Dardanelles Commission
Encyclopedia
The Dardanelles Commission was an investigation into the disastrous 1915 Dardanelles Campaign. It was set up under the Special Commissions (Dardanelles and Mesopotamia) Act 1916
.
Winston Churchill
had been largely blamed for the failures of the British forces during the campaign since as First Lord of the Admiralty he had been responsible for instigating the plan and obtaining Cabinet approval to carry it out. Churchill had been forced to resign as First Lord when the First Sea Lord
(most senior admiral)Lord Fisher himself resigned because of escalating disagreements between himself and Churchill in May 1915. Churchill continued as part of the Dardanelles Committee (the war cabinet) which administered the campaign in the capacity of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
, but was obliged to resign from this post also in November 1915. For a time he took up a position as a battalion commander on the Western Front
(while remaining a member of parliament). He returned to parliament in 1916, where he attempted to rehabilitate his reputation, when the battalion was amalgamated with another.
Churchill sought to obtain the release of government papers which he felt would vindicate his own actions. In May Bonar Law had indicated on behalf of the prime minister that this might be possible, but by June the prime minister Asquith
had decided it could not be done. Matters were complicated by the death of general Kitchener
, who had been Secretary of State for War
, on 6 June 1916. Instead, Asquith agreed to the setting up of a Commission of Enquiry into the affair, which was announced 18 July 1916. The Earl of Cromer
, who was known to Churchill, was to be the chairman. Churchill anticipated that he would be able to attend meetings of the commission, but in the event these were held in secret. Instead he had to be content with giving evidence himself in September, and arranging for other witnesses he felt important to be heard by the commission.
Kitchener was portrayed as a national hero following his drowning in the north sea on a trip to Russia. This meant that it became part of the good conduct of the war for those involved not to tarnish his reputation. This restricted the information both Churchill and Sir Ian Hamilton
(the general in command in the Dardanelles) felt they could give to the tribunal.
Witnesses of those involved in the expedition were interviewed, with its final report issued in 1919. It concluded that the expedition was poorly planned and executed and that difficulties had been underestimated, problems which were exacerbated by supply shortages and by personality clashes and procrastination at high levels.
The report is not seen as having had any measurable further impact on people's careers.
Special Commissions (Dardanelles and Mesopotamia) Act 1916
The Special Commissions Act 1916 was set up to investigate the World War I operations in the Dardanelles Campaign and the Mesopotamian campaign....
.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
had been largely blamed for the failures of the British forces during the campaign since as First Lord of the Admiralty he had been responsible for instigating the plan and obtaining Cabinet approval to carry it out. Churchill had been forced to resign as First Lord when the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
(most senior admiral)Lord Fisher himself resigned because of escalating disagreements between himself and Churchill in May 1915. Churchill continued as part of the Dardanelles Committee (the war cabinet) which administered the campaign in the capacity of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
, but was obliged to resign from this post also in November 1915. For a time he took up a position as a battalion commander on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
(while remaining a member of parliament). He returned to parliament in 1916, where he attempted to rehabilitate his reputation, when the battalion was amalgamated with another.
Churchill sought to obtain the release of government papers which he felt would vindicate his own actions. In May Bonar Law had indicated on behalf of the prime minister that this might be possible, but by June the prime minister Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
had decided it could not be done. Matters were complicated by the death of general Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
, who had been Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, on 6 June 1916. Instead, Asquith agreed to the setting up of a Commission of Enquiry into the affair, which was announced 18 July 1916. The Earl of Cromer
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....
, who was known to Churchill, was to be the chairman. Churchill anticipated that he would be able to attend meetings of the commission, but in the event these were held in secret. Instead he had to be content with giving evidence himself in September, and arranging for other witnesses he felt important to be heard by the commission.
Kitchener was portrayed as a national hero following his drowning in the north sea on a trip to Russia. This meant that it became part of the good conduct of the war for those involved not to tarnish his reputation. This restricted the information both Churchill and Sir Ian Hamilton
Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton GCB GCMG DSO TD was a general in the British Army and is most notably for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli....
(the general in command in the Dardanelles) felt they could give to the tribunal.
Witnesses of those involved in the expedition were interviewed, with its final report issued in 1919. It concluded that the expedition was poorly planned and executed and that difficulties had been underestimated, problems which were exacerbated by supply shortages and by personality clashes and procrastination at high levels.
The report is not seen as having had any measurable further impact on people's careers.
Appointees
The following were appointed- Sir William PickfordWilliam Pickford, 1st Baron SterndaleWilliam Pickford, 1st Baron Sterndale PC was a British lawyer and judge. He served as a Lord Justice of Appeal between 1914 and 1918, as President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division between 1918 and 1919 and as Master of the Rolls between 1919 and 1923.-Legal and judicial...
; Chairman - The Earl of CromerEvelyn Baring, 1st Earl of CromerEvelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....
; (d. 29 Jan 1917) - Andrew FisherAndrew FisherAndrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...
; - Thomas MackenzieThomas MackenzieSir Thomas Noble Mackenzie GCMG was a Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in London....
; - Sir Frederick Cawley, BtFrederick Cawley, 1st Baron CawleyFrederick Cawley, 1st Baron Cawley PC, JP , known as Sir Frederick Cawley, Bt, between 1906 and 1918, was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician. A wealthy cotton merchant, he represented Prestwich in parliament between 1895 and 1918 and served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster...
; - James Avon Clyde, Lord Clyde;
- Stephen Gwynn
- Walter Roch;
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir William May
- The Lord NicholsonWilliam Nicholson, 1st Baron NicholsonField Marshal William Gustavus Nicholson, 1st Baron Nicholson, GCB , was a British Army officer who, in a half-century of service, rose through the ranks in India and the Boer War to the rank of Field Marshal...