Chapter II.
Mobilizing an Expeditionary Force for an Unknown Destination.

The choice of the selection of men to form the force fell upon the Wellington and Auckland Military Districts, and without an hour's delay the business of mobilizing commenced.

Colonel Robert Logan, A.D.C., N.Z.S.C., Commanding Auckland Military District, was appointed to command the Force and reported by first train to Headquarters.

It so happened that Friday was the ordinary parade night, both in Wellington and in Auckland, for the units which were to comprise the majority of the force, and owing to the rumours of war there were full musters and excitement ran high.

The 5th Wellington Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel C. Harcourt Turner, was on parade in Wellington, and the appearance of the Commandant with his Chief Staff Officer, and their earnest conversation with the O.C., were sufficient to raise the hopes of the parade to the highest pitch. These hopes were well founded. Colonel Turner received instructions to mobilize for active service overseas, two companies of the Regiment with double machine gun sections, to be ready to embark at 9 a.m. on the following Tuesday.

Captain R. S. McQuarrie, with D. Battery, had anticipated the call, and was ready with his men paraded. His instructions were to mobilize a 4-gun battery, with a strength of four officers and 96 men, to bo ready for embarkation at noon Monday.

No. 4 Field Company, N.Z. Engineers, were also on parade under Captain D. J. Gibbs, and the latter was called upon to provide two sections of Engineers.

A rush of volunteers immediately set in, and as a Wellington Battalion parade had already been called for the following afternoon the main work of enrolling was held over for the morrow.

Colonel Robert Logan, C.B., A.D.C., N.Z.S.C.
Commander Samoan Expeditionary Force and Administrator of Samoa,
1914-1919

But no time was lost in perfecting the organisation required for the task of mobilizing. Details of officers were told off for the purpose of taking attestations, Colonel C. M. Begg, P.M.O., arranged to muster every available medical officer for the purpose of medically examining the volunteers, and arrangements were made with the Defense Stores to have available all necessary extra equipment beyond that already on issue.

Aucklanders also had been moving apace. At Friday's parade a number of the Divisional Signaling Corps had notified their intention of volunteering for service whenever and wherever required, but no official call had then been made. They had not long to wait, for a few hours later they were knocked up from their beds by special messengers from the Defense Department with instructions to proceed to Wellington by that day's train (Saturday) for service overseas. They mobilized early in the morning, 25 men under Lieutenant H. C. Cotton, and despite the fact that only half an hour's notice of their departure had been given to the public, a great crowd assembled at the Auckland railway station to give a fitting send off to the first New Zealand unit to move in the War.

Saturday saw the drill halls and recruiting depots throughout the Wellington and Auckland military districts seething with activity and excitement. At the Wellington Barrack Hall, a band of devoted volunteer workers were busily plying their needles, and carryalls and cholera belts were fast taking shape for inclusion in the kits.

Outside, Buckle Street was a dense crowd of spectators. The drill yard fence gave an airy vantage point to the more agile and the 5th Wellington Regimental Band added a touch of martial music.

A notable feature of the parade was the air of gravity which pervaded everyone, the troops as well as the public. A Force was required for an unknown destination overseas. Many names had been handed in and the serious business of actually enrolling volunteers was about to begin. Officers commanding units were ready to commence the work.

The response was unanimous. Quietly and orderly the volunteers came forward, draft after draft was formed into detachments and marched into the drill shed, where each volunteer underwent a rigid examination at the hands of the Officer Commanding before being passed on for medical examination, attestation for active service, and issue of kit.

Preference in the selection from the many who volunteered was given to men serving with the Territorials, or who had previous volunteering service, and ex-soldiers and sailors of H.M. Forces. But many an ardent spirit resorted to devices fair or foul to be included, and many a sigh of relief was breathed by ex-college boys, whose only service had been a year in the College Cadets, and by volunteers whose only parades had been compulsory ones.

The selection of officers presented a problem, the difficulty not being in the selection of suitable officers, but in the rejection of those beyond the number required. The appointment of N.C.Os. also presented similar difficulties. All volunteers below commissioned rank had been attested as privates though many held commissions in the Territorial Forces and many others had years of service as volunteer officers and N.C.Os.

Owing to the secret nature of the expedition great difficulty was experienced by the Engineers in deciding upon the technical equipment to be taken, but the Royal Engineer mobilization tables were taken to provide sufficient to carry on with. In addition to Captain Gibbs, Lieutenant A. A. Macnab and 58 N.C.O's and men were attested on the Saturday, and completed the complement of the Field Company, N.Z. Engineers.

Four motor launches were also secured and men trained in surfboat work were sworn in to take charge of them.

Practically the full strength of the Battery was attested, the few additional men required being drawn from the reserve.

The establishment of the Battery was to be two 15 pdr. B. L. Mark IV.. and two 6 pdr. Q.F. Nordenfeldt guns, without horses or waggons. With Captain McQuarrie were Lieuts. F. W. Reed and G. H. Forsythe and 2nd Lieut. C. H. Mitchell.

The assembling of the 258 officers and men of the Railway Engineers (though they were drawn from all parts of the South page 19

New Zealand Railway Engineers for Samoa parading at Wellington,11th August, 1914.

page 20as well as the North Island), presented no difficulties, owing to the fact that they were all members of the N.Z. Railway Department and of the well-organised and equipped N.Z. Railway Battalions. Within 24 hours of the call being made for volunteers they paraded in Wellington, completely uniformed, armed and equipped. The company was commanded by Captain P. St. J: Keenan, Staff Officer to the Railway Battalions.^*

Lieut.-Colonel Matthew Holmes accepted the command of the N.Z. Medical Corps, which was to comprise four medical officers, two dental surgeons, six nursing sisters and 66 rank and file, and was to be equipped as a small base hospital as well as a field ambulance. The nursing sisters were chosen from the senior sisters then in Wellington and Christchurch, who had volunteered for service in the event of war being declared. The dental surgeons, being an innovation, had not had previous territorial rank.

No mention was made as to the possible destination of the force nor the circumstance under which it would be required to work, matters of vital importance, as medical requisites vary considerably between tropical and temperate climates.

It was somewhat difficult to assemble and equip the X.Z.M.C. at such short notice, as they were drawn from the various medical units in the Wellington Medical District, such as Stratford, Masterton, Hastings, Palmerston North and Wellington, but though the telegrams calling for volunteers were despatched only on Saturday the 8th, more than the required number of men arrived in Wellington on the following Monday.

Almost all were serving in the Territorials, or were men who had had previous service with the N.Z.M.C., and there were far more N.C.Os. than were necessary. The establishment was fixed as for a Headquarter's section of Field Ambulance as laid down in War establishment for the Imperial Army, the extra N.C.Os. being instructed that they would have to take the rank and pay of privates. This they all readily consented to do.

The 5th Wellington Regimental Band also had sought and been granted permission to proceed with the Regiment, a condition being imposed that only instrumentalists, who were trained infantrymen were to be permitted to embark. No difficulty was experienced in obtaining a band of 26 men (under Bandmaster P. Cole) who had served their time in the ranks.

Wellington City being unable to provide the full complement of trained machine gunners, the shortage was filled from other machine gun units in the Wellington District, and two well-trained sections under Captains Wilkinson and Simeon, with Lieut. Bennett, were not behindhand in mobilizing.

Sunday the 9th was devoted to further enlisting and to the equipping of the men. The Battery embarked their guns, ammunition and stores, and by noon, Monday, were on parade, fully equipped.

The full complement of the 5th Regiment—18 officers and 541 men—was made up on the Monday, and while the last of the men were being selected a fireman from a steamer that had just made port ran into the drill hall, covered with the evidence of his occupation and with perspiration streaming from his face. He fell in on the left of the squad, too much out of breath to speak, and in due course produced his Imperial Army discharge. He had learned only on reaching port that a force was mobilizing, and had rushed to the drill hall in the hopes that he would not be too late.

Meantime Aucklanders had been moving, and Major W. Kay, Officer Commanding 3rd Auckland Regiment, with five officers and 248 rank and file, had been given a rousing send-off by special train, which left Auckland for Wellington, at 3.30 p.m. on Monday, 10th August.

The train was so overcrowded that the men had to sit upright all night, but they were well feted with warm receptions en route at wayside stations, where residents turned out en masse with the local bands to play them through. They arrived in [Wellington before midday on the following day, a cheerful-looking lot, and appeared to average a good deal older than the local men.

Throughout the Wellington District also the quotas were despatched on Monday, the 10th. At Hawera a detachment of A.S.C. and Medical Corps entrained amidst much enthusiasm, and a detachment of Railway Engineers joined the train at Wanganui. An immense crowd at the Napier railway station farewelled a handful of local men, and at Masterton the whole town turned out with its band to give a fitting send-off to its fourteen volunteers.

Promptly up to time on the Tuesday morning (11th August) the General Officer Commanding was advised that the required Force was on parade, fully equipped and ready to embark.

The work had been performed entirely by the Regimental officers, and without any assistance from the Permanent Staff. Surely this may fairly be claimed to constitute a record for mobilizing an Expeditionary Force for overseas from Territorial units composed of citizens in civil occupations, and may proudly be regarded as an example of the latent patriotism deeply rooted in the British youth of our grand young country.

Conjecture had been rife during the past busy days as to the destination of the Force, and the Prime Minister made a statement on the subject, on the floor of the House: "I have been given to understand," he said, "that an idea obtains in some quarters that our men are not going to the front, but are simply going to be used for garrison duty to relieve regular troops.

"I am in a position to state that this is not the case.

"The N.Z.E.F. will go to Europe, and in all probability they will call at an English port for orders. What I am saying now applies generally, because it must be understood that directly the Force leaves New Zealand they are Imperial troops in every sense of the word, and under the Imperial authorities. What I am saying now may not apply to every company or to every regiment. I am quite sure that our men will be glad to learn that within a few weeks of their leaving here they may be at the front, probably in the firing line."

Author's Note.—When this statement was made the Main Body also had commenced to mobilize, the Samoan Expedition being then known as the Advance Section of the Expeditionary Force.