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Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1934, Page 4

' oevkhal reviewers < f Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Roger Keves’ book have blamed <lo Roboek for not liaving taken the fleet up the Narrows of the Dardanelles,” said Admiral Mark Kerr, in a letter to the Times. “I wis;h once more to elear the character of this very fine officer, who, being dead, cannot reply for himself. In 1913-14 T was Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Navy, and my prinoioal business was the Dardanelles quest ion, a.s a state of war existed between Greece and Turkey. Information came in every week from Gallipoli and the Asiatic shore opposite from the Greek Secret Servce agents living there. Tn June, 1914, a Greek admiral suggest-

eu that the Greek Fleet should go up the Dardanelles. King Constantino ordered me to report on it. Aly report began:—The British Fleet, Ricked by the other navies of the world, could not force Fie passage of the Dardanelles. This must be a military operation assisted by the navv. There .are 17 rows of mines across fyho 'Dardanelles, and several torpedo-tubes along the shore. The mines' must be swept up and'the tor-pedo-tubes destroyed before vessels can pass t ( he Narrows. The batteries covering the mine-fields are built so that they cannot be destroyed by bombardment from ships outside the minefields. Therefore; both shores must first be taken anil held by the Greek Army before the passage can be made. King Constantine and the general staff of the army agreed. Alucli of the Greek Secret Service information was, witli permission of King Constantino, sent home in September, 1914, and from the accounts received front Gallipoli, it appears that tic minefield was extended southward in the beginning of March, 1915. for on March IS three Allied capital skins were .sunk, lone badly ."dun aired. by mines, and two more by forts. In May two capital ships were sunk by torpedoes. probably from the shore tubes, and one by .a destroyer, while the main minefield was still left intact. Tt is, therefore, evident- that the whole oo mimed flout won Id 1,-vo been last if it . persisted in coing through the hundreds of mines laid i»itho rp.ssmuo foy f lie \vfofer I>e>->vr shalb'W, a 0.1. i 7 J s'luk bv a, Tr>ir>p ]1 nd 11 ” the '’-oje i„ t'-p minoflold that, cho I E-rl mode, owl Imr I’ext astern, in ein"ring Don.r of her. would bo™ ’ F * k another mine and also perished.”