir lan Hamilton’s Gallipoli diary. It contains remarkable revelations of the early days of the campaign. Sir lan Hamilton, in the preface of his diary, says: “I will not leave my diary to be flung to posterity behind the cower ; iof my coffin. If any one wishes bo challenge the contents, I am above ground to give him satisfaction. The book contains a remarkable record of official short-sightedness, but it is even more noteworthy as a revelation of the personality of the commander, of a great fighting force which is rarely .given to the world. Referring to the attitude of the Press Bureau and the War Office’s desire for secrecy, Hamilton has recorded: “Some newspaper correspondents arrived, I told them to do whatever they damned well pleased.”

lAN HAMILTON’S DIARY

STORY OF THE TRAGEDY

(Received this day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, May 15. General lan Hamilton’s Gallipoli diary is published in two volumes. General Hamilton in the early chapters graphically describes meeting Lord Kitchener to discuss operations at the Dardanelles. Referring to the sending y the 29th. Division, Lord Kitchener sail . you might iust as well realise at mee | G.H.Q. in France will not agree to this. They think they, have only to drive the Germans back fifty miles to win the | war. French and his'staff believe firm - i ]y they can pitch camp in a corner of Eurone and fight a world war to a fin- | jsh. The thing is absurd, but French j plus France are a strong .combination. They are fighting tooth and nail for | the twenty ninth division. It must he | clearly understood that all things ear- j marked for the East are regarded by powerful interests at Home and in France as being stolen from - the vest, Wolfe, Murray, Archie Murray and Brnithwaitc were then called in by Lord Kitchener. This was apparently the first either of the Murrays had beard of the Dardanelles project. Both seemed taken aback. Braitbwaite said we should have better air service than the. Turks. He begged that we be equipped with up-to-date aeroplanes, pilots and observers'. I/ml Kitchener exploded and .aid , “Not one.” Kitchener was perfectly sure the fleet would get through the Dardanelles and that a revolution would occur among the Turks, at the meie sight of the smoke of the warships. Kitchener added the moment ihu holding of Constantinople comes along French and Russians will be very ?eali ous and prickly. Therefore the moio we effect ourselves ah that stage t. e better. He (Kitchener.) wajs pleased we could let , the .French and Russian o-arrison at Constantinople sing their hymns in Saint Sophia whilst we he.d the railway and perhaps Adrianople.

General Hamilton refers to Kitchener’s desire in pre-war days to become the viceroy of India, or Ambassador at Constantinople. Under Kitchener, India could have beaten the Turks single handed, while as ambassador at Constantinople he would have prevented Turkey entering the war. The Intelligence branch was hopeless. It did not know anything about the enemy > strength or guns. Hon. Winston Churchill was m a fever to get us off. On the German system, the plans for landing would have been in my pocket worked out to a cartridge and a pail of water. Hv the British system I was obliged to concoct my own plan in France of shakes almost nnder fire. Our way may have merits strategically and tactically, but not in the matter of supply, transpoi organisation and administration in the way of Colney Hatch. When I fan.-, welled Kitchener, he said if the fl “ gets through Constantinople mil M itself. You will have won not the battle, hut the war. . When Hamilton reached Tenedos found the mine sweepers inefficient, the engines worn out. With more powerful sweepers the business would hay. b'pten easy. The peninsujla was well fortified and our seaplanes could not locate the enemy guns. - Nominally the planes possessed powerful engines bu. he adds “The damned things would bare l y rise off the water.” After the mishap to the Inflexible and Irresistible it became clear that soldiers must do the trick. The War Office’s notion that fleets of guns .would sweep the enemy from Achi Baba, southward, became moonshine. While in Egypt, Hamilton saw Birdwood's thirty thousand “a crowd,” he says, “that would straighten the hack of the Pacifist. There is bravery in their air and a keenest upon their clean cut features. They are spoiling for a scrap. The spirit of war breathed its fires into their hearts.” Hamilton displayed great loyalty <o (Lord Kitchener. He determined he would not write to any public personage except Kitchener as in the war no man could serve two masters, yet all through he regretted his inability to communicate with Churchill periodically, as he could have relied on his- kicking red tape into the waste paper basket. Several “Powers that Be” told him to keep them fully posted, but there had (been so much stiletto work in this war that he refrained from mating. Hamilton throughout the campaign sent hundreds of cables appealing firstly for men, then for more and more ammunition. Kitchener told him Maxwell would give him any support he wanted from -Egypt. Maxwell would not do anything because ho had his own show to run. Kitchener gave fair warning that T must not embroil him with

French, France or British politicians, cr by squeezing him for more troops. I took a job on these terms hoping for help from Egypt, but got the dullest of refusals. Quidnuncs in. (London s;.ul with complacency that my sixty thousand bayonets were enough to overturn the Turkish Empire, so' they would, but I did not have that number for the battle line. Exactly half my bayonets spent the whole night carrying water, ammunition, and supplies and the .other half were up all night in the firing line, armed mostly witli spades, digging desperately. Now and then there was a hell of a. fight, but that was incidental and a relief. Civilians at home think we were like those in'France with motor transport at our backs. My troops were becoming thoroughly worn out aud our regiments won’t be their superb selves gintil''the teiriblo losses are made good. Hamilton refers to the visit of the Australian journalist, armed with letters from Messrs Fisher and Pearce. He confesses his anxiety to oblige, he exceeded Ijis powers in permitting the visit, but he signed a declaration solemnly undertaking to observe the i on sorship rules. admitted that his mind was blank about soldiers ai;d soldiering and made mo'' uncomfortable by ail elaborate explanation why his duty to Australia could be lietter done

by pen than rifle. Hamilton received grom the Secretary of War, a copy <jf criticism sent to Mi- Fisher and Mr Asquith, whereupon Hamilton says: “I carefully read this Guy Fawkes, epistle, but. should nor. have worried over the outpourings of niy late guest, but for Mr Asquith clothing them in a'' state paper. Hero we see an irresponsible statement by an ignorant mail, and 1 feel it is being used as one more weapon to force Mr A-i----ouith’s hand and ruin our last eh,nnee. Mr Asquith may have believed

statement that Maxwell had a poor brain for a. big position, or Bird wool had not the fighting quality or big brain

of a great general. - was also convinced that the Turks were better men than those opposed to him.-Hamil-ton retorts that saw. nothing

of the Turks. These reckless scraps of hearsay would have been worthless if they'had not been endorsed with' the stamp of the ministerial Holy of Holies. Hamilton stated the Turks got wind of the first date of landing from lamdon via Vienna, and he ( comments ‘‘The least said to Cabinet, the least leakage.” ‘ . When the new ternloria] divisions wem"coming prior to Sulva, Hamilton impressed on. the War Office tq rend young, energetic officers and adds: j. kno'W° the hopes 'Lord Kitchener built on those magnificent divisions. 1 know he was also capable of unclerstahding of hfiw he cut his own' throat, the men’s j throats and mine, by pot sending young up-to-date generals. Hamilton then deals lengthily vita General Stopford's failure at Suvl.i. Here was a division which landed victoriously, rested and watered, which its commander said, could not exeit itself even feebly for twelve hours. I ■ told the Hammersky Brigade must advance at once and dig in on the. Crest-line,-but I did not learn until two years later that that Brigade was not coifcen-ti-ntsd. If even one company had been well entrenched on Tokke 'lope height, we should have had the whip hand u r the next manoeuvre, hut on August: 9th the Turks rolled up our line, 'ihe misery of the sgeno wolf nigh broke heart. Our occupation of the key positions had come too late. Had stopfer-! taken up any point of the watershed on the Bth the whole Turkish position on tli peninsula woukj have become critical. ‘-Topford said he was sure the territorials could not secure the liills as the attacking spirit was absent owing to the want of leadership by officers, yet on Anzac, tliese Territorials, under Genera! Godlcy, fouglit like. lions.