Minute by Vice-Admiral Sir Edmond Slade, advising against a bombardment of the sea face of the Dardanelles Forts [Turkey]. Also includes responses by WSC and Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord. [Carbon].

Telegram from Admiralty to all ships, with orders to commence hostilities against Turkey. Initialled by WSC. [Carbon].

Telegram from Admiralty to Vice-Admiral [Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable, ordering a bombardment of the Turkish forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles by British and French warships. Initialled by Vice-Admiral Sir [Frederick] Doveton Sturdee [Chief of Staff] and WSC. [Carbon].

Telegram from Admiral Arthur Limpus [Admiral Superintendent, Malta], to Admiralty, advising against a bombardment of Turkish forts in the entrance to the Dardanelles, recommending a land attack on the forts on the Asia side. [Carbon].

Telegram from Vice-Admiral [Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable to Admiralty, reporting on a demonstration bombardment of the Turkish forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles. [Carbon].

Telegram from [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable to the Admiralty, on the bombardment of Helles Fort in the Dardanelles [Turkey]. [Carbon].

Telegram from [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable, to Admiralty, giving the report of the Military Attache at the British Embassy, Constantinople [later Istanbul, Turkey] on the defences in the Dardanelles. [Carbon].

Telegram from [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable, to Admiralty, reporting on methods of injuring the enemy in the Dardanelles, without undue risk or expenditure of ammunition. [Carbon].

Telegram from [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable, to the Admiralty, on the bombardment of forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles [Turkey], and the prevention of steam coal and contraband entering the Dardanelles or Smyrna. [Carbon].

Minute from Chief Censor, War Office, to the Chief Censor, Admiralty [Rear-Admiral Sir Douglas Brownrigg], reporting a message intercepted by Cable Censors from Athens [Greece] to the Daily News, London, reporting the success of the British naval bombardment of the Dardanelles [Turkey]. [Carbon].

Telegram from [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden], HMS Indefatigable to Admiralty, on methods of injuring the enemy in the Dardanelles [Turkey] without undue risk, or expenditure of ammunition. [Carbon].

Telegram from Admiralty to the French Ministry of Marine, Bordeaux [France], on the small chance of the [German battle cruiser] Goeben entering the Mediterranean, and also the need to recall British battle cruisers from the Dardanelles to home waters, therefore proposing to hand over the blockade of German and Turkish forces in the Dardanelles to the French Fleet. [Carbon].

Telegram from [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden] to Admiralty, reporting the success of Submarine B11, captained by Lieutenant Norman Holbrook, in torpedoing the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh in the Dardanelles [Turkey]. [Carbon] [Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action].

Telegram from Admiral Superintendent, Malta [Admiral Arthur Limpus] to the Admiralty, reporting on the defences of Constantinople [later Istanbul], and the Turkish forces. [Carbon].

Minute by Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, "Remarks on Escorts in the Indian Ocean" as reported to the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies [Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Peirse]. [Carbon].

Telegram from Admiralty to [Rear-Admiral Herbert King-Hall], Commander-in-Chief, Cape Station [South Africa], on the defence of ships and bases against possible raids by the [German cruisers] Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. [Carbon].

Telegram from Admiralty to Rear-Admiral John De Robeck, with orders to take command of a new African cruiser squadron to oppose the [German cruisers] Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and 3 German light cruisers, if they should come to West Africa. Initialled by Vice-Admiral Henry Oliver [Chief of Staff], Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher [1st Sea Lord] and WSC. [Carbon].

Minute by [WSC] on factors affecting port defences, including the increase in the calibre of battleship guns and the thickness of battleship armour, the change in the strategic front from the south coast to the east, and the likelihood of raids from Germany; WSC also comments on the disposition of shore batteries and the dangers of over-reliance on shore defences and sets out proposals for specific east coast ports. [Carbon copy].

Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to an unidentified correspondent regretting that he could not intervene in the case of an officer passed over for promotion, stating that the rule forbidding officers to use personal influence to advance promotion was absolute: "The process of selection is quite impersonal and I take very little part in it". [Carbon copy].

Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to [Sir Francis Hopwood, Additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty, later 1st Lord Southborough] on the Canadian contribution of 3 battleships to the Royal Navy, described as the "key to the Anglo-German naval situation". [Carbon copy].

Notes by WSC on the development of an Admiralty War Staff, including training and organisation. [Hand-written].

Letter from James Masterton Smith [Private Secretary to WSC] to Captain Sydney Hall, on Hall's proposal to produce a film of life in the Navy. Masterton Smith states that the Admiralty had decided to invite certain established motion picture firms to state the terms which they were prepared to offer for the privilege of making a film of life in the Navy; he regrets that Hall would not be able to tender for the film as he had no link with any film-producing firm. [Carbon copy].

Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the 1st Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven] on ship dispositions, also on the protection of magazines and oil tanks from "evilly disposed persons" and attacks by aircraft. [Typescript, initialled by WSC, and annotated by Battenberg].

Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to an unidentified correspondent [? Geoffrey Dawson, Editor of the Times], regretting that the word "permanent" was omitted in the Times report of his reference to the "permanent unity of Ireland". WSC also comments on out of date articles being published in the Times on warship design. [Carbon copy].