The Dardanelles: Colour Sketches From Gallipoli

In this unexpectedly vivid chronicle, a wartime artist carries his sketchpad from the decks of a cruiser to the sand‑strewn beaches of the Dardanelles, capturing the moment when the great naval bombardments first met the Turkish shore. The opening pages list a series of coloured plates—ships firing, balloons aloft, troops stepping onto ‘A’ and ‘C’ beaches, and the stark landscape of Chocolate Hill and Salt Lake. Through concise commentary the author reflects on the rarity of first‑hand visual testimony in a conflict dominated by written reports.

The narrative also conveys the uneasy calm of a ship’s crew sailing through submarine‑infested waters, the uneasy humor of inoculation on board, and the palpable anticipation as the fleet approaches the narrow strait. By pairing intimate observations with the carefully rendered water‑colours, the book offers listeners a sensory glimpse of the early days of the Gallipoli campaign, before the trench warfare that would later define its tragic legacy.