What Dominic Sandbrook has said about Gallipoli campaign

Sandbrook contends that blaming the Gallipoli generals is too harsh because politicians placed them in an impossible situation.

“I think blaming the generals for this is too harsh. They're in an impossible situation and it's, you know, it's Churchill's fault”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 32:45

Sandbrook argues that even a successful Gallipoli operation would have achieved little, since the fleet could not have taken Constantinople.

“But the mad thing is, even if the Gallipoli campaign had worked. So what? So what?”

The Rest Is History: 676. The First World War: Churchill’s Calamity (Part 6) (Jun 3, 2026) · Listen from 58:50

Sandbrook, while describing himself as Asquith's defender, concedes Asquith was not on form when the plan was approved.

“Asquith has no greater defender in the world of podcasting than me. However, even I would have to concede he is not on form”

The Rest Is History: 675. The First World War: Slaughter at Gallipoli (Part 5) (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 26:54

Sandbrook argues that many War Council members treated the scheme as a low-cost sideshow and did not take it seriously enough.

“I think a lot of the people around the table just do not take this seriously enough”

The Rest Is History: 675. The First World War: Slaughter at Gallipoli (Part 5) (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 28:11

Sandbrook likens the War Council's decision to escalate after the naval defeat to American escalation in Vietnam.

“A really good analogy is Vietnam. You know, a humiliation or a defeat here would be so catastrophic for America's image abroad”

The Rest Is History: 675. The First World War: Slaughter at Gallipoli (Part 5) (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 39:13

Sandbrook defends Sir Ian Hamilton, saying he was not a donkey though critics could call him a dilettante.

“I mean, he's definitely not a donkey. If you were being very critical of him, you'd say he was a bit of a dilettante”

The Rest Is History: 675. The First World War: Slaughter at Gallipoli (Part 5) (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 44:04

Sandbrook says the planners of D-Day were shaped by the lesson of Gallipoli's failure.

“Gallipoli is at the back of their minds all through D-Day because it was such a shambles”

The Rest Is History: 675. The First World War: Slaughter at Gallipoli (Part 5) (May 31, 2026) · Listen from 57:41