General Sir Ian Hamilton was born in Corfu on 16 January 1853. He saw extensive service in many parts of the British Army and he also took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Mahdist War and the First and Second Boer Wars. After Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Home Army. In March 1915, Hamilton was appointed commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) and he would command that force during the first six months of the Gallipoli land campaign. In a move that effectively ended his military command, he was relieved of his command and recalled to London in October 1915. In this presentation Will Bryant examines Hamilton’s leadership of the MEF at Gallipoli and he also looks at the many difficulties he had to contend with during that campaign.
Will Bryant is a former member of the Irish Navy and a member of the Cork Branch of the WFA who has a life-long interest in military history, particularly the organization and performance of the Allied armed forces during the Great War.