Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett
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Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett
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| Born | 11 February 1881 London, England
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| Died | 4 May 1931 (aged 50) Lisbon, Portugal
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| Occupation | War correspondent |
| Years active | 1902–1920 |
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Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett (born 11 February 1881 – died 4 May 1931) was an English war correspondent. He became famous for his reports during the First World War. His stories about the Battle of Gallipoli helped create the legend of the Anzacs. This legend is still very important in the military history of Australia and New Zealand. Ashmead-Bartlett also openly criticized how the Gallipoli campaign was managed. His strong opinions led to the British commander, Sir Ian Hamilton, being removed from his position. This event eventually led to British forces leaving the Gallipoli peninsula.
Contents
Who Was Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett?
Early Life and Career
Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett was born in London on 11 February 1881. He was the oldest son of Sir Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, who was a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party.
He went to Marlborough College and later served as a lieutenant in The Bedfordshire Regiment. This was during the Second Boer War in South Africa. In 1902, he became a lawyer. Two years later, Ashmead-Bartlett traveled to Manchuria to report on the Russo-Japanese War. After that war, he wrote an important book called Port Arthur: The Siege and Capitulation.
Reporting from Gallipoli
Ashmead-Bartlett became a well-known war correspondent during World War I. He worked for The Daily Telegraph, a major newspaper in London. He covered the landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. He went ashore that evening and was briefly arrested as a spy because he was wearing a green hat that was not part of a military uniform. However, he was quickly released.
First Reports and Praise
Ashmead-Bartlett wrote the first eyewitness accounts of the battle. His report about the landing was published in Australian newspapers on 8 May. This was even before reports from the Australian correspondent, Charles Bean. Ashmead-Bartlett's exciting writing style was full of praise for the Anzacs. His stories were very popular with people in Australia and New Zealand.
He wrote:
There has been no finer feat in this war than this sudden landing in the dark and storming the heights, and, above all, holding on while the reinforcements were landing. These raw colonial troops, in these desperate hours, proved worthy to fight side by side with the heroes of Mons, the Aisne, Ypres and Neuve Chapelle.
Surviving Ship Attacks
On 27 May 1915, Ashmead-Bartlett was on HMS Majestic, a British battleship. It was anchored near Cape Helles when a German U-boat (a type of submarine) called U-21 attacked it with a torpedo. Just two days earlier, he had seen another battleship, HMS Triumph, sink. He knew the Majestic might be next. The night before, he drank the last of the ship's champagne. He even had his mattress brought on deck so he wouldn't get trapped in his room. Ashmead-Bartlett survived the sinking but lost all his belongings. He then sailed to Malta to get new clothes.
Speaking Out Against the War
As the battle continued, Ashmead-Bartlett's reports became very critical of the war effort. This made him unpopular with the British commander, General Sir Ian Hamilton. Instead of going back to the Dardanelles from Malta, Ashmead-Bartlett went to London. He arrived on 6 June to report in person about how the campaign was going. While in London, he met with many important political leaders. These included Bonar Law (the Colonial Secretary), Winston Churchill (who was no longer in charge of the navy but still in the government), Arthur Balfour, and H. H. Asquith (the Prime Minister). He was also questioned by Lord Kitchener, who was in charge of the army.
Filming the Battle
When he returned to Gallipoli, Ashmead-Bartlett stayed on the island of Imbros. This was also where General Hamilton's headquarters were located. Ashmead-Bartlett lived there in relative safety and comfort, even bringing his own cook from Paris. He later went back to the peninsula and saw the new landing at Suvla during the August Offensive.
He described the scene:
Confusion reigned supreme. No-one seemed to know where the headquarters of the different brigades and divisions were to be found. The troops were hunting for water, the staffs were hunting for their troops, and the Turkish snipers were hunting for their prey.
Ashmead-Bartlett had bought a movie camera in London. With it, he filmed the only known movie footage of the battle. On 21 August, he was watching from Chocolate Hill. The British IX Corps launched the final attack of the campaign, the Battle of Scimitar Hill. While filming, an artillery shell landed nearby and buried him, but he was quickly dug out.
Critical Reports and Consequences
When the Australian journalist Keith Murdoch arrived at Gallipoli in September 1915, Ashmead-Bartlett found someone who would listen to his strong opinions about the campaign. Murdoch traveled to London carrying a letter from Ashmead-Bartlett. It is debated whether Murdoch knew what was in the letter. The letter strongly criticized the campaign. It called the final attack "the most terrible and expensive failure in our history" since the Battle of Bannockburn. The letter was meant for Prime Minister Asquith but was stopped in Marseilles. On 28 September, Ashmead-Bartlett was told to leave Gallipoli.
When he returned to London, Ashmead-Bartlett gave an "interview" to The Sunday Times. This was an opinion piece presented as an interview to get around rules that stopped news from being published. It was published on 17 October and was the first detailed account of the campaign. It was widely shared and published in other newspapers like The Times and Daily Mail, as well as in Australian papers.
After the War
After the war, Ashmead-Bartlett needed money. He went on a lecture tour around England and Australia. He also reported on the fighting on the Western Front in France.
Ashmead-Bartlett did not like Communism. After the war, he fought against the Bolsheviks in Hungary. From 1924 to 1926, he served as a Member of Parliament for the Hammersmith North area in London, representing the Conservative Party. Later, Ashmead-Bartlett became The Daily Telegraph's correspondent in India. His reports showed that he strongly disagreed with Gandhi's fight for India's independence.
Later Life and Death
Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett died in Lisbon, Portugal, on 4 May 1931. He was 50 years old.
His Books and Writings
- Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett (1910). The Passing of The Shereefian Empire. Edinburgh and London, William Blackwood and sons.
- Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett (1923). The Tragedy of Central Europe. London, Thornton Butterworth Ltd.
- Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett (1929). The Riddle of Russia. A series of 22 articles for the Daily Telegraph, published from 22 January to 20 February 1929.
