In my three Commanders of Corps I have indeed been thrice fortunate.
General Gouraud brought a great reputation to our help from the
battlefields of the Argonne, and in so doing he has added to its
lustre. A happy mixture of daring in danger and of calm in crisis,
full of energy and resource, he has worked hand in glove with his
British comrades in arms, and has earned their affection and respect.
Lieutenant-General Sir W. R. Birdwood has been the soul of Anzac. Not
for one single day has he ever quitted his post. Cheery and full of
human sympathy, he has spent many hours of each twenty-four inspiring
the defenders of the front trenches, and if he does not know every
soldier in his force, at least every soldier in the force believes he
is known to his Chief.
Lieutenant-General A. G. Hunter-Weston possesses a genius for war. I
know no more resolute Commander. Calls for reinforcements, appeals
based on exhaustion or upon imminent counter-attacks are powerless
to divert him from his aim. And this aim, in so far as he may be
responsible for it, is worked out with insight, accuracy, and that
wisdom which comes from close study in peace combined with long
experience in the field.
In my first despatch I tried to express my indebtedness to
Major-General W. P. Braithwaite, and I must now again, however
inadequately, place on record the untiring, loyal assistance he has
continued to render me ever since.
The thanks of every one serving in the Peninsula are due to
Lieutenant-General Sir John Maxwell. All the resources of Egypt and all
of his own remarkable administrative abilities have been ungrudgingly
placed at our disposal.
[Illustration: LIEUT.-GENERAL A. G. HUNTER-WESTON, C.B. (_To face page
82._)]
Finally, if my despatch is in any way to reflect the feelings of
the force, I must refer to the shadow cast over the whole of our
adventure by the loss of so many of our gallant and true-hearted
comrades. Some of them we shall never see again; some have had the mark
of the Dardanelles set upon them for life, but others, and, thank God,
by far the greater proportion, will be back in due course at the front.
I have the honour to be,
Your Lordship's most obedient Servant,
IAN HAMILTON, General,
Commanding Mediterranean
Expeditionary Force.