Gallipoli Diary Volume I Part 9

Went ash.o.r.e in the afternoon to watch the Australian Artillery embark.

Spoke to a lot of the men, some of whom had met me during my tour through Australia last year.

General Paris came to see me this evening.

_18th April, 1915. S.S. "Arcadian." Lemnos._ Working all morning in office. In the afternoon inspected embarkation of some howitzers.

D'Amade turned up later from the _Southland_. We went over the landing at k.u.m Kale. He is in full sympathy and understands. Winter, Woodward and their administrative Staffs also arrived in the _Southland_ and have taken up their quarters on this s.h.i.+p. They report everything fixed up at Alexandria before they sailed. We are all together now and their coming will be a great relief to the General Staff.

Quite hot to-day. Sea dead smooth. The usual ebb and flow of visitors.

Saw the three Corps Commanders and many Staff Officers. We are rather on wires now that the time is drawing near; Woodward, though he has only been here one night, is on barbed wires. His cabin is next the signallers and he could not get to sleep. He wants some medical detachments sent up post haste from Alexandria. I have agreed to cable for them and now he is more calm. A big pow-wow on the "Q.E." (d'Amade, Birdie, Hunter-Weston, G.o.dley, Bridges, Guepratte, Thursby, Wemyss, Phillimore, Vyvian, Dent, Loring), whereat the 23rd was fixed for our attack and the naval landing orders were read and fully threshed out. I did not attend as the meeting was rather for the purpose of going point by point into orders already approved in principle than of starting any fresh hares. Staff Officers who have only had to do with land operations would be surprised, I am sure, at the amount of original thinking and improvisation demanded by a landing operation. The Naval and Military Beach Personnel is in itself a very big and intricate business which has no place in ordinary soldier tactics. The diagrams of the s.h.i.+ps and transports; the lists of tows; the action of the Destroyers; tugs; lighters; signal arrangements for combined operations: these are unfamiliar subjects and need very careful fitting in. Braithwaite came back and reported all serene; everyone keen and cooperating very loyally. D'Amade has now received the formal letter I wrote him yesterday after my interview and sees his way clear about k.u.m Kale.

Went ash.o.r.e in the afternoon and saw big landing by Australians, who took mules and donkeys with them and got them in and out of lighters.

These Australians are shaping into Marines in double quick time and Cairo high jinks are wild oats sown and buried. Where everyone wants to do well and to do it in the same way, discipline goes down as slick as Mother's milk. Action is a discipline in itself.

The three Officers forming the French Mission to my Headquarters made salaams, viz., Captain Bertier de Sauvigny, Lieutenant Pelliot and Lieutenant de la Borde. The first is a man of the world, with manners suave and distinguished; the second is a savant and knows the habits of obscure and out of the way people. What de la Borde's points may be, I do not know: he is a frank, good looking young fellow and spoke perfect English.

_20th April, 1915. S.S. "Arcadian." Lemnos._ A big wind rose in the night.

A clerk from my central office at the Horse Guards developed small pox this morning. No doubt he has been in some rotten hole in Alexandria and this is the result,--a disgusting one to all of us as we have had to be vaccinated.

Ready now, but so long as the wind blows, we have to twiddle our thumbs.

Got the full text of d'Amades' orders for his k.u.m Kale landing as well as for the Besika Bay make-believe.

_21st April, 1915. S.S. "Arcadian." Lemnos._ Blowing big guns. The event with which old mother time is in labour is so big that her pains are prodigious and prolonged out of all nature. So near are we now to our opening that the storm means a twenty four hours' delay.

Have issued my orders to the troops. Yesterday our plans were but plans.

To-day the irrevocable steps out on to the stage.

General Headquarters, _21st April, 1915._

_Soldiers of France and of the King._

Before us lies an adventure unprecedented in modern war. Together with our comrades of the Fleet, we are about to force a landing upon an open beach in face of positions which have been vaunted by our enemies as impregnable.

The landing will be made good, by the help of G.o.d and the Navy; the positions will be stormed, and the War brought one step nearer to a glorious close.

"Remember," said Lord Kitchener when bidding adieu to your Commander, "Remember, once you set foot upon the Gallipoli Peninsula, you must fight the thing through to a finish."

The whole world will be watching your progress. Let us prove our selves worthy of the great feat of arms entrusted to us.

IAN HAMILTON, _General_.

_22nd April, 1915. S.S. "Arcadian." Lemnos._ Wind worse than ever, but weather brighter. Another twenty four hours' delay. Russian Military Attache from Athens (Makalinsky) came to see me at 2.30 p.m. He cannot give me much idea of how the minds of the Athenians are working. He says our Russian troops are of the very best. Delay is the worst nerve-cracker.

Charley Burn, King's Messenger, came; with him a Captain Coddan, to be liaison between me and Istomine's Russians.

The King sends his blessing.

SPECIAL ORDER,

General Headquarters, _22nd April, 1915._

The following gracious message has been received to-day by the General Commanding:--

"The King wishes you and your Army every success, and you are constantly in His Majesty's thoughts and prayers."

_23rd April, 1915. S.S. "Arcadian." Lemnos._ A gorgeous day at last; fitting frame to the most brilliant and yet touching of pageants.

All afternoon transports were very, very slowly coming out of harbour winding their way in and out through the other painted s.h.i.+ps lying thick on the wonderful blue of the bay. The troops wild with enthusiasm and tremendously cheering especially as they pa.s.sed the wars.h.i.+ps of our Allies.

_Nunc Dimittis_, O Lord of Hosts! Not a man but knows he is making for the jaws of death. They know, these men do, they are being asked to prove their enemies to have lied when they swore a landing on Gallipoli's sh.o.r.e could never make good. They know that lie must pa.s.s for truth until they have become targets to guns, machine guns and rifles--huddled together in boats, helpless, plain to the enemy's sight.

And they are wild with joy; uplifted! Life spins superbly through their veins at the very moment they seek to sacrifice it for a cause. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

A shadow has been cast over the wonders of the day by a wireless to say that Rupert Brooke is very dangerously ill--from the wording we fear there can be no hope.

Dent, princ.i.p.al Naval Transport Officer, left to-day to get ready.

Wemyss said good-bye on going to take up command of his Squadron.

Have got d'Amade's revised orders for the landing at k.u.m Kale and also for the feint at Besika Bay. Very clear and good.

At 7.15 p.m. we got this message from K.:--

"Please communicate the following messages at a propitious moment to each of those concerned.

"(1) My best wishes to you and all your force in carrying to a successful conclusion the operations you have before you, which will undoubtedly have a momentous effect on the war. The task they have to perform will need all the grit Britishers have never failed to show, and I am confident your troops will victoriously clear the way for the Fleet to advance on Constantinople.

"(2) Convey to the Admiral my best wishes that all success may attend the Fleet. The Army knows they can rely on their energy and effective co-operation while dealing with the land forces of the enemy.

"(3) a.s.sure General d'Amade and the French troops of our entire confidence that their courage and skill will result in the triumph of their arms.

"(End of message)--" Personal:

"All my thoughts will be with you when operations begin."

We, here, think of Lord K. too. May his shadow fall dark upon the Germans and strike the fear of death into their hearts.

Just got following from the Admiral:--

"H.M.S. _Queen Elizabeth_, "_23rd April, 1915._

"My dear General,

"I have sent orders to all Admirals that operations are to proceed and they are to take the necessary measures to have their commands in their a.s.signed positions by Sunday morning, April 25th!

"I pray that the weather may be favourable and nothing will prevent our proceeding with the scheme. 'May heaven's light be our guide' and G.o.d give us the victory.

"Think everything is ready and in some ways the delay has been useful, as we have now a few more lighters and tugs available.

"Yours sincerely, (_Sd._) "J. M. de Robeck."