“Artillery Headquarters landed with the boats of the first tow, which reached the shore a few minutes before 10 a.m. [25 April], and the C.R.A. [Commander(ing) Royal Artillery] and staff immediately commenced to reconnoitre positions for the Brigade. It needed no reconnaissance to show that in such country it would be a matter of the greatest difficulty to select positions for the 18pr. batteries; it was, however, quite suited for howitzers.

“On the evening of May 5th, after dusk, the men crowded on board the lighters and were towed out to the destroyers and minesweepers, which were to carry them to the southern sector. During the embarkation Brian Willis was fatally hit, but there was no other mishap, except that, in the darkness, some of the lighters were lost and drifted round in the cold for a couple of hours.” [Excerpt From: O. E. Burton. “The Auckland Regiment.”]

The assembled force in the fleet at Mudros consisted of over 75,000 personnel in 84 ships:-

29th Division 17,649 personnel in 15 ships
ANZAC Division 30,638 personnel in 35 ships
French Division 16,762 personnel in 22 ships
Royal Naval Division 10,007 personnel in 12 ships

The first of the New Zealand troops arrived at Mudros on the Lutzow on Thursday, 15 April. On board was Godley’s Headquarters, the Auckland Battalion, and half the Canterbury Battalion. The rendezvous of the Division was complete by 20 April with the arrival of the Goslar.

Originally the plan had been to make the landings at the Dardanelles on 23 April 1915 but bad weather and poor inter-ship communications delayed preparations.

William (Bill) Ham was born in Ireland on 14 April 1892 and emigrated to New Zealand with his parents and brothers in 1900. The family originally settled in Gisborne but later moved to Nelson.

At the time he enlisted at Nelson on 15 August 1914 he was employed as a labourer by the Waimea County Council. He embarked from Wellington with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion (part of the Main Body) on HMNZT 11 (the “Athenic”, the same ship that had transported him and his family to New Zealand) and departed for Egypt on 16 October 1914.

“The following morning—Sunday, 30th August—the flag was formally hoisted on the Court House, and the occupation proclaimed by Colonel Logan at the head of his troops, and in the presence of the Naval officers and many of the European and native inhabitants, while the "Psyche" boomed a salute from the Bay. The Occupation was complete.” [Excerpt From: Stephen John Smith. “The Samoa (N.Z.) Expeditionary Force 1914–1915.”]

“An hour passed with nothing being heard from the landing party [delivering a summons to the German Governor to surrender]. After another half-hour's suspense the white flag was lowered from the "Psyche." The small cruisers moved closer in and simultaneously the transports moved seaward. The troops —in breathless expectation—waited every moment to see hostilities opened. But almost immediately the signal flags again fluttered and like wildfire the news ran through the Fleet that no resistance would be offered to the landing party.

The Samoa Advance Party had already marched through Wellington from Buckle Street to the awaiting troopships, Moeraki and Monowai, on 12 August and embarked and, apparently, set sail for Samoa at 7 pm that evening. “But the troopers pulled out into the stream and dropped anchor in the lee of Soames Island, for the Admiralty Sailing Orders had not yet arrived.”

“Training was being carried out in long distance route marches, the weight of packs being increased to at least 70 pounds in order to bring the Force up to the state of fitness required for a campaign in the rough and mountainous country of the Gallipoli Peninsula—the scene of the coming struggle. The final preparations of organisation and equipment were now effected, and on Friday, April 9th, entraining for Alexandria commenced.

“On the evening of September 24th the Otago and Canterbury transports arrived in Wellington Harbour; by the morning of September 25th, under escort of H.M.S. Psyche, they were ready to join the Auckland and Wellington transports, which had already put to sea.