The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1915.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3996, 31 July 1915, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PU BLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1915.

['Hi: plea by Reuter’s correspondent wivh.tho Mediterranean expedition sake Lei! the people at Home wliat, a tremendous proposition we are up against.” confirms the recent intimation by General Godley to the Minister for Defence that reinforcements will have to be received by the Allies bolero their campaign against the Turks can tie brought to a i-.gceessiul e •'inclusion. It is, we think, just as well ! that one and all should give heed to these warnings, and more especially is this the case in view of the original

The Heavy Task at the Dardanelles.

stories that wore circulated to (lit* effect that the conquest of the Turks would neither be a long nor a particularly arduous task. General Godley, it will be remembered, also expressed the opinion that the casualties :n Flanders could not be proving anything like so heavy relatively as was being experienced in the Dardanelles. r ! he statistics that have been published do not, however, seem to bear out his view of the situation, although such may bo the position when it is taken into account that the Flanders campaign hits been in progress a much greater period than the Gallipoli campaign. Up to April 12 of this year the total British casualties in connection with the whole of the campaigns was 139,347. By May 31, seven weeks later, the total had reached 253.009, of whom just over 50,000 had been killed. The latest lists which were made up to July 18th give the aggregate of British casualties in all campaigns at 321,889, including 61,884 fatalities. As the British casualties in France alone have to date numbered over a quarter of a million it would seem as if close on 25 per cent, of the British troops on the Western Front have suffered more or less seriously as a sequel to being on active service. In the case of the Dardanelles campaign the total British casualties (including naval division) up to July 18 had reached just on 50,000. flow many men are engaged in the Gallipoli campaign lias not been disclosed bub if it should aggregate 200,000 the ratio of casualties has seemingly been equal to that in Flanders. What General Godley may be basing his calculations upon is, however, the fact, as we have already .suggested, that the Gallipoli campaign has been in progress as far as the land forces are concerned only for a period of three months whereas the casualties among the British troops in Fra nee co ver a period of just on twelve months. It may here be pointed out that ns regards casualties among the Colonials at Gallipoli the losses that, have been sustained by tho New Zealand troops are exceeded and only slightly by the losses that have been suffered by the troops of Victoria and those of New Scuta Wales. The figures which we quote were correct as at about a fortnight back.

TASMANIA. Officer.s ..... .‘i 21 Men ... 79 357 32 NEW ZEALAND. Officer*} ... 44 9(5 7 Men .... 088 ‘2210 232 In oilier words it, may ho stated as regards the Gallipoli campaign that in three months nearly half as many British lives have been lost as the total in the whole of the Boer War, which lasted about two and a-lia!!.' years. As far as New Zealand alone is concerned her losses at the Dardanelles in. dead, wounded and missing are officially given at over 3309, including 732 killed, whereas in the Boer War the total of Lhe New Zealand casualties was only 421, including 170 lives lost. The Gallipoli figures, it must be eonlessed, make much sadder reading, but they are the inevitable toll of a great struggle such as I hat. in which this Dominion is to-day participating. Nothing, however, is more certain than that, ike Turkish lone,-; will be completely shattered when the Allies have adequate reinforcements a ve.duble.

VICTORIA. Dead. Wounded. Missing Officers ... 49 94 .‘I Men ... 602 2091 202 NEW SOUTH WALES. Officers ... 47 106 • 5 Men ... 750 2348 197 QUEENSLAND. Officers ... IS 63 7 Men ... 292 1029 97 SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Officers ... 14: 24 1 Men ... 173 815 88 WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 'Officers ... 20 , 30 4 Mon ... 232 934 119