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Draft note from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to [Vice-Admiral Sackville Carden, in command of naval operations at the Dardanelles], on the Dardanelles campaign, stating that the results to be gained by attacking were great enough to justify the loss of ships and men which success could not be obtained without. [Hand-written drafts, initialled by WSC. See also CHAR 13/45/120-122.].

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener [Secretary of State for War], on the naval attack on the Dardanelles. WSC states that it would be desirable for an attack on Alexandretta [Iskenderun, Turkey] to be simultaneous, so that if the attack on the Dardanelles was a failure it could be presented as a mere demonstration to cover the seizure of Alexandretta. [Hand-written copy].

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener [Secretary of State for War], on fixing a date for the military attack on the Dardanelles, and approving the choice of General Sir Ian Hamilton as Commander-in-Chief. [Typescript copy; further copy at CHAR 13/48/30-32].

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener [Secretary of State for War], on fixing a date for the attack on the Dardanelles, and also approving the choice of General Sir Ian Hamilton as Commander-in-Chief. Includes forwarding note from WSC to the Prime Minister [Herbert Asquith, later 1st Lord Oxford and Asquith] and Sir Edward Grey [Foreign Secretary]. [Typescript copy; further copy at CHAR 13/48/24-25].

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Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Sir Edward Grey [Foreign Secretary], stating that Eleutherios Venizelos [Prime Minister of Greece] should be told that the Royal Navy intended to force the Dardanelles without military assistance. If so, the Turks on the Gallipoli peninsula would be cut off and could be reduced at leisure, and Greek military movements should be decided in relation to these facts. [Hand-written, initialled by WSC, annotated "not sent"].

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener [Secretary of State for War], on the transport of troops from Egypt to the Dardanelles, and the results for reinforcements for India and Iraq. WSC also mentions the claims of Russia on Constantinople [later Istanbul, Turkey] and progress in attacks on forts in the Dardanelles. [2 copies].

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Telegram from Grand Duke Nicholas [Russian Minister of War] to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on the actions of the Russian Black Sea Fleet against a Turkish port, and the Fleet's readiness to work with the Allies at the Dardanelles; includes covering note. [Typescript copy. See CHAR 13/48/77 for covering letter].

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Letter from Frederick Butler [Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for the Colonies] to James Masterton-Smith [Private Secretary to WSC], on the concerns of the Australian Government at the detention of Australian transports for special service at the Dardanelles.

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the Prime Minister [Herbert Asquith] on the importance of General Sir Ian Hamilton [Commander, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force] getting to Lemnos [Greece] at the earliest possible moment, as naval operations [at the Dardanelles] might depend on military assistance at any time. [Hand-written copy].

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Letter from Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, to WSC, sending on a copy of a telegram from the Grand Duke Nicholas [Russian War Minister] on the Dardanelles [see CHAR 13/48/67-68], and stating that he wished that the Russian Army would "play up a bit", as they seemed to do nothing but complain about the number of Germans in front of them.

Scope and Contents Telegram from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to Grand Duke Nicholas [Russian Minister of War], on the progress of naval operations in the Dardanelles. WSC also expresses satisfaction that the Russian Fleet would be watching the mouth of the Bosphorus to prevent the escape of Turkish and German ships, and would be ready to attack Turkish forts. [Hand-written copy, initialled by WSC; typescript copy at CHAR 13/48/87. Includes covering note from Edward Marsh [Private Secretary to WSC] to the...

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Letter from Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], reporting that General Sir Ian Hamilton [Commander, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force] would not be able to leave for the Dardanelles, until they had "studied the situation with which he may be confronted".

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Telegram from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to Grand Duke Nicholas [Russian Minister of War], on the progress of naval operations in the Dardanelles. WSC also expresses satisfaction that the Russian Fleet would be watching the mouth of the Bosphorus to prevent the escape of Turkish and German ships, and would be ready to attack Turkish forts. [Typescript copy of CHAR 13/48/78-79].

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Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener [Secretary of State for War], forwarding a letter [not present] from Vice Admiral Sackville Carden [Commander of naval operations at the Dardanelles], on the transport of troops from Egypt to the Dardanelles. [Hand-written copy, with typed transcript].

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Telegram from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to Grand Duke Nicholas [Russian Minister of War] on arrangements proposed for the Russian Fleet in the Dardanelles and Bosphorus, the shortage of Allied destroyers and small craft and the need for assistance from the Greek Fleet. [Hand-written copy].

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Telegram from Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener [Secretary of State for War] to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, advising that no large scale operations should be attempted in the Dardanelles until the 29th Division had arrived. [Typescript copy].

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Telegram from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to the Grand Duke Nicholas [Russian Minister of War], reporting on the Allied naval attack on the Dardanelles on 18 March, particularly the establishment of fire predominance over the fortresses, and the loss of three battleships to drifting mines, resulting in the attack being broken off until the mines could be dealt with. [Hand-written copy].

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Letter from Field Marshal 1st Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on the Dardanelles, explaining that the land operations were being prepared, and asking the Navy to carry on attacking the forts, so that the Turks would use up their ammunition.

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Minute from Rear-Admiral Sir Douglas Brownrigg, Chief Naval Censor, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on censorship of press telegrams from the Dardanelles, annotated by WSC, stating that he was stronly opposed to the transmission of "misleading messages" by wireless, asking that the Censor's decision be upheld.

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Letter from Edward Marsh, Admiralty to Eric Drummond (later Lord Perth), Foreign Office, on censorship of press telegrams from the Dardanelles [carbon].

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Letter from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on forthcoming meeting of the War Council, and naval and military operations in the Dardanelles [typescript copy].

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Extract from Minute from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, urging the recall of the Grand Fleet of HMS "Blenheim" and the Destroyer flotilla from the Dardanelles, stating that the Turkish Naval Force was "quite a negligible quantity", and French Destroyers and Submarines could be called upon to deal with it [typescript copy].

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Extract from Letter from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on the Dardanelles, but also reminding him "not to let our eyes be too much off the main theatre" [typescript copy].

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Letter from Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, commenting on the 28 destroyers and torpedo boats in the Dardanelles, " a much bigger proportion than we have at home" suggesting that the French be asked to send more destroyers and light cruisers [typescript copy].

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Letter from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, 1st Sea Lord,on the Prime Minister's disappointment that the Admiralty had not sent Vice Admiral John de Robeck a definite order to go on with his attack on the Dardanelles [typescript copy].