Item 03: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett telegrams, 1915 - Page 121

[Page 121]

[Telegram form – The Eastern Telegraph Company, Limited. Alexandria Station. Dated 24 Aug. 1915. 274 words]
[Continuation of Ashmead Bartlett's first report of the British action at Suvla Bay,
6th – 10th August]
Section 2
R.T.P. Daily Telegraph London.
Section two August eighth stop The plans of the Commander in Chief were kept a profound secret and no one outside certain officers on the General Staff and the Corps commanders had any real knowledge of his intentions until after the expedition sailed from Kephalo Bay Imbros on the night of August sixth stop it has long been obvious that some new landing on a vast scale was about to be attempted and surmise had therefore been ripe as to the exact point on which the blow would fall stop it was hoped to take the Turks completely by surprise and to obtain a firm foothold on the shore before he could bring up his reinforcements in this it would seem as if we have been successful for two divisions the 11th and 10th were yesterday put ashore almost without opposition [censor's deletion - but of course the real work of driving the enemy back and getting astride of the peninsular thus completely cutting off his armies south of the Narrows at this hour remains yet to be accomplished)] stop [this deletion presumably by censor]
The enemy probably had accurate knowledge of the arrival of large reinforcements at Imbros and Mudros for it is almost impossible to keep movements of troops unknown in the near east and his aviators have frequently flown over our camps he knew therefore we were preparing to strike but on the vital point as to where the blow would fall he seems to have been entirely ignorant stop one who has not seen a landing of a large army on a hostile shore can have any idea of the enormous amount of preparation work and rehersal which must proceed any such movement stop for three weeks this has been going on incessantly in Kephalo harbour which is only ten miles away from the Gallipoli peninsula
Ashmead Bartlett / Radcliffe censor