Encyclopedia - Mudros
Mudros comprised a small
Greek port on the Mediterranean island of Lemnos. It gained wartime
significance with the determination of the Allies - chiefly the British and
largely through the enthusiasm of
Winston
Churchill - in the early part of 1915 to attempt to seize control of the
Dardanelles Straits, some 50km away.
The harbour at Lemnos was certainly broad enough to sustain British and French warships, although it was recognised at an early stage that there was a potentially troublesome absence of suitable military facilities.
Nonetheless Lemnos gained instant importance with the decision to place the port under British control, specifically in the form of Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss, who was handed a brief to prepare the then largely unused harbour for operations against the Dardanelles.
In the event Lemnos proved as problematic as expected with regard to facilities and supplies. Troops intended for Gallipoli were required to train in Egypt; similarly the port found it difficult to cope with casualties incurred during the ill-starred Gallipoli campaign.
Once the campaign was called off in evident failure at the close of 1915 Mudros' importance receded, although it remained the Allied base for the blockade of the Dardanelles for the duration of the war.
Renewed fame arrived in late October 1918 when the armistice between Turkey and the Allies was signed at Mudros.
'Push' was slang signifying a large-scale attack upon enemy positions.
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