Item 01: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett diary, 1915-1917 - Page 225
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 225]
dispatches and will not do so again. The Australians are now entrenched impregnably and all the Turks in Europe will not shift them. Von Sanders made a final effort on May 18th-19th, with disastrous results, as we a have afterwards buried over three thousand of their dead.
[note in margin] you had April actually it was May This action, the most successful of the war up to date, has had excellent effect on the colonials who, being a highly intelligent and superior lot of men, had become somewhat discouraged by the failure to achieve any definite success and extremely bored with sitting day after day in trenches. This position May be described as being fairly comfortable and almost self-contained. That is to say, there is no need to keep battleships perpetually off the coast.
On the other hand, a ship or two must be available near at hand to deal with any new batteries the enemy May attempt to place in position to enfilade the beach. I should say it is too much to hope that the enemy will make any further attempt to assault the Anzac position. He is now entrenched up to his neck right round the Australian lines and, unless he is obliged to withdraw the majority of his troops, I do not see it is any more possible for the Australians to drive him back than it is for the Turks to drive the Australians into the sea. Thus, at Anzac you have a perfect stale-mate. There would be no object in sending reinforcements there as the position will not hold another man,