THE DARDANELLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16591, 14 January 1916, Page 5

THE DARDANELLES

8 GENERAL STOPFORD'S REQUEST, a e ACTION AGAINST SIR lAN HAMILTON. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, January 12. General Stopford has asked' the Wai Office for leave to sue Sir lan Hamilton for defamation of character. REJOICINGS IN CONSTANTINOPLE. ° MONUMENT TO SOLDIERS. £ AMSTERDAM, January 12. January 9 was declared a national !holiday in Constantinople, a commemoration medal is being struck, and a monument ' is being erected in memory of those who fell at the Dardanelles. THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE EXPEDITION. LORD KITCHENER ENLIGHTENED. t LONDON, January 12. Mr Somers Cox, who presided at Sir p George Reid's meeting in Caxton Hall, s said that Sir G. H. Reid was welcomed ' as a representative of the wonderful Australians and New Zealanders who had \ wrought deeds more marvellous than any ever recorded in military history in any country in the world. Lord Kitchener, after his visit to Gallipoli, had told Mr Walter Long, M.P., that although he had had access to reports, confidential letters, and photographs, he did not realise until he rvisited the spot what the difficulties really were. Sir George Reid declared that his platform consisted of three planks : The first, the war; the second, the whole war; and ' the third, nothing but the war. He added that Lord Kitchener told him that he could not have believed that conditions on Gallipoli, so terribly difficult and so overwhelming in their nature, could have been surmounted. CAPE HELLES WITHDRAWAL. GENERAL MONRO'S REPORT. LONDON, January 12. General Monro's report of the evacuation of Cape Helles continues : " There was a calm cea until the afternoon of January 8 (Saturday), when the weather became suddenly worse, and the wind increased to 35 miles an hour at' midnight. It was only just possible to use the pier and lighters, but it was impossible to carry out our programme of embarking the troops upon destroyers alongside the sunken ships on ''W" Beach, owing to the connecting pieces being washed away. Embarkation at Gully Beach was also impossible. One lighter went ashore. Nevertheless the programme at " W'' and "Y" Beaches was completed by 2.30 a.m. The troops at Gully Beach were embarked at 4 a.m. The Turkish artillery was practically silent the whole night until our stores were fired simultaneously by time fuses. After the evacuation was completed the Turks then fired "red 1 lights" all along the line, and heaivily shelled the beaches and trenches until after daybreak. TROOPS TO BE RESTED. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, January 12. (Received Jan. 13, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr H. J. Tennant (Under-secretary for War), replying in the House of Commons to Mr Watt, said the gallant troops withdrawn from Gallipoli deserved and would receive all possible consideration and relief. OPINION IN RUSSIA. EVACUATION REGARDED AS NECESSARY. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) | LONDON, January 12. (Received Jap. 13, at 5.5 p.m.) The Times correspondent at Petrograd says the evacuation of Gallipoli unpleasantly impressed the general public, but was received calmly in na/val and military circles. It had long been anticipated as inevitable, because developments in the Balkans and the defeat of the Turco-Bul-garian armies would automatically determine the possession of the Dardanelles. The press pays tributes to the magnificent heroism of Russia's allies and 1 the Australasian bravery.