Volume I Part 16 (2/2)
”I believe I could advance with half the loss of life that is now being reckoned upon, if I had a liberal supply of gun ah explosive”
Only bitterest experience has forced o without saving, (1) that th, (2) that I have a decent allowance of gun ah explosives
Will Lord K land, and take hiure in the world He believes, he has an instinct, that here is the heel of the German Colossus, otherwise immune to our arrows Let him but put his foot down, and who dare say him nay?
The most vital of my demands is that my formations should be kept full
An extra 50,000An extra 50,000 men to feed war-trained units already in the field is another, and very different, and verythe veteran corps up to strength and the value of the saanized into raw battalions commanded by inexperienced leaders is as the value of the sun to the moon But K and I have never seen eye to eye here, and never will The spirit of reater it is the more room in it for a flaw
Who in the world but K would have swept up all the odds and ends of detachi up re to their units; who but K could have conceived the idea of forht as well as ever--instead of legging it like the wind as they did at the first whistle of a bullet?
On the other hand, who but K, at that time, could have run the war at all?
The 29th Division have reatly strengthening the bluff upon which the Gurkhas dug themselves in
_18th May, 1915 HMT ”Arcadian”_ Villiers Stuart, Birdie's Staff Officer, has been killed on Anzac by a shell The sub adventures in the Sea of Marmora She is none the worse, bar the loss of one periscope from a Turkish lucky shot Her Coer Keyes! She got a tremendous ovation froive a flat knock-out to Norone out of war
Have asked that the Maoris may be sent from Malta to join the New Zealanders at Anzac I hope and believe that they will do well Their white comrades from the Northern Island are very keen to have them
_19th May, 1915 HMT ”Arcadian”_ Compton Mackenzie has coence General Gouraud and his Chief of Staff, Girodon, lunched I do not know many French Officers, but Girodon happens to be an old acquaintance I o on the Austrian htful personality; a very sound soldier and a plucky one also I reminded him how, in 1906, he had told ether all the other peoples of Europe against the coer of their dominance This was at Teschen on the borderland between Austrian and Prussian Silesia during the Austrian Manoeuvres He remembered the occasion and the remark Well, he has proved a true prophet!
A cable fro two more Army Corps asto help us against the Turks I kneould be greatly upset:--
”(4726, cipher)
”Private and personal With reference to your telegram No MF 234, I am quite certain that you fully realize what a serious disappointment it has been to me to discover that my preconceived views as to the conquest of positions necessary to dominate the forts on the Straits, with naval artillery to support our troops on land, and with the active help of naval bombardment, were miscalculated
”A serious situation is created by the present check, and the calls for large reinforcements and an additional amount of ammunition that we can ill spare from France
”From the stand-point of an early solution of our difficulties, your views, as stated, are not encouraging The question whether we can long support two fields of operation draining on our resources requires grave consideration I know that I can rely upon you to do your ut the present unfortunate state of affairs in the Dardanelles to as early a conclusion as possible, so that any consideration of a withdraith all its dangers in the East,the field of possible solutions
”When all the above is taken into consideration, I am somewhat surprised to see that the 4,500 which Maxwell can send you are apparently not required by you With the aid of these I had hoped that you would have been in a position to press forward
”The Lowland Division is leaving for you”
This is a queer cable Seeainst those political forces which have ever been a British Cos ers in the Eastfro the field of possible solutions,” sounds uncommonly like a cry for help Hesmaller calls upon him
But the only way I can _really_ help hi a battle: to pretend I could win that battle without drafts, munitions and the Army Corps asked for would be a very short-lived bluff both for him and for e notion of running away fro his beard, has arisen in London and in France So now that the lad to knohere we are and to feel that K stands solid and sound behind us He need have no fear; all thatfor not one man or round more than is absolutely essential for the job
As to that passage about the 4,500 Australians, a refusal of Australians would indeed be good cause for surprise--only--it has never taken place, and never will take place I can only surmise that my request made to Maxwell that these 4,500 men should come to ade, has twisted itself, going down some office corridor, into a story that I don't want the ypt is mine and the fatness thereof; yet, no sooner do Ior anyone Egyptian than K is got at and I find he is the Barmecide and I Schac'abac ”How do you like your lentil soup?” says K ”Excellently well,” say I, ”but devil a drop is in the plate!” I have got to enter into the joke; that's the long and the short of it But it is being pushed just a trifle too far when I am told I _apparently do not require_ 4,500 Australians!
The whole of K's cable calls for close thinking How to try and help hie into faint-hearted fellows? How to do so without toning down my demands for reinforce them shake in their shoes Here is e my estimate: it was the least I could safely ask for: but I can ive:--
”(MF 243)