GALLIPOLI

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue XXXXI, 16 June 1920, Page 5

GALLIPOLI

ASHMEAD BARTLETT ON HAMIL-

TON'S DIARY

«I CABLE—PWWS ABBOCT4.TTON—C<M>YRIGHT (United Service.)

LONDON, June 14. Mr Ashmead Bartlett, interviewed, said that Sir lan Hamilton's diary threw no new light on the Gallipoli campaign, but a flood of illumination on the character of the commander. The diary was. an effort to throw the blame on Loixl Kitchener, other leaders, and the quality of reinforcing forces. He declared that the main responsibility for the French troops' failure was Sir lan Hamilton's faulty dispositions in every fight and his utter inability to appreciate true strategical positions. Sir lan Hamilton's operations consisted of placing division after division on contracted beaches, inviting advances over unknown ground to storm the position, the like of which was never faced in modern warfares He frittered away the army in a series of badly-conceived, abortive attacks from the first landing, which never had the smallest chances of success. The lack of confidence in the higher commands produced deplorable demoralisation in August, 1914, and only the old traditions of discipline held the remnant together. He denied Sir lan Hamilton's veiled accusation that he supplied Mr Murdoch with information. Mr Murdoch collected the information first hand, and it was only on the day of departure that Mr Murdoch begged him to write something and to allow the truth to become known to the responsible authorities in England, despite.Sir lan Hamilton's efforts to conceal it. After consideration he wrote to the Prime Minister a letter which was taken from Mr Murdoch at Marseilles. Mr Bartlett added that Mr Murdoch may have been technically guilty of showing an uncensored report, but was any patriotic man to allow technicality to stand in the way of saving thousands.of his countrymen from a miserable end, and the Empire from the grave of disaster? He himself was accused of a similar offence, and were he placed in the same position he would riot hesitate to act m the same manner again.