THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16546, 20 November 1915, Page 7

THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN.

SIR lAN HAMILTON'S LEADERSHIP. A REPLY TO CHAPLAIN CAPTAIN BUSH-KING. We have received the following letter from nine members of the New Zealand Medical Corps, who left for Egypt in the Main Body of the Expeditionary Force, and were on the Gallipoli Peninsula from April 25 until the end of July:— "It is hardly fair that even an army chaplain who has been in Gallipoli should be allowed to cast aspersions on the fighting qualities of a general, unless ho is fully cognisant of facts. In this_ morning's issue of the Daily Times Chaplain-captain BushKing asserts that General SSr lan Hamilton was never all Anzac, infers that this was due to lack of personal courage, and draws a picture of New Zealand and Australian troops fighting with nothing but their sense of duty to uphold them. We do not know where the chaplain was during the latter part of June, but it is common knowledge amongst many returned soldiers that General Hamilton landed at Anzac one morning, visited headquarters, and several points in the line. We know this because we saw him personally, and are not relying on second-hand information. . Those who saw General Hamilton in New Zealand, and were inspected by him, would not be likely to forget him. To assert that the_ oolonial troops were disappointed with their leader is liable to create an absolutely erroneous opinion. Up to the end of July, at any rate, it is safe to 6ay that all ranks had the greatest confidence in his ability, and it came as a great surprise to us to learn that he had been recalled. "Another point in which Captain BushKing is wrong is that he says th.at General Hamilton's headquarters wore at L"mrw, and that he could not possibly get to the Peninsula in under four Hours. lue general's headquarters were on Imbros, a distance of 10 to 12 miles from Anzao Beach, and in a fast little despatch boat—which he often used, that distance could have been easily covered in an hour. "We are more of the opinion which Mr Tennant expressed in the House of Commons at Home when he said that General Hamilton was more with his men than'any other general. "The above was one occa.-von only on which Sir lan Hamilton visited Anzac, and he may have been there at other times that we did not know of. But Australasian troops at any rate realise that a commander-in-chief's life is far too valuable to be

needlessly exposed by daily life in a shellswept zone. "We were on tlie Peninsula for 14 weeks, not in a fifrhtinpr unit, but in the New Zealand Medical Corps, and we do not consider a non-combatant should presume to judge a general. The above is a plain statement of facts, and the writers, although they would not object t-o the publication of their names should Chaplain-captain BushKing demand them, are yet adverse to their names appearing in print. We realise that a man of General Hamilton's prestige and position does not need the support of those who would be called pawns in the game, but we wish to state that we hardly consider it 'playing the game' to level unfavourable criticism against him, when for reasons not yet published, he has been recalled to Engla-nd. This is especially so when the criticisms arc not based entirely on fact."