perate kind of fighting, only surpassed in
intensity by the struggle in the First Battle of Ypres. Just about
this time, the then Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, made his famous
Newcastle speech, in which he stated that the Army had all the
ammunition it required. When I read this speech, after all my public
and private appeals, I lost any hope that I had entertained of
receiving help from the Government as then constituted. So that, on
May 9th, 1915, when we commenced the Battle of Festubert, an operation
undertaken to relieve the intense pressure on the troops at Ypres, my
mind was filled with keen anxiety. After all our demands, less than 8
per cent. of our shells were high explosive, and we had only
sufficient supply for about 40 minutes of artillery preparation for
this attack. On the tower of a ruined church I spent several hours in
close observation of the operations. Nothing since the Battle of the
Aisne had ever impressed me so deeply with the terrible shortage of
artillery and ammunition as did the events of that day. As I watched
the Aubers ridge, I clearly saw the great inequality of the artillery
duels, and, as attack after attack failed, I could see that the
absence of sufficient artillery support was doubling and
trebling our losses in men. I therefore determined on taking the most
drastic measures to destroy the apathy of a Government which had
brought the Empire to the brink of disaster. A friend was standing by
my side on the tower, and to him I poured out my doubts and fears and
announced my determination. He warned me that the politicians would
never forgive the action I proposed, and that it meant my certain
recall from the command in France. But my decision was made, and I
immediately started for my Headquarters, fully determined on my future
course of action.

If any additional proof were required of the hopelessness of any
relief coming from the War Office, I found it waiting for me when I
reached Headquarters that afternoon, in the shape of a telegram from
the Secretary of State for War, directing that 20 per cent. of our
scanty reserve supply of ammunition was to be shipped to the
Dardanelles. I immediately gave instructions that evidence should be
furnished to Colonel Repington, military correspondent of _The Times_,
who happened to be then at Headquarters, that the vital need of
high-explosive shells had been a fatal bar to our Army success on that
day. I directed that copies of all the corresp