e
ship; limbers in another; entrenching tools anyhow) that they must be
emptied and reloaded before we can land under fire.

These points were touched upon at the Conference. I told them too that
my Intelligence folk fix the numbers of the enemy now at the Dardanelles
as 40,000 on the Gallipoli Peninsula with a reserve of 30,000 behind
Bulair: on the Asiatic side of the Straits there are at least a
Division, but there _may_ be several Divisions. The Admiral's
information tallies and, so Birdie says, does that of the Army in Egypt.
The War Office notion that the guns of the Fleet can sweep the enemy off
the tongue of the Peninsula from Achi Baba Southwards is moonshine. My
trump card turns out to be the Joker; best of all cards only it don't
happen to be included in this particular pack!

As ideas for getting round this prickly problem were passing through my
mind, two suggestions for dealing with it were put forward. The sailors
say some lighters were being built, and probably by now are built, for
the purpose of a landing in the North: they would carry five hundred
men; had bullet-proof bulwarks and are to work under their own gas
engines. If I can possibly get a petition for these through to Winston
we would very likely be lent some and with their aid the landing under
fire will be child's play to what it will be otherwise. But the cable
must get to Winston: if it falls into the hands of Fisher it fails, as
the sailors tell me he is obsessed by the other old plan and grudges us
every rope's end or ha'porth of tar that finds its way out here.

Rotten luck to have cut myself off from wiring to Winston: still I see
no way out of it: with K. jealous as a tiger--what can I do? Also,
although the sailors want me to pull this particular chestnut out of the
fire, it is just as well they should know I am not going to speak to
their Boss even under the most tempting circs.: but they won't cable
themselves: frightened of Fisher: so I then and there drafted this to K.
from myself:--

"Our first step of landing under fire will be the most critical as well
as the most vital of the whole operations. If the Admiralty will
improvise and send us out post haste 20 to 30 large lighters difficulty
and duration of this phase will be cut down to at least one half. The
lighters should each be capable of conveying 400 to 500 men or 30 to 40
horses. They should be protected by bullet-proof armour."

Everyone agreed but Birdwood pointed ou