Item 01: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett diary, 1915-1917 - Page 108
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[Page 108]
return again at five O'clock. I then went on board the Exmouth and called on Admiral Nicholson whom I had not seen since the Majestic went down. I also saw Brooks the Offical Photographer and spoke to him on the subject of the cenemetograph. He is a queer fellow but seems willing to undertake it on liberal terms which it is worth while offering. I then went ashore and the Camp Commandant a Captain Wilson an old highland volunteer belonging to the 5th Royal Scots gave me a tent for the night and said I could use his mess. I then made my way across country once again to Headquarters and saw Sir Ian Hamilton. He struck me as looking much older and very worried. He said that at the start in his opinion and in that of his advisers it was the best course to attack the Turkish positions all along the line but that now he was convinced this was a mistake and that therefore in a few days there would be a fresh advance against a section supported by a heavy artillery fire.
He gave it as his opinion that the Turks were weakening and showed signs of being short of ammunition. He went into full details of the action fought on June 4th and decalred it was within an ace of being a big victory if only the French had moved but their infantry refused to budge and in consecquence the Collingwood Battalion of the Naval Division which had only just landed found itself outflanked and obliged to retire losing over six hundred officers and men. Our left was also held up and in consecquence the centre which had captured four successive lines of Turkish trenches was obliged to retire losing heavily in the process. But we made a net gain of some five hundred y yards but the losses were very heavy amounting to over five thousand.