Sir, Because the Dardanelles Commission failed to allow General Sir Ian Hamilton the opportunity to comment on its criticisms of his performance as commander of the land forces before their publication (letter, Aug 22), he was driven to publishing his defence himself. From his Gallipoli Diary, published in 1920, it is evident that he had received the minimum of information from his commander-in-chief, Lord Kitchener, and inadequate resources throughout the campaign. The allied attack should have been aimed at the easier plan of cutting the road and rail links between Constantinople and the Arabian peninsula at Alexandretta, but this had been strictly forbidden at the request of France, which intended to annex this area of the Ottoman Empire, and did not want British troops anywhere near. Nowadays, to our credit, we treat our armed forces chiefs more fairly.
Dr D Zuck
London N12