Bible House, Constantinople
The Orient, 19 May 1915
We continue these insights into expatriate missionary life in the Ottoman Empire of 1915, presenting a different, English-language, view of the Dardanelles campaign. Previous editions: 28 April, 5 May 1915, 12 May 1915. There is less in this issue about the war than in previous ones but we hear, in translation from the government’s despatches, of a number of claimed Ottoman naval successes between 11 and 16 May.
On land, ‘the enemy encamped at Aru Bournu on the Gallipoli peninsula is unable to venture out of their intrenchments, despite the reinforcements they have received; and the evidences of activity that they try to show at certain points fail because of our effective reply (14 May)’. Then, again at Ari Burnu, ‘the enemy were driven back to their main positions by the counter-attacks of part of our troops. We have counted as many as three hundred corpses of the enemy in front of their positions. The losses of the adversary in these attacks are estimated at 1,500 (16 May).’
Beyond the Dardanelles, however, things were said to be quiet. ‘There is nothing important worth noticing from the other seats of war (16 May)’.
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