The Wanganui Herald (Published Daily.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1915. THE DARDANELLES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14741, 21 October 1915, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald (Published Daily.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1915. THE DARDANELLES.

The recall .of Sir lan Hamilton from the Dardanelles is probably correctly interpreted by the London Standard as an indication that he did not achieve his purpose: and it may likewise be concluded that the appointment of General Munro, who has a brilliant achievement to his credit in the retreat to the Marne and the fighting on the Aisne, means that the Dardanelles venture is not to be given up. i That there have been serious mistakes at Gallipoli, few will question, and there has been a feeling in, the colonies for -some time that the Dardanelles campaign has net been well managed. The shocking failure to provide Hospital and medical care at the outset of the campaign was a most glaring and -unpardonable weakness. Letters which have, escaped the censor and opinions expressed by men who have returned from the front suggest that our gallant lads would have achieved much greater success had they been adequately supported when supports were available. And; it seems reasonably plain, as the Christchurch News writer points out, that when Australians reached five miles across the Peninsula in their first rush, though only expected to reach one, had the New Zealanders on the ships been at once landed, and other supports hurried up, the five miles might have been held, and the whole situation revolutionised. To say otherwise than that the commanders never expected it to bo possible to make good is to say that the Australians Were sent to suicide. And so with other speculations of what might have been. But what has always seemed difficult to understand, with the knowledge we possess, has been, why the attack should have been ell frontal on what is admittedly one of the most difficult positions in the world. Why was not, some flanking attack attempted, while the Allies have had command of the sea? It" should not have been more difficult to have effected a landing in the Saros Gulf and threatened Bulair. Success there would have effectually cut off land communications from that end and mode it possible to hare kept our submarines permanently in the Marmora Sea. Actually there was a landing in. Sarcs on one occasion—a landing of 360 of the French Foreign Legion at Kurakhi. They got a mile inland to the railway, and then got. off again, the idea being to lead the Turks to believe that a landing in force was being made there and divert their attention from the Suvla landing. The same query obtains as to landing on the Asiatic shore and attacking the Narrows forts from the rear. The French did land at Kumkalh in the first operations, but again this was a demonstration, and they reembarked. It may,.of course, have been that there were hot enough men available for these operations, but our men have shown themselves quite capable of holding the Turks on the Peninsula, .and there should have been enough of the Kitchener, men to land, in force on the flatter country which would have better suited them and been commanded by fleet guns. As a matter of fact the very thing that most colonials who have thought the matter out considered ought to have been done from the first, is now being done, when the conditions .are much harder, and when the Bnlgar ns well as the Turk has to be reckoned with. The fact, however, that blunders have been made at Gallipoli’ is no possible justification for abandoning the peninsula and the campaign in this quarter- The' News sums up the position: Our very dead cry out, to us to see* it thrpugh. If some of the Kitchener and Territorial officers who were in' the August' jiffairs aqd' who opr

men say got cold feet, have been influencing their kin at Home, every Australasian would say to the War Office “Take them to Flanders, where the conditions suit them better, and send ns Canadians and South Africans, and leave the whole job to the Colonials, the Indians, the Regulars, and the French, and we vv 1 ill see it through. The spirit of the thing was beat expressed by an Australian wounded man hastening back on being healed of his wounds, suffered in the early stages, “We must get back; they will use up all we Australians there, but they will never shift us, and if enough of our mates come to help ua wo will win through. ” And .'that ia the-spirit of Australasia to-day, though all but five per cent, of the original heroic force have suffered, casualties. -