Show description

One division would not be enough. Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood, ANZAC Corps. In early June 1915, the political scene was changing back in London. The beginning of the shells scandal, amongst other problems, had toppled the Liberal government; although Asquith continued as Prime Minister in a newly formed coalition government, Winston Churchill was forced to leave his position as First Lord of the Admiralty. The War Council, in charge of the strategic direction of the war, was reformed under Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, and was meaningfully named the Dardanelles Committee.

Work continued until dawn, when all went quiet. There was then not a boat to be seen, and from the air the positions were camouflaged to hide the men ashore. The anticipation of a grand battle was growing. It was not just men brought ashore, but also their associated supplies. As sleepy as Anzac may have appeared during the hot sunlit days, the dark hours shrouded a scene of energy and resolve. As soon as the evening light had gone, a trail of heavily laden men and mules would take their huge loads nearer to the front.

Five miles north of Anzac, the British IX Corps would land at Suvla Bay and, by securing the surrounding high ground, would make safe the area as a base to support the overall operation. In support of the main Anzac operation, Hamilton had planned several diversionary demonstrations. These consisted of a British naval squadron bombarding a cove named Sigacik Koyu, near Smyrna (Izmir), to a force of some 300 Greek soldiers who actually landed near Enez, on the Turkish coast. During the lead up to the offensive Hamilton did not try to hide the troop build-ups, and had spread them out over various Greek islands.