Volume I Part 22 (1/2)
”(No MF 337) From General Sir Ian Hamilton to War Office With reference to your No 5489, cipher I am very sorry that you cannot send the proper howitzers, and still more sorry for the reason, that of ammunition The Turkish trenches are deep and narrow, and only effective weapon for dealing with them is the howitzer I realize your difficulties, and I am sure that you will supply me with both howitzers and alad in the meantime of as many more trench mortars and bombs as you can possibly spare We realize for our part that in thefor the nize that until howitzers and a for the Crescent”
The Admiral and Godley paid me a visit; discussed tea and sea transport, then a walk
There is quite a break in the weather Very cold and windy with a little rain in the forenoon
_17th June, 1915 Ih weather in office A cable from the Master General of the Ordnance in reply to my petition for another battery of 6-inch howitzers:--
”(No 5537, cipher, MGO) Fro-in-Chief, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force Your telegram No MF 331 We can send out another battery of 6-inch howitzers, but cannot send ammunition with it Moreover, we cannot increase the present periodical supply, so that if we send the additional howitzers you un sent to you, as experience has shown is sometimes done in similar cases It is possible that the Navy may help you with 6-inch ammunition Please say after consideration of the above if you want the howitzers sent”
Mythe MGO on to a rock on the Peninsula whilst the Asiatic batteries are pounding it That would learn hi us Depart to hold our Asiatic wolf by the ears I feel very depressed; we are too far away; so far away that we lie beyond the grasp of an MGO's iination That's the whole truth Were the Are, within 24 hours the Commander-in-Chief, or at the least his Chief of the Staff, would walk into the MGO's office and then proceed to walk into the MGO I can't do that; a bad tempered cable is useless; I have no weapon at my disposal but very mild sarcasm:--
”(No MF 343) From General Sir Ian Hamilton to War Office Your No
5537, cipher, MGO Please send the battery of 6-inch howitzers Your admonition will be borne in mind Extra howitzers will be ed by enemy batteries on the Asiatic side of the Dardanelles No doubt in time the ammunition question will improve Only yesterday prisoners reported that 14to the Peninsula”
Have written another screed to French As it gives a sort of su up of the state of affairs to-day I spatchcock (as Buller used to say) the carbon:--
”GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, ”MEDITERRANEAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, _17th June, 1915_
”MY DEAR FRENCH,
”It must be fully a month since I wrote you but no one understands better than you ht and day excursions and alarms Between the two letters there has been a desperate lot of fighting, ood lory, there is only a few hundred yards of ground to show for it all at Anzac, and about aa wider point of view, I hope our losses and efforts have gained a good deal for our cause although they may not be sothe Basra; secondly, we are told on high authority, that the action of the Italians in co in was precipitated by our entry into this part of the theatre; thirdly, if we can only hold on and continue to enfeeble the Turks, I thinkbefore soe
”However all that h by ourselves, and it is, I assure you, a tough proposition In a manoeuvre battle of old style our fellows here would beat twice their number of Turks in less than no time, but, actually, the restricted Peninsula suits the Turkish tactics to a 'T' They have always been good at trench here their stupid htforward duties to perfor that comes up to them They do this to perfection; I never saw braver soldiers, in fact, than some of the best of theive theht over their parapets Also they have unli the the up a lot of heavy artillery of very long range on the Asiatic shore, and shell us like the devil with 45, 6-inch, 8, 92 and 10-inch guns--not pleasant This necessitates a very tough type of man for senior billets X--Y--, for instance, did not last 24 hours Everyone here is under fire, and really and truly the front trenches are safer, or at least fully as safe, as the Corps Coout For, if the foruns firing into our rear
”Another reason e advance so slowly and lose so et constant reinforcements We have overcome three successive ar here noith 14 uns, so prisoners say, but I hope not
”I have fine Corps Commanders in Birdwood, Hunter-Weston and Gouraud
This is very fortunate Who is to be Commander of the new corps I cannot say, but we have one or two terrifying suggestions froht a brisk attack headed by a senior Turkish Officer and a Gerade Both these Officers were killed and 20 or 30 of their ainst the South Wales Borderers a much heavier attack was launched Our felloere bombed clean out of their trenches, but only fell back 30 yards and dug in This ot maxims on to each end of the place they had stormed, and then the Dublins retook it with the bayonet Two hundred of their dead were left in the trench, and we only had 50 casualties--not so bad! A little later on in the day a d----d submarine appeared and had some shots at our transports and store shi+ps Luckily sheoperations of supplies were suspended
These are the sort of daily anxieties All one can do is to carry on with determination and trust in providence
”I hope you are feeling fit and that things are going on well generally
Give reat Robertson, also to Barry Otherwise please treat this letter as private With all kind remembrance
”Believe me, ”Yours very sincerely, ”(_Sd_) IAN HAMILTON”
CHAPTER XI
BOMBS AND JOURNALISTS
Our beautiful East Lancs Division is in a very bad way One lect and it will be ruined: if quickly filled up with fresh drafts it will be better than ever Have cabled:--