ECHO OF GALLIPOLI

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 24 May 1917, Page 5

ECHO OF GALLIPOLI

KITCHENER ON EVACUATION VISION BEFORE HIS EVES A striking reminiscence of Lord Kitchener, and of the intense anxiety with which lie awaited the evacuation of Gallipoli, was given by Colonel Sir Mark Sykes (Unionist member for Hull Central)), during- the House of Commons debate on the Dardanelles report. It will be remembered that Kitchener went to Gallipoli just before the evacuation, and understood clearly the dangers of that military "operation. Wonderful to relate, it was accomplished without loss. On one. occasion Sir Mark was sent for by Lord Kitchener, who suddenly broke off a conversation about of her, matters, and said: "My head aches badly to-night. I have not slept for three nights, because I have had a picture before my eyes the whole time of these poor men being drowned and massacred on the beach at Gallipoli. What. a relief it is to know they are safely off." (Cheers.) He mentioned that because at the crisis of his career —and it was a crisis for him —Lord Kitchener was not thinking of his reputation or his place in history, but, like a good soldier, he was thinking only of his men. (Cheers.) The Dardanelles expedition (Sir Mark Sykes continued) had, to a great extent, resulted in the destruction of those regular Turkish troops on whom the enemy had relied to leaven the mass of untrained men which came up in drafts from the villages. The Turkish army was a fine fighting force to-day. but it was not the perfectly-trained force which it would have been if the mosl valuable part of it had not been destroyed at Gallipoli. He would like someone of high position and great weight of authority to say that no men had done better work for the cause, none had shed their, blood to better advantage, than those who had fought and died at Gallipoli.