Roque was also uncomfortable. Six African divisions in France finally arrived in Cyprus. There were a total of 90,000 people, but less than 60,000 were left in one day. Southern Africa had more than 2,000 doctors and nurses in France, but the Southern African Expeditionary Force
Many officers and soldiers were unable to receive effective treatment after being injured. In just one week, nearly 3,000 officers and soldiers died in the hospital. Everyone in the Southern African Expeditionary Force was filled with incomprehensible grief and anger.
In order to restore the combat effectiveness of the troops as soon as possible, Rock reorganized the six divisions into four divisions. The 103rd Division and the 105th Division were deorganized. When reporting to the War Department, Kitchener said nothing.
Roque's meaning is very clear. These two divisions will not be restored to form, and the Southern African Expeditionary Force will not send additional troops to Europe. The scale will remain at the current level of about 250,000 people.
So far, Southern Africa has sent 500,000 expeditionary troops to Europe, with more than 250,000 casualties.
Since the beginning of winter, some Southern African expeditionary officers and soldiers have taken leave and returned to Southern Africa to visit relatives. Many of them have been fighting in Europe for a year and a half. Officers' families can accompany the army. Long-term separation of soldiers and their families will lead to many serious problems.
Roque was very generous. While arranging vacations for some officers and soldiers, he also encouraged their families to come to Cyprus, and the expeditionary force headquarters reimbursed all expenses.
This holiday is definitely a paid holiday. The Expeditionary Force Command has also prepared gifts for the families of the officers and soldiers, wishing them a happy holiday.
Before Christmas, Rock and Phyllis worked non-stop, visiting all hospitals and nursing homes in Cyprus to visit the expeditionary officers and soldiers who were injured in the previous phase of the battle.
This time it was not just the soldiers of the Southern African Expeditionary Force, but all the Allied Forces soldiers who were being treated in Cyprus. Rock sent his best wishes and New Year's gifts carefully prepared by the Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
New Year's gifts include personal items and the Dardanelles Battle Commemorative Medal. All officers and soldiers participating in the war have them. The injured officers and soldiers also receive an additional Contribution Medal. According to British tradition, the Dardanelles Battle Commemorative Medal is used
Cast from a bronze cannon captured in Constantinople, each commemorative medal is only the size of a coin. The cost is not expensive, but it is the first medal that many officers and soldiers have received in their lives.
Roque also received one, which was made of bronze like the medals received by ordinary soldiers. However, Roque wore the medal at the top of his chest, alongside the Victoria Cross with a horizontal bar on the ribbon and the Order of the Garter.
If this trend continues, it is estimated that after the end of the world war, Roque will probably have endless medals on his chest.
On Christmas Eve, a condolence team sent from London performed for the soldiers of the expeditionary force in Cyprus. Rock and Phyllis attended in their best attire.
"Honey, are you okay? Come on, we can't miss Malvina Longfellow's performance -" Phyllis was very excited. Rock really didn't expect that there were groupies in 1914.
.
Malvina Longfellow was the most outstanding actress in the silent film era. She was famous for her beauty before she officially became an actress. In 1911, Malvina Longfellow was named "the most beautiful woman in the world" by the media.
Girl", famous beauty experts and photographers at the time believed that her figure and appearance were "the most beautiful among American and British girls".
To be honest, Rock had almost no impression of the stars of the silent film era. Except for the famous Chaplin, Rock had never even heard of Malvina Longfellow.
"What movies has she appeared in?" Rock was curious. There are movie theaters in southern Africa, and there is even a film company under Rock's name, but Rock has never seen a movie.
"Ha, you're asking me, I haven't seen it either." Phyllis turned out to be a fake fan, and it's understandable if you think about it. Without Roark's company, Phyllis probably wouldn't have much interest in the cinema.
The performance was held in the auditorium of the headquarters. Rock and Phyllis brought the excited children to the auditorium, but they got unexpected news.
Malvina Longfellow fell ill just after arriving in Cyprus and was unable to attend the evening's performance.
Rock didn't care, and he and Phyllis still went to the auditorium. After the cheers and applause of the officers, soldiers and their families, the performance officially began.
Purely in terms of stage performance and artistic appreciation value, condolence performances in this era are really not very attractive, but fortunately the actors are very dedicated and there is live accompaniment by a band, so the atmosphere is not bad.
Halfway through the show, Rock noticed Sidney Milner and Angel appear next to the stage.
Rock didn't want to affect the mood of Phyllis and the children, so he waited until the show came to an end before leaving the auditorium.
"The Ottoman Empire surrendered——" Sidney Milner's news was earth-shattering.
"When?" Roque was surprised. No matter how the Ottoman Empire surrendered, Roque was a well-deserved winner.
"Just now, Enver Pasha was assassinated and killed, Mohammed V abdicated, and the Ottoman Empire surrendered unconditionally——" Sidney Milner beamed with joy. This was the collective glory of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and everyone was honored.
Yan.
"Very good, Ian, you come and announce the news." Rock gave up the power to announce the news to Ian Hamilton, which will not affect Rock's honor.
"No, no, no, Locke, you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. You should be the one to announce this news-" Ian Hamilton laughed. No one can deny Locke's role in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Without Locke,
If you don't, there will be no victory now.
Many officers and soldiers have noticed the situation here, and the performance has been temporarily stopped.
Rock and Ian Hamilton and a dozen generals of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force took to the stage together. A large field of gold stars shone under the light. Rock was in the center of the stage, and Ian Hamilton and the generals formed a semicircle.
Standing behind Rock, he tried his best to highlight Rock's status.
"I just received the news that the Ottoman Empire surrendered and we won the victory-" Rock just said a few words before his voice was drowned by huge cheers.
For a moment, the auditorium, which could accommodate more than a thousand people, was so shocked that you could hear a pin drop.
But as Roque announced the surrender of the Ottoman Empire, the officers and soldiers could no longer hold it in any longer. They jumped up from their seats and cheered. Some even threw their hats into the air. Whether they knew each other or not, they were all talking to them.
The people hugged each other, and many people burst into tears. No one expected that the Ottoman Empire would surrender at this moment of the special envoy.
It took ten minutes for the cheers and applause to stop.
"Congratulations to all the soldiers of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force - this is our common glory - you will surely go down in history - we will definitely win the final victory - God bless us -" Almost every word of Rock will cause a stir.
There were warm applause and huge cheers, brief speeches were intermittent, and the performance stopped immediately. By the time Rock walked out of the auditorium, gunfire rang out outside.
The soldiers could not suppress their excitement. Only they knew how much hardship they had to endure in order to win the victory.
"Sidney, take out all the cigarettes and wine, let us not get drunk today -" Rock opened up the supply. From October last year to now, in just 14 months, the Ottoman Empire was conquered
Forced to surrender, this was something no one expected before Roque became the commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Roque himself did not expect it to be so smooth.
The Battle of the Dardanelles in another time and space was full of problems from the beginning. From April to December, the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force paid a price of 100,000 men and still failed to capture the Dardanelles Strait.
In this time and space, the casualties of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force also reached more than 100,000. However, under the command of Roque, the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force not only captured the Dardanelles Strait, but also captured the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus Strait.
, occupied Constantinople, and invaded the Asia Minor Peninsula. This was the greatest victory achieved by the Allied Powers since the outbreak of the World War. If the Ottoman Empire had surrendered a month ago, then Haig would definitely not have the opportunity to serve as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force.
This is a quantitative change leading to a qualitative change. When the influence of victory reaches a certain level, it is enough for people to ignore Rock's skin color.
"Okay Lord, we have enough stock for everyone to have a carnival Christmas -" Sidney Milner's beard was shaking.
"Congratulations, Locke, your achievements are unprecedented -" Ian Hamilton sincerely congratulated Locke.
It was indeed unprecedented. The Ottoman Empire, which had existed for 450 years, finally surrendered, bringing a successful end to 1914. Rock could imagine how crazy the newspapers would be tomorrow.
"Congratulations, dear, you did it!" Phyllis also burst into tears with excitement. This is Rock's honor, and it is also the honor of Phyllis, the Nyasaland lady.
"Thank you, this military medal is half of yours, and you, this honor also belongs to you -" Rock held Alvin on his left and Judy on his right. Gavin laughed and clapped, his little ears
I knew what was going on, but after listening enough to feel the mood of the little master, my voice changed its tone.
"My lord, the telegrams from the king and the prime minister -" Angel hurriedly walked, holding a large stack of telegrams in her hand. It seemed that not only the king and the prime minister had sent congratulatory messages to Rock.
Sure enough, there were not only congratulatory messages from George V and Asquith, but also congratulatory messages from Adelaide, French President Poengale, and congratulatory messages from King Victor Emmanuel III of the Kingdom of Italy, and even most of them
With his country in decline and on the verge of abdicating, King Albert I of Belgium, who had always been at odds with Roque, sent congratulatory messages to Roque and the Mediterranean expedition force led by Roque.
It is estimated that many people around the world cannot sleep this night.
(It’s still a little late, brothers, please forgive me——)