ts is not the
least important, the success of my plans will largely depend."
Therefore, I am going to Alexandria, as a convenient place for this work
and, "the Turks will be kept busy meanwhile by the Admiral."

_24th March, 1915. H.M.S. "Franconia."_ D'Amade and Staff came aboard at
10 a.m. He has got leave to move and will sail to Alexandria forthwith.
Roger Keyes from the Flagship came shortly afterward. He is sick as a
she-bear robbed of her cubs that his pets: battleships, T.B.s,
destroyers, submarines, etc., should have to wait for the Army. Well, we
are not to blame! Keyes has been shown my cables to K. and is pleased
with them. He accepts the fact, I think, that the Army must tackle the
mobile artillery of the Turks before the Navy can expect to silence the
light guns protecting the mine fields and then clear out the mines with
the present type of mine sweeper. But the Admiral's going to fix up the
mine sweeper question while we are away. Once he has done that, Keyes
believes the Fleet can knock out the Forts; wipe out the protective
batteries and sweep up the mines quite comfortably. He said one
illuminating and encouraging thing to Braithwaite; viz., that he had
never felt so possessed of the power of the Navy to force a passage
through the Narrows as in the small hours of the 19th when he got back
to the Flagship after trying in vain to salve the _Ocean_ and the
_Irresistible_.

Keyes brought me a first class letter from the Admiral--very much to the
point:--

"H.M.S. _Q.E._
_24th March, 15._

"My Dear General,

"I hear the Authorities at 'Home' have been sending hastening telegrams
to you. They most unfortunately did the same to us and probably if our
work had been slower and more thorough it would have been better. If
only they were on the _spot_, they would realise that to hurry would
write failure. In my very humble opinion, good co-operation and
organisation means everything for the future. A great triumph is much
better than scraping through and poor results! We are entirely with you
and can be relied on to give any assistance in our power. We will not be
idle!

"Believe me,
"Yours sincerely,
(_Sd._) "J.M. de Robeck."

11-15. Admiral Thursby (just arrived with the _Queen_ and _Implacable_)
came t