Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Page 8

been entrenched and is
sufficiently held. South of Kilid Bahr to the point at Cape Helles, I may
take it that the Peninsula is open to a landing on very easy terms. The
cross fire from the Fleet lying part in the Aegean and part in the mouth
of the Straits must sweep that flat and open stretch of country so as to
render it untenable by the enemy. Lord K. demonstrated this cross fire
upon the map. He toiled over the wording of his instructions. They
were headed "Constantinople Expeditionary Force." I begged him to
alter this to avert Fate's evil eye. He consented and both this corrected
draft and the copy as finally approved are now in Braithwaite's
despatch box more modestly headed "Mediterranean Expeditionary
Force." None of the drafts help us with facts about the enemy; the
politics; the country and our allies, the Russians. In sober fact these
"instructions" leave me to my own devices in the East, almost as much
as K.'s laconic order "git" left me to myself when I quitted Pretoria for
the West thirteen years ago.
So I said good-bye to old K. as casually as if we were to meet together
at dinner. Actually my heart went out to my old Chief. He was giving
me the best thing in his gift and I hated to leave him amongst people
who were frightened of him. But there was no use saying a word. He
did not even wish me luck and I did not expect him to, but he did say,
rather unexpectedly, after I had said good-bye and just as I was taking
up my cap from the table, "If the Fleet gets through, Constantinople
will fall of itself and you will have won, not a battle, but the war."
At 5 o'clock that afternoon we bade adieu to London. Winston was
disappointed we didn't dash away yesterday but we have not really let

much grass grow under our feet. He and some friends came down to
Charing Cross to see us off. I told Winston Lord K. would not think me
loyal if I wrote to another Secretary of State. He understood and said
that if I wanted him to be aware of some special request all I had to say
was, "You will agree perhaps that the First Lord should see." Then the
S. of S. for War would be bound to show him the letter:--which proves
that with all his cleverness Winston has yet some points to learn about
his K. of K.!
My Staff still bear the bewildered look of men who have hurriedly been
snatched from desks to do some extraordinary turn on some unheard of
theatre. One or two of them put on uniform for the first time in their
lives an hour ago. Leggings awry, spurs upside down, belts over
shoulder straps! I haven't a notion of who they all are: nine-tenths of
my few hours of warning has been taken up in winding up the affairs of
the Central Force.
At Dover embarked on H.M.S. Foresight,--a misnomer, for we ran into
a fog and had to lie-to for a devil of a time. Heard far-off guns on
French front,--which was cheering.
At 10.30 p.m. we left Calais for Marseilles and during the next day the
French authorities caused me to be met by Officers of their Railway
Mobilization Section. Had my first breathing space wherein to talk over
matters with Braithwaite, and he and I tried to piece together the
various scraps of views we had picked up at the War Office into a
pattern which should serve us for a doctrine. But we haven't got very
much to go upon. A diagram he had drawn up with half the spaces
unfilled showing the General Staff. Another diagram with its blank
spaces only showed that our Q. branch was not in being. Three queried
names, Woodward for A.G., Winter for Q.M.G. and Williams for
Cipher Officer. The first two had been left behind, the third was with us.
The following hurried jottings by Braithwaite:--"Only 1600 rounds for
the 4.5 Howitzers!!! High Explosive essential. Who is to be C.R.E.?
Engineer Stores? French are to remain at Tunis until the day comes that
they are required. Egyptian troops also remain in Egypt till last moment.
Everything we want by 30th (it is hoped). Await arrival of 29th

Division before undertaking anything big. If Carden wants military
help it is for Sir Ian's consideration whether to give or to withhold it."
These rough notes; the text book on the Turkish Army, and two small
guide books: not a very luminous outfit. Braithwaite tells me our force
are not to take with them the usual 10 per cent. extra margin of reserves
to fill casualties. Wish I had