"MOST GHASTLY BLUNDER"

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 24 April 1935, Page 9

"MOST GHASTLY BLUNDER"

EVACUATION OF GALLIPOLI SIR lAN HAMILTON LOOKS BACK “CAUSED MILLIONS OF DEATHS”

(United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph Copyright). LONDON, April 23. Sir lan Hamilton, who commanded the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the (treat War in a special interview with the “Daily Telegraph said that looking back after 20 years to the Gallipoli campaign it. was ms calm and considered judgment, delivered without rancour, that while the evacuation was the mast brilliant tactical operation ever carried out by a British army strategically it was the most ghastly blunder over perpetrated in the history of the world, “I say that because it. prolonged the war needlessly and thereby caused the deaths of millions,” said Sir lan.

“While: the' campaign - was in progress men were actually taken fiom the Dardanelles to Salonika by Mr Asquith instead of being sent to us from Salonika. Just a few divisions of reinforcements and 1 we should 1 have gono right through and finished it. let the blindness of men whose, minds were fixed on the ! Western Front to the exclusion of all else prevented it. “The men on Gallipoli knew that with a little more backing they could have won the war. Hundreds of them told me so. “Some day all the official archives and .secret history of the time will be published. Then there will bo a great outcry, but while the families of certain statesmen are alive this is impossible.” . “The agonising time was the first week,” stated Sir lan. “On May 1 all was quiet and pitch dark. Suddenly hell was let loose for half an hour. Then with a concerted yell of Allah Din a solid Turkish column fell on our positions. “I heard, shouts aboard the Arcadian. It was torture to have to listen to savage cries of men in combat coming out- of tile night and to' be unable to do anything. The naval people, unable to help, were sweating blood. “The position seemed serious.. The French were asking for help and we had to send a battalion from our scanty reserves. Confused messages said the-British line was broken, hut dawn saw the Turks in' full retreat. “Another bad moment was the night, of April 26, when I was awakened aboard the Queen Elizabeth and handed a message from General Birdwood that .some of the landing force was demoralised by the incessant enemy bombardment and containing the suggestion : ‘lf we are to re-embark it must be at once.’ “That is a terrible memory. The message sent hack was: ‘Dig in. Moke a supreme effort to hold your ground.’ “The anticipated Turkish attack at dawn did. not materialise and the immediate crisis passed.”