THE DARDANELLES FAILURE.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1924, Page 3

THE DARDANELLES FAILURE.

ADMIRAL WEMYSS’ MEMOIRS

ADMIRALTY HAD NO PLANS

4UBTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION

(Received this day at 10 23 a.m.j LONDON, March 30.

Th following is the first section of the Australian Press Association’s extracts from the “Memoirs and Dianes of Lord Wemyss on the Gallipoli Campaign of 1913.” He relates that he was summoned to the Admiralty on the loth, of February and told that an attack on the Dardanelles was impending. He was to proceed to I.emno, immediately, instructions tolloni,m His visit brought reconciliation watli Lord Fisher, with whom he quarrelled in-TOOS, when the former suggested that Wemyss had become subservient to the Naval Secretary. On Ins ■A'"' " ' v

arrival at Malta Admiral lainpus asserted the Turks had loaded Germany and would not fight further when once they felt the pressure of the war. Reaching Mudros on February 24th. he found everything hopelessly lacking. The outer forts of the Dardanelles had already been bombarded and plans for the combined operations were not disclosed, except that a brigade of marines were available to demolish the torts as soon as they were silenced. There was one bright spot—a.s no instructions had been received. Tie would ask for none, hut choose his own way of salvation. The arrival of a battalion of Australians on the 7th. March had a lienelicial moral effect on the inhabitants. General Bird wood arrived at Lemnos on the Ist. Alarc-h. Then ho first learned that forty thousand troops were expected to assist, the manner hereof depending on the result of the bombardment. AYith Birdwood, lie interviewed Carden who was tending to the view that the concealed guns and mobile batteries must he silenced before progress was possible against the inner forts. The intensive bombardment was discontinued on the 19th. of March when, it was apparent that considerable military assistance would be essential.

Admiral AVemyss proceeds:— The Australians were as magnificent a body of men as he had ever seen. He thought the Canadians were fine raw material, but these were liner. They were wild, of course, but such pleasant looking devils. They always seemed pleased to see me. The deficiencies in transport arrangements was another disclosure of the manner in which flic campaign was planned. He suggested that solely required the taking over of the control of the whole of Lemnos, but the Admiralty did not reply but left him chafing in ignorance and never realising that the actual plans were non existent. Sir lan Hamilton arrived on Alarcli 17th. and Dainade, the French Commander, favoured not touching the Dardanelles, hut marching on to Constantinople. However, the operations against Asia .Minor were banned from London on the loss on the 18th Afareli of the warships Irresistible. Ocean and Bouvet, which pointed to the impossibility of battleships forcing Die Straits till the mines were cleared. This was impossible till the guns were overcome, which meant that troops would have to seize the Peninsula. Admirals and Generals held a conference on the 22nd of Ala roll and decided that continued action he postponed till plans were perfected.