o force the
Dardanelles was a tremendous problem for England. Involved in it was
the great question of her prestige, not only among her millions of
Mohammedan subjects, but also in the Balkans, then rapidly moving to a
decision. Turkey was the only Mohammedan power still boasting
independence, and for Great Britain to acknowledge herself bested in
an attempt to defeat her was likely to have far-reaching and serious
results throughout India and Egypt, where Great Britain's ability to
hold what she had won was dependent in a large measure upon the very
prestige now in danger.

One of the reasons for urging the abandonment of the Dardanelles
campaign was the urgent need for troops elsewhere. It was declared
that it was absurd folly to be wasting troops at Gallipoli when the
western front was being starved for men. Furthermore there were
rapidly accumulating evidences that the Entente Powers were soon to be
compelled to fight on a new and important front.

About this time Germany began her preparations for a final attack upon
Serbia. Try as the Allies might, they had not been able to force an
agreement between Serbia and Bulgaria on the question of the ownership
of those parts of Macedonia won from the Turk in the First Balkan War,
and taken from the Bulgar by the Serbians in the second. Germany,
taking advantage of these irreconcilable differences, was about to
launch a heavy attack from the north upon the kingdom of aged Peter.

In these circumstances there came before the British Government, in
common with the French Government, the question of just how great an
obligation rested on the shoulders of the two great powers. Serbia
certainly looked to them to assist her with all their strength, and at
the height of the agitation Sir Edward Grey made a public declaration
that in every circumstance Serbia could look to England for unlimited
support.

It was when those who knew began to discuss the question of where
Great Britain was to find the military force to make good Grey's
pledge to Serbia that the Dardanelles campaign came in for hot
criticism. It was known that few, if any, fully trained troops were
available in England for a fresh campaign. Indeed, as matters
ultimately worked out, it was France who found the bulk of the force
that was hurried to Saloniki when Bulgaria declared war on Serbia and
joined in the Austro-German attack upon the Balkan kingdom. Later,
under French pressure, England withdrew 40,000 of he