French portrait postcard of British General Sir Ian Hamilton in parade dress. Hamilton commanded the Allied invasion force at Gallipoli.

Général Sir Ian Hamilton



Elliott & Ery London

275

Logo: AN Paris



Reverse:

A Noyer, Paris 'Galerie Patriotique' No. 275

Fabriqué en France

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Wednesday, April 21, 1915

"General Headquarters, 21st April, 1915.

Soldiers of France and of the King

Before us lies an adventure unprecedented in modern war. Together with our comrades of the Fleet, we are about to force a landing upon an open beach in face of positions which have been vaunted by our enemies as impregnable.

The landing will be made good, by the help of God and the Navy; the positions will be stormed and the War brought one step nearer to a glorious close.

'Remember,' said Lord Kitchener when bidding adieu to your Commander, 'Remember, once you set foot upon the Gallipoli Peninsula, you must fight the thing through to a finish.'

The whole world will be watching your progress. Let us prove ourselves worthy of the great feat of arms entrusted to us.

Ian Hamilton, General."

Quotation Context

Address of General Ian Hamilton to the Gallipoli Peninsula invasion force. The landing was originally scheduled for April 23, but was delayed 48 hours due to bad weather. British Secretary of State for War Herbert Lord Kitchener had appointed Sir Ian Hamilton to command the invasion force on March 12, during the Anglo-French naval assault to force the Dardanelles. The two men had served together during the Boer War. The soldiers of the King were from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and India. The French would land on the southern, Asian side of the Dardanelles in part as a diversion. The primary goal was the Turkish capital of Constantinople.

Source

Five Years in Turkey by Liman von Sanders, page 65, publisher: The Battery Press with War and Peace Books, publication date: 1928 (originally)

Tags

1915-04-21, 1915, April, Gallipoli, Hamilton, Ian Hamilton