is my dominant feeling. We have seen a
spectacle which would be purchased cheap by five years of life and, more
vital yet, I have caught a glimpse of the forces of the enemy and of
their Forts. What with my hurried scamper down the Aegean coast of the
Peninsula and the battle in the Straits, I begin to form some first-hand
notion of my problem. More by good luck than good guidance I have got
into personal touch with the outer fringes of the thing we are up
against and that is so much to the good. But oh, that we had been here
earlier! Winston in his hurry to push me out has shown a more soldierly
grip than those who said there was no hurry. It is up to me now to
revolve to-day's doings in my mind; to digest them and to turn myself
into the eyes and ears of the War Office whose own so far have
certainly not proved themselves very acute. How much better would I be
able to make them see and hear had I been out a week or two; did I know
the outside of the Peninsula by heart; had I made friends with the
Fleet! And why should I not have been?

Have added a P.S. to K.'s letter:--

"Between Tenedos and Lemnos. 6 p.m.--This has been a very bad day for us
judging by what has come under my own personal observation. After going
right up to Bulair and down again to the South-west point looking at the
network of trenches the Turks have dug commanding all possible landing
places, we turned into the Dardanelles themselves and went up about a
mile. The scene was what I believe Naval writers describe as 'lively.'"
(Then follows an account based on my Diary jottings). I end:

"I have not had time to reflect over these matters, nor can I yet
realise on my present slight information the extent of these losses.
Certainly it looks at present as if the Fleet would not be able to carry
on at this rate, and, if so, the soldiers will have to do the trick.":

"Later.

"The _Irresistible_, the _Ocean_ and the _Bouvet_ are gone! The
_Bouvet_, they say, just slithered down like a saucer slithers down in a
bath. The _Inflexible_ and the _Gaulois_ are badly mauled."

_19th March, 1915._ _H.M.S. "Franconia."_--Last night I left H.M.S.
_Phaeton_ and went on board the _Franconia_. To-day, we have been busy
fixing things up. The chance sailors, seen by the Staff, have been using
highly coloured expletives about the mines. Sheer bad luck they swear;
bad luck that would not happen once in a hundred tries. They had knocked
out the Forts, they claim, and