The Cambria Daily Leader

THE DARDANELLES LANDING. How Britishers Achieved the Impossible. SIR IAN HAMILTON'S SUPERB STORY. Greatest Feat of Arms in History. General Sir Ian Hamilton's first full die patch of operations in the Gallipoli Peninsula was issued by the Press Bureau last night. It brings the opera- tions up to May 5th, and is dated from the Dardanelles May 20th. Sir Ian Ham- ilton says:— In accordance with your lordship's in- structions I left London on 33th March with my general staff by special train to Marseilles, and thenoe in II.M.S. Plueton to the scene of the naval operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, reaching Tenedos on the 17th March, shortly after noon. Immediately on arrival I conferred with Vice-Admiral de Bobeck, command- ing the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet, General d'Amade, commanding the French Corps Expeditionaire, and Contre Amirall Guefiratte, in command of the Frencli squadron. At this conference past difficulties were explained to me and the intention to make a fresh attack on the morrow was announced. The amplii- bious battle between warships and land fortresses took place next day, the 18th March. I witnessed these stupendous events, aii4 therefore cabled your lordship the reluctant deduction that the co-opera- tion of the whole of the force under my command would be required to enable the Fleet effectively to force the Darda- nelles. Faced by a Precipice. By that time I had already carried out ft preliminary reconnai&sance of the ncrth- western shore of the Gallipoli Peninsula, from its isthmus, where it is spanned by the Bulair fortified lines, to Cape Helles, at its extremest point. From Bulair this singular feature juns in a south-westerly direction for 52 miles, attaining near its centre a breadth of 12 miles. The northern coast of the northern half of the promon- tory slopes downwards steeply to the Gulf Xeros, in a chain of hills, which extend j is far as Cape Sulva. The precipitous fall of these hills precludes landing, except at a few narrow gullies, far too restricted for any serious military movements. The I southern, halt of the peninsula is shaped like a badly-worn boot. The ankle lias between Kaba Tepe and Kalkmaz Dagh; beneath the heel lie the cluster of forts at Kilid BahT, whilst the toe is that promon- tory, five miles in width, stretching from Tekke Burnu to Sedd-el-Bahr. The Lay of the Land. I The three dominating features in this 1 coutiiern section seemed to me to b, (1).—Saribair Mountain, running up in a succession of almost perpendicular escarpments to 970 feet. The whole mountain seemed to be a network of ravines, and covered with thick jungle. (2) .-Kilid Bahr plateau, which rises, a natural fortification artificially forti- fied, to a height of 760 feet to cover the forte of tho Narrows from an attack from the iEgean. (3).-Achi Babi, a hill 600 feet in height, dominating at long field gun I' range what I have described as being the toe of the peninsula. A peculiarity to be noted as regards this last southern sector is that from Achi Babi to Cape Helles the ground is hol- ¡ lowed out like a spoon, presenting only its outer edges to direct fire from the sea. ¡ The inside of the spoon a-ppears to be open and undulating, but actually it is I full of spurs, nullahs, and confused under- features. Many Landing Points Essential. I After describing the few and difficult landing places the General proceeds:— Altogether the result of this and subse- quent reconnaissance was to convince me that nothing but a thorough and sys- tematic scheme for flinging the whole of the troops under my command very rapidly ashore could be expected to meet with success; whereas on the other hand a tentative or piecemeal programme was bound to lead to disaster. The landing of an array upon the theatre of operations I have de-scribed-a. theatre strongly garri- soned throughout and pre.pared for any rach attempt-involved. difficulties for which no precedent was forthcoming in military history, except possibly in the sinister legends of Xerxes. The beaches i were either so well defended by works and I guns, or else so restricted by nature that it did not seem possible, even by two or three simultaneous landings, to pass the troops ashore quickly enough to enable them to maintain themselves against the rapid concentration and counter-attack which the enemy was bound in 6ueh case to attempt. It became necessary there- fore not only to land simultaneously at as many Points as possible, but to threaten to land at other points as well. The first of these necessities involved another un- avoidable if awkward contingency, the Separation by oonsiaer-able intervals of the I force. Choosing One's Weather. The weather was also bound 110 play a v+taI part in my landing. Sad it been British weather there would have been, no alternative but instantly to give up the adventure. Th land two or three thousand men and then to have to break I off and leave them exposed for a week to the attacks of 34,300 regular troope, witfe hundred guns at iheir back, was not a-zi eventuality to be lightly onvisagped. What- ever happened, the weather must always remain incalculable factor, but at least by delay till the end of April wo had a fair chance of several ctaya Of iecutive calm. workiltg Out Mtmrtesi Detaik. I re doing anything else I had to ra- I the troops on the transports to the order of their disembarkation. I btclk of the forces at my disposal: had, perforce, been embarked without its! having beea posajfeie to pay due afcfeoatioa! to the operation upon which I bow ppo- pewed HSkoA they should be laaached.. J Owaag to lack of iarfaiiiws at Modveo, redistribaticn an that hflkrfcow was out oJ the question. Wrhh ywrr laeiehip's .1 pwral, tiiere^ore, I ordered all ilas trans- j j^wrta, Uiai «# 4à-1!ItM la-j j fantry Brigade and the details encamped at Lemnos Island, to the Egyptian ports. On .the 24th March I myself, together with the General Staff, proceeded to Alex- andria, where I remained until 7th April, working out the allocation of troops to transports in minutest detail as a prelude to the forthcoming disembarkation. General D'Amade did likewise. By the 7th April my preparations were efficiently advanced to enable me to re- turn with the General Staff to Lemnos, so as to put the finishing touches to my plan in close co-ordination with the Vioo- Admiral commanding the Eastern Medi- terranean Fleet. In the Night Watches. The oovering force of the 29th Division lloft Mudios Harbour on the evening of f 23rd April for the five beachs S. V. W. X. and Y. The transports conveying the covering force arrived off Tenedos on the morning of tbo 24th, and during the after- noon the troops were transferred to the warships and fleet sweepers, in which they wore to approach the shore. About mid- night these ships, each towing a number of cutters and other small boats, silently slipped their cables, and escorted by the Third Squadron of the Fleet, steamed slowly towards their final rendezvous -at Cape Helles. The rendezvous was reached just before dawn on the 25th. The morning was absolutely still; there was no sign of life on the 6hore; a thin veil of mist hung motionless over the pro- imontory; the surface of the sea was as 6mootli as glass. The four battleships and four cruisers which formed the Third I The actompanying map shows the sphere of operations. The effort has been to take the ground around Krithia, which is shown. The peak of Achi Baba lies east-north-east of that town. Squadron at once took up the positions that had been allotted to them, and at five a.m., it being then light enough to fire, a violent bombardment of the enemy's defences was begun. Meanwhile the troops were being rapidly transferred to the small boats in which they were to be towed amore. Not a move on the part of tho enemy, except for sh?Hs thrown from j the Asiatic suk. CYMRU AM BYTH! Borderers the First Ashore. I The detachment detailed for S. Beach (Eski Hissarlik Poant), consisted of the 2nd Scwath Wales Borderers (loss one com- pany), under Lieufc.-Colonel Casson. Their landing was delayed by the current, bat by 7.30 a-m- it had been successfully offeetftd at the Met of some 50 casualties, and Lieut.-Of^kmed Caason. was aide to es- tablish his email fosee OIl the high greend mear De Totts Battery. Here he main- tained himself until the general advance on the 27th brought him into touch with the main body. The landing on the beareh was entrusted to the Jticg's Own Scottish Borderers and the Plymouth (Maaime) Ro,r-al Naval Division, especi- ally attached to the 39th Division far this task, the wfeaie under command of laeut.- Col. Koe. The beach at this point eoo- eisted morely of a narrow strip of sand at theft df a crumbling scrub-c »vered eliff some 24t6 feet high hnaaediatejy to the west of Kritfesa. Men Who Could C+tmb. A number of email gullies running dow* the face of the cliff facilitated the climb to the summutl- and so impracticable had these precipices appeared to the Parks that )to steps had been taken to defend them. Very, -differelit would it have liei had we, as-was at one time intended, trfcea Y 2 for this landing. There a large ioite of infantry, entranched up to LnAir wfrclrs, and supported by maekrw and IIote rJss" guns, wore awaiting all attempt %itieh emuld hardly have msae fw-tibg. tows. and, iost aa the kttor the But at Y both battalioiis were able in tl.e first instance to establish Kiemseh'ss on the heights, reserves of food, water, tnd ammunition were hauled up t) the top of the cliff, and, in accordance with the pJ^n of operations, an endeavour 'r?s im- mediately made to gain with the troops landing at X beach. Unfortunately, the enemy's strong de- tachment from Y 2 interposed, our troops landing at X were fully occupied in at- tacking the Turks immediately to their front, and the attempt to join hands in-as not persevered with. I First N ignt Ashore. Later in the day a large force of Turks were seen to be advancing upon the cliffs above Y beach from the direction of Kritliia, and Colonel Koe was obliged to entrench. From this time onward his small force was subjected to strong and repeated attacks, supported by field ar- tillery, and owing to the configuration of the ground, which here drops inland from the edge of the cliff, the guns of the sup- porting ships could render him little as- sistance. Throughout the afternoon and all through the night the Turks made as- sault after assault upon the British line. They threw bombs into the trenches, and, favoured by darkness, actually led a pony with a machine gun on its back over the defenoes, and were proceeding to come into action in the middle of our position when they were bavonetted. The British repeatedly counter-charged with the bayonet, and always drove off the enemy for the moment, but the Turks were in a vast superiority and fresh troops took the place of those who tem- porarily fell back. Colonel Koe (since died of wounds) had become a casualty early in the day, and the number of offi- cers and men killed and wounded during the incessant fighting was very heavy. By 7 a.m. on the 25th only about half of the Kin^s Own Scottish Borderers remained to man the entrenchment made for four times their number. I Brave Fellows Re-embarked. I These brave feilows were absolutely worn out with continuous fighting; it was doubtful if reinforcements could reach them in time, and orders were issued for them to be re-embarked. Thanks to H.M.S. Goliath, Dublin, Amethyst, and Sapphire, thanks also to the devotion of a small rearguard of the King's Own Scottish Bor- derers, which kept off the enemy from lining the cliff, the re-embarkation of the whole of the troops, together with the wounded, stores, and ammunition, was safely accomplished and both battalions were brought round tho southern end of the peninsula. Deplorable as the heavy losses had been, and unfortunate as was the tactical failure to make good so much ground at the outset, yet, taking the operation as it stood, there can be no doubt it has contributed greatly to the success of the main attack, seeing that the plucky stand made at Y beach had de- tained heavy columns of the enemy from arriving at the .sou-thern t-nd of the penin- sula during what, it will ba aeon, waa a very touch-and-go struggle. [The enormous difficulties of landing are described in detail by the General, who states that from the terraced slopes the defenders were able to command the open beach asasta-ge is overlooked from the balconies of a theatre.] A Tornado of Fire. I He proceeds:—A& often happens in "n, the actual course of events did not qu1te ¡ correspond with the intentions ofth?i commander. The River Clyde came into! position of Sedd-ul-Bahr in advance of the i shore Commander 'Unwin beached kiaj ship also. Whilst <&e boats and the eol~i liar were approaching the landing place the Turks rtiade no sign. Up to the very: last moment it appeared as if the landing was to be unopposed. But the mpment the first boat touched bottom the storm bloke. A tornado of fire swept over the beach, the incoming boats, and the eol- lier. The Dublin Fusiliers an d the naval bo&tsl crews suffered exceedingly heavy kasses while still in the boats. Those who succeeded in landing and in CMasing the strip of sand managed to gain. some cover when they reached the low escarp- ment on the further side. None of the boats, however, were able to get off again, and they and their crews were destroyed upon the beaeh. Pouring Fourth her Living Freight. I Now came the moment for the Raver Clyde to pour forth her living freight, but grievous delay was caused here by the difficulty of placing the lighters ialto posi- tion bebween the ship and the shore. A strong hindered the WIGl" and the e»w»y's &M was eo intense that al- most ev-ery man engaged upon it was im- Htedia>bely shot. Owing, however, to the splendid gallantry of the naval working party, the lightens were eventually placed in position, and then the disembarkation began. I Imoroviced Pier Collapses. I A company of Mumster Fusiliers led the way, but abort as was the distance, few of the men orer reached the farther eide of the beach through the hail of bullets which poured down upem them from both flanks and the front. As the second com- pany followed, the axtemporioed pier of lightens gave way in the current. The end nearest to the shore drifted into deep water, and many men who had eseaped being shot were drowned by the weight of their equipment in trying to swim from the lighter to the beach. Undaunted workers were still forthcoming, the light- rloseegr teom" 'of^ weU^aonaaaled ridetaen aad aiMrfbine sraa*. ( ers were again brought into position, and the third company of Munster Fusiliers rushed ashore, suffering heaviest loss this time from shrapnel as well as from rifle, pom-pom, and machine-gun fire. Where General Napi&r Fell. For a space the attempt to land was dis- continued. When it was resumed the lighters again drifted into deep water, with Brigadier-General Napier, Captain Costeker, his brigade-major, and a num- ber of men of the Hampshire Regiment on board. There was nothing for them all but to lie down on the lighters, and it was here that General Napier and Captain Costeker were killed. At this time be- tween 10 and 11 a.m., about 1,000 men had left the collier, and of these nearly half had been killed or wounded before they oould reach the little cover afforded by the steep sandy bank at the top of the beach. Further attempts to disembark were now given up. Had the troops all been in open ) boats, but few of them would have lived to tell the tale. But most fortunately the I collier was so constructed as, to afford I fairij efficient protection to the men who were etill on board, and, so long as they I made no attempt to land, they Buffered comparatively little loss. Held up by Barbed Wire. I Late in the afternoon part of the Worces- I tershire Regiment and the Lancashire Fusiliers worked across the high. ground from W beach, and seemed likely to re- lieve the situation by taking the defenders of V beach irt flank. The pressure oil their own front, however, and the numerous barbed wdie entanglements which inter- vened checked this advance, and at night- fall the Turkish garrison still held their ground. Just before dark some small parties of our men made their way along the shore to the outer walls of the Old Fort, and when night had fallen the re- mainder of the infantry from the collier were landed. A good force was now avail- able for attack, but our troops were at such a cruel disadvantage as to position," and the fire of the enemy was still so ac- curate in the bright moonlight that all attemps to clear the fort and the outskirts of the village during the night failed one after the other. The wounded who wero able to do so without support returned to the collier under cover of darkness, but otherwise the situation at daybreak on the 26th was the same as it had been on the previous day, except that the troops first landed were becoming very ex- hausted. Where Gallant Heroes Fell. I Twenty-four hours after the disem- barkation began there were ashore on V beach, the survivors of the Dublin and Munster Fusiliers, and of two companies of the Hampshire Regiment. The brigadier and his brigade-major had been killed; Lieut .-Col. Carrington Smith, commanding the Hampshire Regiment had been killed, and the adjutant had been wounded. Help from the Fleet. I I Fortunately, General Hunter Weston had arranged with Rear-Admiral Wemyss about this same time for a heavy bom- bardment to be evened by the ships on the old fort, Seddel-Bahr Village, the old castle north of the village, and on tho ground leading up from the beach. Under cover of this bombardment, and led by Lieut.-Colonel Doughty-Wylie and Captain Walford, Brigade-Major, H,.8., the troops gained a footing in the village by 10 a.m. They encountered a most stubborn opposition, and suffered heavy Undeterred by the resistance, and sup- ported by the naval gunfire, they pushed forward, and soon after mid-day they penetrated to the northern edge of the vil- lage, whence they were in a position to attack the old castle and Hill 141. Dur- ing this advance Captain Walford was killed. Lieutenant-Colonel Doughty-Wylie had moot gallantly led the attack all the way up from the beach through the west side of the village, under a galling fire. And now, when, owing so largely to his own inspiring example and intrepid courage, the position had almost been gained, he was killed while leading the last assault. But the attack was pushed forward, without wavering, and, fighting ] their way across the open with great dash, the troops gained the sumaiwt and occu- pied the old castle and Hill 141 before 2 p.m. [Note.—Ijeufe.-Col. Doughty-Wylie has since been awarded the V.C.] THE GREATEST FEAT IN Ii HISTORY. Ttily fitb, 1915. Mnsch time and ingenmEy had been em- ployed by tho Turks ia turning the W landing-place into a deatIL-trap. Close to the water's edge a broad wire entangle- ment extended the whole length of the shore, and a su pplemontary barbed net- work lay concealed under the surface of the sea in the shallows. Land mines and eea mines had been laid. After describing ia great detail the other defences of this position the dis- patch proceeds: So strong, in fact, were the defences of W beach that the Turks may well have considered them impregnable, and it is my lirm conviction that no finer fat of arms has ever been achieved by the British soldier--(-tr any other soldier-than the wtorming of these tsenches from open boats on the morning of 25th ApriL The leading at W had been entrusted to the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fiaah^rs (Major Bishop), and it was to the com- plete lack of the senses of danger or of fear of this daring battalion that we owed our astonishing success. As in the case of the landing at X, the disembarka- tion had been delayed for half an hour, but at 6 a..m. the whole battalion ap- proached the shore together, towed by eight picket boats in line abreast, each picket boat pulling four ship's cutters. Mowed Down as by a Scythe. I While the troops were approaching the shore no ahot had been fired from the enemy's trenches, but as soon as the first boat touched the ground a hurricane of lead swept over the battalion. Gallantly led by their officers, the Fusiliers literally hurled themselves ashore, and, fired at from right, left and centre, commenced hacking their way through the wire. A long line of men was at once mowed down as by a scythe, but tho remainder were not to be denied. Covered btv the fire of the war- ships which had now closed right into shore, and helped by the flanking fire of the company on the extreme left, they broke through the entanglements and col- lected tinder the cliffs on either side of the beach. Here the companies were rapidly reformed and eot forth to storm the enemy's entrenchments wherever they could find them. Reinforcements Arrive. I In making these attacks the bulk of the battalion moved up towards Hill 114, whilst a small party worked down towards the trenches on the Cape Helles side of the landing-place. Several land mines were exploded by the Turks during the advance, but the determination of the troops was in no way affected. By 10 a.m. three lines of hostile trenches were in our hands, and our hold of the beach was as- sured. About 9.30 a.m. more infantry had begtln to disembark, and two hours later to junction was affected on Hill 114 with the troops who had landed on X beach. More Officers Fall. I On the right, owing to the strength of the redoubt on Hill 138, little progress oould be made. The small party of Lan- cashire Fusiliers which had advanced in this direction succeeded in reaching the edge of the wire entanglements, but were not strong enough to do more, and it was here that Major Frankland, brigade major of the 86th Infantry Brigade, who had gone forward to make a personal recon- naissance, was unfortunately killed. Brigadier-General Hare had been wounded earlier in the day, and Colonel VVoolly-Dod, General Staff, 29th Division, was now sent ashore to take command at W beach and organise a further advance. At 2 p.m., after the ground near Hill 138 had been subjected to a heavy bom- bardment, the Worcester Regiment ad- vanced to the assault, and by 4 p.m. the hill and redoubt were captured. Under a Hellish Fire. I An attempt was now made to join hands with the troops on V beach. To help them out the &6th Brigade ptu-hed forward in an easterly direction along the cliff. There is a limit, however, to the storming of barbed wire entanglements. More of these barred the way. Again the heroic wire-cutters came out. Through glasses they ecmld be seen quietly snipping away under a hellish fire as if they were prun- ing a vineyard. Again some of them fell. The fire pouring out of No. 1 fort grew hotter and hotter, untel the troops, now thoroughly exhausted by a sleepless night, and by the long day's fighting under a hot sun, had to rest on their laamsls for a while. Describing' the landing of the Austra- lian and New Zealand Array Corpe at Kaba Tepe, General Hamilton states; A rugged and difficult part of the coast had been selected for the landing, so difficult and rugged that I considered tho Turks were not at all likely to anticipate such a descent. The Australians' Arrival. I The boats approached the land in the silence and the darkness, and they were close to the shore before the enemy stirred. Then about one battalion of Turks was seen running along the beach to intercept the lines of boats. At this so critical a moment the conduct of all ranks was most praiseworthy. Not a word was spoken—everyone remained per- fectly orderly and quiet awaiting the enemy's fire, which sure enough opened, causing many casualties. The moment the boats touched land the Australians' turn had come. Like lightning they leapt ashSre, and feach man as he did so went straight with hia hayonsi At the nawvy- So vigorous was the onslaught that the Turks made no attempt to withstand it and fled from ridge to ridge pursued by the Australian infantry. The broken ground, the thick scrub, the necessity of sending any formed detachments post haste as they landed to the critical point of the moment, the headlong valour of scattered groups of the men, who had pressed far further into the peninsular than had been intended—all these led to confusion and mixing up of units. Even- tually the mixed crowd of fighting men, some advancing from the beach, others falling back before the oncoming Turkish supports, solidified into a semi-circular position, with its right about a mile north of Kaba Tepe, and its left on the high ground over Fisherman's Hut. Attacks by 20,000 Turks. From J1 a.m. to 3 p.m. the enemy, now reinforced to a strength of 20,000 men, attacked the whole line, making a specially strong effort against the Third Brigade and the of tb(, and the left of the Second Brigade. This counter-attack was, however, handsomely repulsed with the help of the guns of las Majesty's ships. It is a consolation to know that the Turks suffered still more seriously. Several times our machine guns got on to them in close formation, and the whole surrounding country is still strewn vrith their dead of this date. General Advance Ordered. On the 27th a general sdvance v. as ordered to a line stretching bom Hill 230 near Eski Hissarlik Point to the mouth of the stream two miles north of Tetke Burnu. This advance, which was com- menced at mid-day, was completed without opposition, and the troops at once con- solidated their new line. South Wales Borderers on Extreme Right. By the evening of the 27th the Allied forces had established themselves on a line some three miles long, which stretched from the mouth of the nullah, 3.200 yards north-east of Tekke Burnu, to Eski His- sarlik Point, the three brigades of the 29th Division, less two battalions on the left and in the centre, with four French battalions on the right, and beyond them again the South Wales Borderers on the extreme right. The advance commenced at 8 a.m. on the 28th, and was carried out with commendable vigour, despite the fact that from the moment of landing the troops had been unable to obtain any pro- per rest. The 87th Brigade Push On. Tlte 87th Brigade, with which had been incorporated the Drake Battalion Royal Naval Division, in the placQ of the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Sc uth Wales Borderers, pushed on rapidly, otnd by 10 a an. had advanced some two miles. Colonel Casson Commands 86th Brigade. Th-e 88th Brigade, on the right of the 87th, progressed steadily until about 11.30 a.m.. when the stub- bornness of the opposition, coupled with a dearth of ammunition, brought their advance to a standstill. The 88th Brigade, under Lieutenant- Colonel Carson, which had been hold in reserve, were thereupon ordered to push forward through the 88th Brigade in the direction of Krithia. Serious Shortage of Munitions. By 2 p.m. the whole of the troops, with the exception of the Drake Battalion, had been absorbed into the f--ring-lin-. The men were exhausted, and the few guiis landed at the time were unable to afford them adequate* artillery support. The small amount of transport available did not suffice to maintain the supply of munitions, and cartridges were running short despite all efforts to push them u-p from the landing places. Had it been possible to push in rein- forcement in men, artillery, and muni- tions daring the day, Krithia should have fallen, and much subsequent fighting foi its capture would have been avoided. [ReinforcementB and munitions eventu- ally arrived. General Hamilton de- scribes the counter-attacks, which are still- fresh in the public mind.] INVENTIONS OF THE DEVIL. He proceeds:—Tho net result of the operations was the repulse of the Turks and the infliction upon them of very heavy losses. At first wo had them fairly on the run, And had it not been for those inven- tions of the devil—machine-guns asnd barbed wire—which suit the Turkish char- acter and tactics to perfection, we should not have stopped short of the crest of Achi Babi. During the 5th the Lancashire Fusilier Brigiwle of the Baist Lancashire Division was disembarked and placed in reserve I beh,ind tho British left. Orders were issued for an advance to be carried out next day, and these and the three days" battle which, ensued will be dealt with in my next dispatch. I The British Losses. The Josses, exclusive of the French, dur- ing the period covered by this diepatch were, I regret to say, very severe, num- bering :— 177 oiffcer* and 3,990 other ranks killed. 412 ofifcers and 7,807 other ranks wounded. 13 oiffcers and 3,580 other ranJns missing. I N-avy Father and Mother to the Army. I Throughout the events I have chronicled the iloyal Navy has been father and mother to the Army. Not one of us but realises how much he owes to Vice- Admiral de Roebeck; to the warships both French and British; to the destroyers, mine-ewecpers, picket boats and to all their dauntless crews, who took no thought of themselves, but risked every- thing to give their soldier comrades a fair run in at the enemy. Throughout these preparations and operations Monsieur le General d'Amade has given me the benefit of his wide ex- periences of war and has afforded me al- ways the most loyal and energetic sup- port. I Mentioned in Dispatches. Lieutenant-General Sir W. R. Birdnd. K.C.S.I., C.B., C.I.E., D.S.O., was in com- mand of the detached landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps above Kaba Tope, as veil aa during the subsequent fighting. The feci of his having been responsible for the execution of these difficult and hazardous operations —operations which were erowned with a very remarkable suocofz-speaks, I think, for itself. Major-General A. G. Hun tor-Weston, C.B., D.S.O., was tried very higMy, not only during the landings, but more es- pecially in the day and night attacks and counter-attacks which ensued. U.tirlng, resourceful, and ever more cheerful as the outlook (on occasion) grew darker, he pos- sesses, in my opinion, very special qualifi- cations as a commander of troops in tie field. Major-General W. P. Braithwaite, C.B., is the best Chief of the General Staff it has ever been my fortune to encounter in war. I will not pile epithets upon him. I can say no more than what I have said, and I can certainly say no less. I have many other names to bring to notice for the period under review, and these will form the subject of a separate report at an early date. I have the honour to be, your Lord- ship's most obedient Servant, I IAN HAMILTON, Cyamral. I Commanding Mediterranean I Expeditionary Force.