GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

Southland Times, Issue 18850, 16 June 1920, Page 5

GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

SIR lAN HAMILTON’S DIARY. CRITICISM BV MR BARTLETT. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Australian and N Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, .lime 14. Mr Ashmead Bartlett, interviewed, said that Sir Inn Hamilton's diary threw no light on the Gallipoli campaign. but a flood of illumination on the character of the commander. The diary was on effort to throw the blame on Lord Kitchener r.nd other leader? and the quality of the reinforcing force?. He declared that the main responsibility for the French troops' failure was Sir lan Hamilton’s own faulty dispositions in every fight and his utter inability to appreciate the true strategical position. Sir lan Hamilton’s operations consisted in placing division after division on contracted beaclies and initiating advances over unknown ground to storm position.?, the like of which were never faced in modern warfare. He frittered away his army in a series of badly conceived abortive attack,? from the first landing, which never had the smallest chance of success. Lack of confidence in the higher command produced deplorable demoralisation in August, 1915. Only the old traditions and the old discipline held the remnant together. He denied Sir lan Hamilton’s veiled accusation that he supplied Mr Keith Murdoch with information. Mr Murdoch collected the information first-hand. Only on the day of his departure Mr Murdoch begged him to write something to allow the truth to become known to the responsible authorities in England, despite Sir lan Hamilton’s effort,? to conceal it. After consideration he wrote to the Prime Minister the letter which was taken from Mr Murdoch at Marseilles. Mr Bartlett added that Mr Murdoch might have been technically guilty of showing an uncensored report, but, was any patriotic man go ing to allow a technicality to stand in the way of saving thousand? of h ; s country men from a miserable end and the Empire from a grave disaster? He himself was. Ec, cased of a similar offence, and were he placed in the same position he would not hesitate to act in the same manner again.