orts of Commanders-in-Chief could possibly find time to
scribble like this on their way to take up an enterprise in many ways
unprecedented--a German and a Britisher. The first, because every
possible contingency would have been worked out for him beforehand; the
second, because he has nothing--literally nothing--in his portfolio
except a blank cheque signed with those grand yet simple words--John
Bull. The German General is the product of an organising nation. The
British General is the product of an improvising nation. Each army would
be better commanded by the other army's General. Sounds fantastic but is
true.[4]

CHAPTER II

THE STRAITS

Cast anchor at Tenedos at 3 p.m., 17th March, 1915, having entered the
harbour at the very same instant as le general d'Amade.

Hurried over at once to a meeting aboard that lovely sea monster, H.M.S.
_Queen Elizabeth_.

Present:--

Admiral de Robeck,
Commodore Roger Keyes,
Admiral Guepratte, cmdg. French Fleet,
General d'Amade,
General Braithwaite,
Admiral Wemyss,
Captain Pollen,
Myself.

De Robeck greeted me in the friendliest fashion. He is a fine looking
man with great charm of manner. After a word or two to d'Amade and being
introduced to Wemyss, Guepratte and Keyes, we sat down round a table and
the Admiral began. His chief worry lies in the clever way the enemy are
now handling their mobile artillery. He can silence the big fortress
ordnance, but the howitzers and field guns fire from concealed
positions and make the clearing of the minefields something of a V.C.
sort of job for the smaller craft. Even when the Fleet gets through,
these moveable guns will make it very nasty for store ships or
transports which follow. The mine-sweepers are slow and bad with worn
out engines. Some of the civilian masters and crews of the trawlers have
to consider wives and kids as well as V.C.s. The problem of getting the
Fleet through or of getting submarines through is a problem of clearing
away the mines. With a more powerfully engined type of mine-sweeper and
regular naval commanders and crews to man them, the business would be
easy. But as things actually stand there is real cause for anxiety as to
mines.

The Peninsula itself is being fortified and many Turks work every night
on trenches, redoubts and entanglements. Not one single living soul has
been seen, since the engagement of our Marines at the end of February,
although each morning brings for