22nd March 1915

[michaeldr]

from the British O.H.

“On the 22nd March, at a naval and military conference* on board the Queen Elizabeth, Admiral de Robeck expressed his conviction that the fleet could not get through without the help of Sir Ian Hamilton’s force. Admiral Wemyss concurred, and no voice was raised to question the decision. The following day General Hamilton informed Lord Kitchener that he and the admiral agreed that it would be necessary to use his whole force to enable the fleet to force the Dardanelles. The present unsettled weather introduced a dangerous and incalculable factor, but the weather in April should be better, and he was sanguine of the success then of a simple straight-forward scheme. Everything would depend on the thoroughness of his preparations; hence his desire to organize the expedition at a convenient base like Alexandria.

* Present at the conference: Admirals de Robeck and Wemyss, Generals Hamilton, Birdwood and Braithwaite. The naval Chief of Staff, Commodore Keyes, was away at Tenedos reorganizing the mine-sweepers in view of further operations.”