The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 79

The New Zealand Army (By E. E. M.)

ew zealand's military efforts during the war have been devoted to the raising and upkeep of no fewer than four separate forces besides the maintenance of the territorial army and senior cadets as the country's "schools of war" and for use in the event of emergency. These four separate forces comprise:

(1). The Expeditionary Force which occupied Samoa, and the maintenance of a permanent garrison there.

(2). The raising of the Main Expeditionary Force for employment in Europe, its maintenance by means of reinforcements, and its enlargement by the addition of new units also requiring reinforcements.

(3). The Tunnelling Corps for employment on the Western Front

(4). The Wireless Troop for use in Mesopotamia.

The Taking of Samoa

The original Samoan force comprised: Head-quarters, Field Artillery, Engineers, one Infantry Battalion, Detachment Army Service Corps, N.Z. Medical Corps. It left Wellington on 15th August, 1914, or only eleven days after the outbreak of war, and was thus the first British Expeditionary Force to be despatched overseas. Under the protection of H.M.A.S. "Australia" and other warships, it occupied Apia, the capital of German Samoa, on 29th August, the landing being unopposed. New Zealand thereby had the honour of having been the first among the Allied combatants to wrest territory permanently from the German Crown. The administration was taken over, and the force remained in undisturbed occupation for eight months, though upon one occasion the "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" appeared off Apia and trained their guns on the garrison. The German cruisers, however, did not fire, and soon departed. Some months later the original force was gradually withdrawn, being replaced by a permanent Garrison of New Zealanders of from 42 to 50 years of age.

The Main Body

The European Expeditionary Force with 1st Reinforcements comprised 8,400 officers and men. Officially known as the Main Body, it was constituted on the district basis as follows:—Head-

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Camp Headquarters Staff, Trentham

Back Row:—Lieut. Sheppard. Paymaster: Lieut. Weir: Regt. Sergt.-Major Luckham: Sergt-Major Cunnings. W. O., Camp S. M.: Lieut Bridge. O. C. Records: Q. M. S. Mcnair, W. O.: Capt. Boon. Assistant Q. M.

Front Row:—Lieut. Hoar. Assist. Infantry Instructor: Lieut Cheater. Assist. Infantry Instructor: Capt. Bell. Assist. Adjt.: Capt. Dovey. Adit. Lieut. Col Potter. Camp Commandant.: Lieut. Col. Andrew. P. M. O.: Capt. Purdon. Chief Musketry Instructor. Major Mooney. Camp. O. M. Assint. Lieut. Col. Macdonald. Chief Inferntry Investor.

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quarters, Mounted Rifle Brigade (Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment, Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment, Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment), One Independent Mounted Rifles Regiment (the Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment), one Infantry Brigade (Auckland Battalion, Canterbury Battalion, Otago Battalion. Wellington Battalion), Divisional Artillery, Divisional Signal Service, Divisional Transport and Supply Unit, Divisional Medical Units, Divisional Army Troops.

The force was mobilised immediately after the outbreak of war, and went into four camps for training, namely, Alexandra Park (Auckland), Awapuni Racecourse (Palmerston North), Hagley Park (Christchurch), and Táhuna Park (Dunedin). The local units were concentrated in their respective local camps, while the national units were generally distributed, the Divisional Artillery going to Palmerston North. The Force sailed from Wellington on 16th October, 1914, in a fleet of ten transports under the escort of five warships, including H.M.S. "Minotaur," Flagship of the China Squadron, and the Japanese Cruiser "Ibuki." The fleet joined the Australian Expeditionary Force at Albany, and proceeded to Alexandria. There the two forces disembarked, and they were converted into the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, consisting of the 1st Australian Division (complete) and a mixed division of New Zealand and Australian troops. The Corps was welded together on the sands of Egypt, and received its baptismal fire while guarding the Suez Canal in February, 1915, when it repulsed a Turkish attack. Later it was employed in the attempt to force the Dardanelles; which is now a matter of history.

Reinforcements and New Units

With the departure of the Main Body the Government and Defence authorities, acting upon strict European military lines, proceeded at once with the raising of regular drafts of reinforcements to maintain the force in the field. Trentham was chosen for the purpose of mobilisation and training. The Main Body had hardly been gone a week before the 2nd Reinforcements were in training; and the work of raising these drafts has gone on with unbroken regularity ever since.

The authorities, however, were not content with this; from the beginning they commenced increasing the size of our page 22 Expeditionary Force in the field by adding many new units, including the Maori Contingent and fresh artillery, and in April, 1915, embarked upon a big undertaking in this way by raising two new battalions with transport and ambulance complete. These, originally named the Trentham Regiment, went into camp in May, 1915, and after four months' training departed for Egypt. In August the Government decided to add to this effort by creating a further two battalions, thus forming a 2nd Infantry Brigade with the necessary transport and ambulance establishments. The original Trentham Regiment thus became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the new brigade and the new battalions the 3rd and 4th Battalions. The latter went into camp in October for four months' training, and left New Zealand in February last Other fresh units were added to New Zealand's military effort in the form of the Tunnelling Corps and Wireless Troop for service in other spheres of action.

Increased Reinforcements

Over and above these efforts, New Zealand greatly increased the rate of her reinforcements until in March of the present year she was despatching them at the rate of 2,500 officers and men per month, or 30,000 per year. She likewise accelerated their despatch towards the end of 1915, with the result that, when the New Zealand Expeditionary Force returned to Egypt after the evacuation of Gallipoli, the Dominion's reinforcements accumulated to such an extent that the authorities there were able to form a 3rd New Zealand Infantry Brigade, together with two new Brigades of Field Artillery, and to constitute a complete New Zealand Division, plus the Mounted Rifles Brigade.

The Total Force Abroad

That, briefly told, is the story of New Zealand's military efforts to date. It requires no embellishment except to point out that New Zealand to-day is maintaining Overseas Forces of not less than 22,000 men in helping to win the war. Those forces comprise: One Division (complete) Mounted Rifles Brigade, Tunnelling Corps, Wireless Troop, Samoan Garrison.

Including the men who are now being trained, New Zealand has raised over 55,000 soldiers for service overseas, and the recruiting continues steadily.

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War Policy on European Lines

One of the most creditable features of the creation of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force as it exists to-day is that it has been modelled upon strict European military lines, and, being thoroughly trained and equipped, it must play its proper role in the great European War. Considering that New Zealand is the farthest removed of the combatant countries from the scene of conflict, this is a fact of which New Zealanders may justly feel proud. It means that whatever sacrifices New Zealand may make she will get full value for them in helping to crush the enemy, and that her soldiers in fighting the Germans will be given the maximum chance of coming through safely.

The present size of our Army in the field is also noteworthy as representing the fulfilment of New Zealand's declared war policy of " not placing a maximum force in the field for a few weeks, but of maintaining the greatest possible force in the field for the estimated duration of the war." We have, in fact, built up a maximum force which it will take us all our time to maintain; in other words, Germany is to feel our maximum effort from now on—the deciding stage of the war. This forms a conclusive answer, surely, to the amateurs who talked so glibly some time ago about sending fresh "Contingents" of 10,000 and 50,000 men that we could never have maintained, much less trained and equipped and despatched to the seat of war. The Hon. James Allen and his advisers, nevertheless, had much to do to combat these impetuous, ill-informed enthusiasts. Happily, knowledge and wisdom prevailed, to the everlasting credit of New Zealand and theglory of her arms.

No treatise on the New Zealand Army can omit that very important unit—the Nursing Service (now about 351 sisters and nurses)—whose cheerful, tireless devotion to duty has won the Army's heart.

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