Mudros, Advance and Retreat: Naval Logistics at Gallipoli

In the spring of 1915, Rear Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss was appointed by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to become the Senior Naval Officer at Mudros to create a port to serve the Gallipoli landings. He arrived there in May with three staff; he received no further support from the Admiralty. He created a port that would manage the arrival of many thousands of troops and ships of all types, from huge troopships to small naval craft. In addition he was charged with the planning of the naval part of the landing of all the troops and commanded a division of cruisers for the landings. In December, after the decision to evacuate the troops was made, he then organised the evacuation, which was a complete success with the loss of only one man. His part in the campaign is virtually unknown, but without his organisational skills the results may have been very different.

John Johnson-Allen, was as a navigating officer in the Merchant Navy for 9 years, joining his first ship as an apprentice at the age of 16. Since retirement, after a second career as a Chartered Surveyor, he has gained an MA in Maritime History from the University of Greenwich. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society , the Royal Institute of Navigation, and the Institute of Seamanship. He is the author of six books, has written papers for various historical journals and has spoken widely to museums, academic institutions and historical societies within Britain & the USA on aspects of maritime history.

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