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

project against the Straits -- Its fundamental
errors -- Would never have been carried into effect had there been a
conference between the Naval War Staff and the General Staff -- The
bad start -- The causes of the final failure on the 18th of March -- Lord
K.'s 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