Sorry about the thread creep but I'm really interested in Churchill, especially pre-World War II. The info on Peter Painter is fascinating. Don't recall any of that in my Churchill books.

But at the risk of yet more thread creep, my main book, The Last Lion, by William Manchester--(obviously pro-Churchill) states that only 1 ship was sunk on 18 March 1915--the Bouvet. Inflexible, Irresistible, and Ocean were also struck and put out of action--but not sunk. Manchester also states that there were in fact no more mines. Once past Chanak, there were only a few smooth-bore bronze cannon--aimed in the wrong direction. Enver Pasha, Turkey's wartime dictator, said after the war "If the English had only had the courage to rush more ships through the Dardanelles they could have got to Constantinople."

So Churchill was right to push to continue the naval campaign, even after the loss of the Bouvet. At Constantinople the Turks were already panicking.

He also had been right to push to occupy Gallipoli in February--when that plan was vetoed by Kitchener. And to delay til mid April was disastrous.

According to Manchester, Gallipoli "was no natural fortress. Except for a series of jutting heights known as Sari Bair, it was relatively flat and largely barren, covered with stony soil, coarse scrub, a few olive trees and scattered flocks of sheep and goats. Thinly held, as it was before the tumult in the Narrows alerted the Turks, Gallipoli could have been seized in a few days, almost without bloodshed".

What are your sources? I'd like to read more.

Also, in defense of Eric, his song was written from the point of view of an ordinary Aussie soldier--who I imagine would know nothing of the all the missed opportunities and squabbles at higher levels. From his perspective, by the time Hamilton finally landed, Johnny Turk was indeed "ready". With tragic consequences for the ANZACs, as in the song.
According to Manchester "The Anzacs were supposed to come ashore at Gaba Tepe, in the vicinity of Ari Burnu. A navigation error put them a mile to the north, where they faced precipitous cliffs form whose scrub-covered rideges the Turks could deliver a murderous, scything fire." "Another landing was made at Suvla. It was the same story". The commander got 20,000 men ashore. When he did not advance, "Mustapha Kemal arrived and occupied the heights overlooking the beach" .