Before doing anything else I had to redistribute the troops on the
transports to suit the order of their disembarkation. The bulk of the
forces at my disposal had, perforce, been embarked without its having
been possible to pay due attention to the operation upon which I now
proposed that they should be launched.
Owing to lack of facilities at Mudros redistribution in that harbour
was out of the question. With your Lordship's approval, therefore, I
ordered all the transports, except those of the Australian Infantry
Brigade and the details encamped at Lemnos Island, to the Egyptian
ports. On March 24 I myself, together with the General Staff, proceeded
to Alexandria, where I remained until April 7, working out the
allocation of troops to transports in minutest detail as a prelude to
the forthcoming disembarkation. General d'Amade did likewise.
On April 1 the remainder of the General Headquarters, which had not
been mobilized when I left England, arrived at Alexandria.
Apart from the rearrangements of the troops, my visit to Egypt was not
without profit, since it afforded me opportunities of conferring with
the G.O.C. Egypt and of making myself acquainted with the troops, drawn
from all parts of the French Republic and of the British Empire, which
it was to be my privilege to command.
By April 7 my preparations were sufficiently advanced to enable me to
return with my General Staff to Lemnos, so as to put the finishing
touches to my plan in close co-ordination with the Vice-Admiral
Commanding the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet.
The covering force of the 29th Division left Mudros Harbour on the
evening of April 23 for the five beaches, S, V, W, X, and Y. Of
these, V, W, and X were to be main landings, the landings at S and
Y being made mainly to protect the flanks, to disseminate the forces
of the enemy, and to interrupt the arrival of his reinforcements. The
landings at S and Y were to take place at dawn, whilst it was planned
that the first troops for V, W, and X beaches should reach the shore
simultaneously at 5.30 a.m. after half an hour's bombardment from the
Fleet.