The landing at Suvla Bay, part of the August Offensive, commenced on the
night of 6 August 1915. It was intended to support a breakout from Anzac
Beach. Despite early hopes from a largely unopposed landing, Suvla was a
mismanaged affair that quickly became a stalemate.
The newly formed IX Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Frederick
Stopford, failed, not for lack of sacrifice by its New Army and
Territorials, but because of a failure of generalship. Opportunities
were thoughtlessly wasted due to lethargy. Suvla not only signaled the
end of Stopford and many of his Brigadiers, but also saw the end of the
Commander in Chief, Sir Ian Hamilton. It was the beginning of the end of
the Gallipoli gamble and in its own right created a catalyst of disaster
that would come to represent the failed campaign.
This book adds to the Gallipoli story by recounting the Suvla Bay
landing through a mix of official accounts intertwined with a rich
collection of the participants' letters, diaries, personal accounts,
photographs and maps.