Item 01: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett diary, 1915-1917 - Page 47
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[Page 47]
me to come down to Cape Helles immediately, and that he would send a destroyer for me that afternoon. I paid a farewell visit to General Birdwood, who meanwhile had given me a pass, and I packed up my belongings and prepared to depart. About 4 o'clock the destroyer came alongside and I paid farewell with great regret to my friends on the "London" with whom I had spent three such happy weeks. The Commander of the destroyer gave me a few details of what had happened at Cape Helles, and I speedily learned that my surmises on what would happen had turned out to be perfectly correct, namely that our men had got ashore after great difficulty but had been completely held up immediately they attempted to advance inland and seize Achi Baba.
Our destroyer was ordered to report to the Q.E. which we found lying just off the Point. On going on board I saw Commodore Keys, who told me he had sent for me as he wished me to write and account of the various landings at Cape Helles. I found to my disMay that up to this time none of my cables had been despatched, although they had been censored. Commodore Keyes stated the reason that Sir Ian Hamilton objected to any account going through until he had got off his official despatches. This was of course reasonable, and I could raise no objection, although a little disappointed. He gave me the reassuring news that Lawrence had not even sent any cables in to be censored, so that whatever happened I was certain to be ahead of him. Keyes then gave me the envelope containing my censored despatches, and told me to take them on board the "Euryalus" which was the ship from which all destroyers or transports, going to Malta or Alexandria took their instructions. He said that if I took them on board, that they would then put them on board the first destroyer of transport, as it was utterly impossible to send