Read more
A Bird's Eye View of a Military DisasterIn October 1914, the Ottoman Empire allied with Germany and Austria in the Great War, cutting off the supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles. In response, Great Britain and France undertook a daring operation: the largest amphibious landing ever attempted to force open the Dardanelles, threaten Constantinople, and force the Ottomans to surrender. Commanding the campaign was Sir Ian Hamilton, who had witnessed the dawn of modern trench warfare in Manchuria only ten years earlier. The battle would be played out in the Gallipoli Peninsula, and become known as Gallipoli.
This is Sir Ian Hamilton's personal diary of the Dardanelles campaign, and the disaster that followed - a catastrophe that caused over half a million casualties across both sides, ended his military career, and helped forge the identities of Australia and New Zealand.
About the author
Sir Ian Hamilton (1853-1947) was a British staff officer, writer and diarist. After serving in multiple campaigns, including the Boer War, he was appointed to lead the British mission to the Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War. His military career came to an end in the First World War as a result of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. After his retirement, he served as the Scottish President of the British Legion.
