The Gardeners of Salonika by Alan Palmer

Author:Alan Palmer [Alan Palmer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780571280933
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2011-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

His memorandum, which was written for the War Cabinet four days after returning from Paris, advised that Salonika should be abandoned and a defensive position established in Greece, which the Serb and Greek forces would hold ‘with the stiffening of three or four French, British or Italian divisions’.

Robertson had, of course, over-stated his case. He knew nothing of the Balkans and had no concept of the serious political consequences of the policy he recommended. The Serbian Government left Lloyd George in no doubt of their view. Victory in Macedonia, they said, was more easily attainable than in any other theatre of war. With 100,000 more men, success would be certain; but, conversely, weakening of the Entente forces would mean that the Serbian Army ‘would cease to have trust in the Allies’. Once again, Lloyd George compromised. At the London conference, he announced that, while the British had every intention of transferring the troops as they had said in Paris, they would not withdraw any additional units without prior discussion with the Allies, and only then if unexpected events occurred. Reluctantly, the other delegates accepted the British decision. They knew that they had at least made it difficult for the British to pull any more troops out of the Balkans.

The Paris and London conferences widened the gulf between the Westerners and Easterners and left neither camp satisfied. The extremes of irritation were voiced by Robertson, on the one hand, and Sarrail in Salonika on the other. In a private letter to Haig on August 9th, Robertson showed how badly he had taken his defeat:

‘Our friends the Allies returned to their respective countries yesterday. The Conference lasted two days. It was of the usual character and resulted in the usual waste of time…. He (i.e. Lloyd George) is a real bad ’un. The other members of the War Cabinet seem afraid of him. Milner is a tired, dyspeptic old man. Curzon a gas-bag. Bonar Law equals Bonar Law. Smuts has good instinct but lacks knowledge. On the whole he is best, but they help one very little’.

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