FATEFUL TELEGRAM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 637, 13 April 1929, Page 1

FATEFUL TELEGRAM

CAUSE OF GALLIPOLI TRAGEDY BRITAIN BOUND TO HELP RUSSIA HOW an appeal from the Grand Duke Nicholas ro Britain for a demonstration against the Turks, to ease a dangerous situation which had developed in the Caucasus, but which had ceased to exist before the operation could be carried into effect, caused the tragedy of Gallipoli, is related in the Official History of the Campaign which has just been published. (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service)

R; ecd. 9.5 a.m. LONDON, Friday. In the official history of the Gallipoli campaign Brigadier-General C. F. Aspinall-Oglander discloses how, in December, 1914, Lloyd George, “realising that the Western Front was impregnable,” suggested that the Allied line should be garrisoned by the French, and, with the exception of a large British reserve which would be kept near the coast in case of emergency, the whole British Army should be taken, bag and baggage, from France and dispatched to a new theatre. Lloyd George suggested immediate preparations for two independent Mediterranean operations in the spring, the main one being an attack on Austria, based at Salonika, for which an additional 600,000 British troops would bo needed. The Foreign Office w'as to try and secure the help of the Roumanians, Serbs and Greeks. A subsidiary operation would be a landing on the Syrian coast, with the object of severing Turkey’s line of communication with Egypt. Lloyd George pointed out that unless such steps were taken it would be impossible to end the then existing stalemate. Lord Kitchener accordingly, on January 2, 1915, wrote to Sir John French, British Commander-in-Chief in France, but before his repl was received a teelgram of momentous consequence reached London from the British Ambassador at P,etrograd. “A telegram which was destined to lead the Government by slow and almost insensible degrees to the Gallipoli campaign, with all its high hopes, its immortal heroisms, and its final heart-breaking failure."

The telegram reported that a grave j. situation had developed in the Caca--1 sus owing to the Turks carrying out !* a serious enveloping movement. The _ Russian Commander-in-Chief, the Grand Duke Nicholas, was unable to j send the local Russinan commander 3 reinforcements, as every available j man was needed on the Austro-German 3 front. Therefore the Grand Duke r asked if Lord Kitchener could arrange j either a naval or military demonstra--1 tion against the Turks elsewhere, thus 7 to ease the situation. “The tragedy of this telegram, 3 so direful in its results, lies in the fact that even while the means of making the demonstration were being discussed in London the i necessity for it had already dis--1 appeared." By January 1 the Turkish envelop--1 ing movement had failed, but this in- ’ formation was not known in London, bound to do its utmost to help its * ally, whose danger in the Caucasus had arisen from its endeavour to reE lieve the pressure against France. As no tropps were then available . Lord Kitchener discussed with Mr. 1 Winston Churchill the possibility of a purely naval demonstration. Thus for a reason which had already ceased to exist Britain stood P pledged to make a demonstration z against the Turks. The place for this had yet to be decided, though Lord ‘ Kitchener was of the opinion that it J should be at the Dardanelles. Brigadier-General C. F Aspinall-Og-lander was Chief General Staff Officer of the Dardanelles Army during the evacuation of Gallipoli. Before the Great War he saw active service in the Ashanti campaign and in the South African War. He was educated at Rugby and entered the army in 1900.