Experiences of a Dug-out, 1914-1918 | Page 3

instructions to Sir I. Hamilton -- The question of the packing of the transports -- Sir I. Hamilton's complaint as to there being no plan prepared -- The 1906 memorandum -- Sir Ian's complaint about insufficient information -- How the 1906 memorandum affected this question -- Misunderstanding as to the difficulty of obtaining information -- The information not in reality so defective -- My anxiety at the time of the first landing -- The plan, a failure by early in May -- Impossibility of sending reinforcements then -- Question whether the delay in sending out reinforcements greatly affected the result in August 1915 -- The Dardanelles Committee -- Its anxiety -- Sir E. Carson and Mr. Churchill, allies -- The question of clearing out -- My disinclination to accept the principle before September -- Sir C. Monro sent out -- The delay of the Government in deciding -- Lord K. proceeds to the Aegean -- My own experiences -- A trip to Paris with a special message to the French Government -- Sent on a fool's errand, thanks to the Cabinet -- A notable State paper on the subject -- Mr. Lloyd George and the "sanhedrin" -- Decision to evacuate only Anzac and Suvla -- Sir W. Robertson arrives and orders sent to evacuate Helles -- I give up the appointment of D.M.O.
CHAPTER VI
SOME EXPERIENCES IN THE WAR OFFICE...................... 107
A reversion to earlier dates -- The statisticians in the winter of 1914-15 -- The efforts to prove that German man-power would shortly give out -- Lack of the necessary premises upon which to found such calculations -- Views on the maritime blockade -- The projects for operations against the Belgian coast district in the winter of 1914-15 -- Nature of my staff -- The "dug-outs" -- The services of one of them, "Z" -- His care of me in foreign parts -- His activities in other Departments of State -- An alarming discovery -- How "Z" grappled with a threatening situation -- He hears about the Admiralty working on the Tanks -- The cold-shouldering of Colonel Swinton when he raised this question at the War Office in January 1915 -- Lord Fisher proposes to construct large numbers of motor-lighters, and I am told off to go into the matter with him -- The Baltic project -- The way it was approached -- Meetings with Lord Fisher -- The "beetles" -- Visits from the First Sea Lord -- The question of secrecy in connection with war operations -- A parable -- The land service behind the sea service in this matter -- Interviews with Mr. Asquith -- His ways on such occasions.
CHAPTER VII
FURTHER EXPERIENCES IN THE WAR OFFICE................... 127
Varied nature of my responsibilities -- Inconvenience caused by a Heath-Caldwell being a brother-Director on the General Staff -- An interview with Lord Methuen -- The Man of Business -- His methods when in charge of a Government Department -- War Office branches under Men of Business -- The art of advertisement -- This not understood by War Office officials -- The paltry staff and accommodation at the disposal of the Director of Supplies and Transport, and what was accomplished -- Good work of the Committee of Imperial Defence in providing certain organizations for special purposes before the war -- The contre-espionage branch -- The Government's singular conduct on the occasion of the first enemy spy being executed at the Tower -- The cable censorship -- The post office censorship -- A visit from Admiral Bacon -- His plan of landing troops by night at Ostend -- Some observations on the subject -- Sir J. Wolfe-Murray leaves the War Office -- An appreciation of his work -- The Dardanelles papers to be presented to Parliament referred to me -- My action in the matter and the appointment of the Dardanelles Committee in consequence -- Mr. Lloyd George, Secretary of State for War -- His activities -- I act as D.C.I.G.S. for a month -- Sound organization introduced by Sir W. Robertson -- Normal trench-warfare casualties and battle casualties -- I learn the facts about the strengths of the different armies in the field -- Troubles with the Cabinet over man-power -- Question of resignation of the Army Council -- The Tank Corps and Tanks -- The War Office helps in the reorganization of the Admiralty -- Some of the War Cabinet want to divert troops to the Isonzo -- The folly of such a plan -- Objections to it indicated -- Arrival of General Pershing in London -- I form one of the party that proceeds to Devonport to meet Colonel House and the United States Commissioners -- Its adventures -- Admirals adrift -- Mr. Balfour meets the Commissioners at Paddington.
CHAPTER VIII
THE NEAR EAST........................................... 152
The first talk about Salonika -- The railway and