The Move Forward to Varna
being delayed by fog. St Arnaud, speaking Italian because Omar's French was poor, outlined the Emperor's suggestions for the allied armies; a march through the Balkan Range to Adrianople, or an assault landing at Odessa, from where they could operate against the rear of the Russian Danube army. Omar dismissed both of these. He explained that he was most vulnerable on his right, where the Russians were seeking to exploit forward through Silistra. He wanted the allies at Varna, from which point it would be easy to exploit that flank if Silistra suddenly fell, which he reckoned to be a strong possibility. That would leave him free to operate towards Bucharest on his left.
St Arnaud and Raglan went with the plan and agreed to move to Varna at once. Both were impressed by the totally professional attitude and evident military competence displayed by Omar throughout the meeting. There was no further discussion about the Turkish Army coming under direct command.
Raglan could not get the British Army away from Scutari soon enough. Since his arrival, units had been consolidating mainly in tented camps in the immediate vicinity - some unfortunates had been billeted in the Turkish Barracks, later to become the base military hospital, a vast hollow square building, imposing on the outside, but flea- and rat-infested within. The small town of Scutari itself was as unattractive as Gallipoli, but just across the Bosphorus the fleshpots of Constantinople beckoned. The Jewish and Armenian money-changers did a roaring trade around the camps. One thing they never changed was their monotonous irritating call 'Change de monnish, John, I say Johnny, change de monish' which for many soldiers would be their lasting memory of Scutari. The troops quickly discovered how amazingly cheap a typical lads' night out cost, if you didn't set your standards in drink and women too high. The result was mass drunkeness and rocketing VD figures. Officers ran the same risks at ten times the prices. It was with sighs of relief therefore at command level that the Light Division began their embarkation on 28th May.
Suddenly, with the move in full swing, a surprise development came from the French. When St Arnaud had reached Gallipoli to organise his move, he discovered that due partly to a lack of transport vessels, much of the army including the bulk of his artillery and cavalry still hadn't arrived. Also his complete 4th Division had been diverted
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