Volume I Part 26 (2/2)

Naturally,New Army formations Yet every now and then I feel coret the lack of systematic flow of drafts and munitions which have turned our fine victory of the 28th into a pyrrhic instead of a fruitful affair When Pyrrhus gained his battle over the Romans and exclaimed, ”One more such victory and I aanized systeaps in his ranks could be filled A couple of thousand years have now passed and we are still as unscientific as Pyrrhus A splendid expeditionary force sails away; invades an E so knocks itself to bits Then a second expeditionary force is sent, but that would have been unnecessary had any sort of arrangees in men and in shell

_6th July, 1915_ Fro till 5 pm stuck as persistently to my desk as the flies stuck persistently towith Maitland Then with Pollen to dine on board HMS _Triad_ The two Territorial Divisions are coet a move on this time Discoursed small craft with the Admiral The French hate the overseas fire--srees with his predecessor Gouraud in thinking that one man hit in the back from Asia affects the _moral_ of his comrades as badly as half a dozen bowled over by the ene from Tenedos would help us here, but it is admitted on all hands now that the Turks have pushed on with their Asiatic defences, and it is too much to ask of either the New Army or of the Territorials that they should start off with a terrible landing

_7th July, 1915_ No escape fro flood of letters and files,--none from the swarms of filthy flies General Bailloud and Colonel Piepape (Chief of Staff) came across with Major Bertier in a French torpedo boat to see et me to put off the attack planned by General Gouraud for to-reatly hoped in the then state of the Turks the French would have done a very good advance on our right The arrival of these fresh Turkish Divisions from Adrianople does make a difference Still, I am sorry the attack is not to come off Girodon is a heavy loss to Bailloud Piepape has never been a General Staff Officer before; by training, bent of mind and experience he is an administrator He is very much depressed by the loss of the 2,000 quarts of wine by the Asiatic shell Since Gouraud and Girodon have left them the French seem to be less confident When Bailloud entered our Mess he said, in the presence of four or five young Officers, ”If the Asiatic side of the Straits is not held by us within fifteen days our whole force is _voue a la destruction_” He meant it as a jest, but when those who prophesy destruction are _gros bonnets_; big wigs; it needs no s but the prophecies Fortunately, Bailloud soonme to dine with him in an extra chic restaurant at Constantinople

Have told K plainly that the eantic a business as Mudros is suicidal--no less Heaven knows K himself had his work cut out when he ran the co his advance upon Khartouh job when I beca our troops at Chitral, two hundred miles into the heart of the Hie--it was heart-breaking

First the railway, then the bullock cart, the caot down to the donkey But here we have to break bulk fro shi+ps to small craft; to send our stuff not to one but to several landings, to run the shoith a ivefixed and solid is better than this capricious, ever-changing sea The probleood te into the point of view of sailors as well as soldiers, and of being (mentally) in at least three places at once:--

”_From General Sir Ian Hamilton to Earl Kitchener (No MF 424)_

”Private I a seriously apprehensive about my Lines of Communication and am forced to let you know the state of affairs

”Much of the ti the last few days considering enerally The Inspector-General of Coy and ideas The new Divisions will find the Mudros littoral on arrival better prepared for their reception than it was a o The present man is probably excellent in his own line, but he hi doubts his own ability to cope with one of the inable Please do not think for aafter Ellison, I only want a man of that type, someone, for instance, like Maxwell or Sir Edward Ward Unless I can feel confident in the Com behind me Wallace could re, however, adier-General Hon HA Lawrence, a reat character, to Mudros to-day as dry-nurse”

I have followed up this cable in my letter to Lord K of date, where I say, ”I have just seen Bertie Lawrence who I a to reinforce Wallace He is bitterly disappointed at losing his Brigade, but there is no help for it He is a business ht to be able to do

General Douglas is very sorry too and says that Lawrence was one of the best Brigadiers iinable”

The last sentence has been written, I confess, with a spice of o, I had hurriedly to lay ht ypt The thrust of a Lancer and the circumspection of a Banker do not usually harbour in the same skull, but I believed I knew of one exception So I put Lawrence in By return King's Messenger caadier of Infantry was risky, but to put in a Cavalry dugout as a Brigadier of Infantry was outrageous! Still, I stuck to Lorenzo, and lo and behold!

Douglas, the Co tooth and nail for his paragon Brigadier![26]

Since 19th March we have been asking for boot answers Now they offer us some speciality bombs for which France, they say, has no use

I have replied:--

”I shall be rateful for as many bo h explosive and detonator will be welcoe supply could be sent overland via Marseilles, as the boent The Turks have an unlimited supply of boe both physically andcaptured trenches

”Could you arrange for a weekly consignularly?”

De Lisle caht

_8th July, 1915 HMS ”Triad” Tenedos_ Started off in HMS _Triad_ with Freddie Maitland, Aspinall and our host, the Admiral

Had a lovely sail to Tenedos where Colonel Nuillion (acting Governor) and Co Camp, came on board

After lunch, rowed ashore There was so (if such an expressionthan otherwise on so hot a day Tenedos is lovely Each of these islands has its own type of coasts, vegetation and colouring: like rubies and diamonds they are connected yet hardly akin Cli in a desperate race for the crest My long legs and light body enabled h, and the weight of age has got even less now

Fro of the opposite coasts, where the Turks have done toobut a very bloody business Half a mile to the South looks healthier, but they are sure to have a lot ofwould be worse than on the 25th April Anyway, _I aroundhave a fair showing of aeroplanes, but less sort At this precise moment only two are really fit K

has stuck to his word and is not going to help us here, and I can't grumble as certainly I was forewarned Had he only followed Neville Usborne's 10,000,000 suggestion, weplaces and store depots, as well as spotting every day for our gunners But these naval airmen, bold fellows, always on for an adventurous attack, are hardly in their eleunnery part of our work

Re-e at a sub up from all points of the co fish had already given them the slip Cast anchor about 7 o'clock