Main Body sails 16 October 1914 - 100 years ago today.

One hundred years ago today the Main Body of the New Zealand Expeditionary force embarked on its journey to the battlefields of WW1.

Aboard 10 troopships were Major-General Sir Alexander Godley the commander of the force, 8,454 soldiers, 3,815 horses and one woman Louisa Godley (wife of Major- General Sir Godley).  The force departed Kings Wharf, Wellington the largest body of men ever to leave the shores of New Zealand at any one time.

Most on board were expecting to go to England and then onto the war in France, however after the Ottoman Empire entered the war in October 1914 and the New Zealander's together with 27 Australian troopships with whom they had joined were diverted to Egypt arriving on 3 December 1914.

For many on board it was the first time they had left the shores of New Zealand in their minds they had likely conjured up the image of a great adventure, fighting for King and country in foreign lands.  None could have foreseen the horrors that they would experience over the next four years.  Some would never return and those that did were often never the same again.

Of the 40 men remembered on the Hunterville, Whanganui memorial 14 of them sailed with the Main Body on 16 October 1914.  Little did they know as they left New Zealand it would be for the last time.  Below is a small tribute to those 14 men:

Edward Rippon Armstrong - 11/1

 

Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles

Killed in Action at Gallipoli on 9 August, aged 23.

Remembered on the Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey.

Thomas George Ball - 11/137 / 11/187

 Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles

Killed in Action at Gallipoli on 9 August, aged 25.

Buried at Baby 700 Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey.

Melville James Bull - 11/14

 

Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles

Killed in Action at Gallipoli on 9 August, aged 21.

Remembered on the Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey. 

Charles John Canton - 2/299

 

Embarked 16 October 1914, Field Artillery

Killed in Action, 19 May 1915 at Gallipoli

Buried at Walker's Ridge Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey.

Robert Guy Chamberlin - 11/23

 

Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles

Killed in Action at Gallipoli on 6 August, aged 21.

Remembered at No. 2 Outpost Cemetery, Turkey.

William Dawbin - 11/41

Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles

Died of Wounds received at Gallipoli, 22 August 1915

Buried Compton Dundon (St. Andrew) Churchyard Extension, Somerset, England.


Claude Victor Adrian Meads - 11/105
Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles
Killed in Action at Gallipoli, 6 September 1915
He is remember at Embarkation Pier Cemetery, Turkey

Glen Urquhart Mclean - 11/103
Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles 
Died of wounds received at Gallipoli, 13 August 1915 at sea.
Aged 22 
Buried at East Mudros Military Cemetery, Lemnos, Greece 

Hugh Graham Pringle - 11/116
Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles
Killed in Action at Gallipoli, 9 August 1915, aged 26
Remembered on Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey


Frank Jennings Rule - 10/502
Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Infantry Battalion
Died of wounds received at Gallipoli, 26 May 1915
Buried at Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt

Charles Bruce Stuart-Menteath -10/1082  Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Infantry Battalion
Killed in action between 6 May 1915 - 10 May 1915, Gallipoli
Aged 23
Remembered on Twelve Tree Copse (New Zealand) Memorial, Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Helles, Turkey

Augustus Alfred Tegner - 11/154
Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles 
Died on service, suicide, 6 March 1918, Mesopotamia
Buried at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Waziriah Area of the Al-Russafa district, Baghdad, Iraq


Francis Darbyshire Twistleton - 11/158
Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles 
Killed in Action 9 August 1915, Wellington Mounted Rifles, aged 26
Remembered on Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey





Charles Watt - 11/165 
 Embarked 16 October 1914, Wellington Mounted Rifles 
Killed in Action 30 May 1915, Gallipoli, aged 34
Remembered on Lone Pine Memorial, Lone Pine Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey


Photos sourced from Auckland Museum Cenotaph database
http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/locations.aspx?