TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Evening Star, Issue 23378, 22 September 1939, Page 10

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

ANNIVERSARY OF MAIN BODY DEPARTURE TROOPSHIPS SAIL FROM PORT CHALMERS To-day the memory of many men in Dunedin and throughout Otago went back to the day when they left here to take part in the Great War of 19141918. Exactly 25 years ago to-day Otago’s first contribution to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, comprising the troops of the Main Body and of the Ist Reinforcements, entrained at Tahuna Park, where they had been mobilised, and, proceeding to Port Chalmers, embarked on the transports Ruapehu and Hawke’s Bay and were enthusiastically farewelled by the public of the province. On the evening of September 24 the Otago and Canterbury transports arrived in Wellington harbour; by the morning of September 25, under the escort of H.M.S. Psyche, they were ready to join the Auckland and Wellington transports, which had already put to sea. At this moment, however, orders were issued by the New Zealand Government that, for Imperial reasons, the sailing of the Expeditionary Force was to be temporarily postponed. In accordance with this unexpected development arrangements were immediately made to disembark all horses and mounted units.

Camps were established in and around Wellington for the mounted units, while the infantry remained on the transports by night and were taken ashore by day and exercised for the first time in tactical operations over the hills around Wellington, one battalion being railed daily to Trentham for musketry practice. On October 14 H.M.S. Minotaur and the Japanese cruiser Ibuki arrived in Wellington Harbour, and the following day the Auckland transports, escorted by H.M.S. Philomel, arrived at Wellington. At 6 a.m. on October 16 the whole convoy, escorted by the Minotaur, Psyche, Philomel, and Ibuki, weighed anchor and proceeded out of Wellington Harbour to sea, cheered, by thousands of people and farewelled by the Governor and Ministers of the Cabinet. Once Cook Strait was cleared the convoy formed up in columns of divisions in lines ahead, with three of the four escorting cruisers steaming at a distance of six miles—one ahead, one on either beam, and the fourth four miles astern, these distances being reduced by less than half during the night. The strength of the Main Body and the Ist Reinforcements totalled 360 officers and 8,067 other ranks, and included 3,815 horses. Hobart was reached on October 21, the convoy sailing again the following day, and reaching Albany on October 28, where was found an amazing assemblage of transports carrying the troops of the first Australian Expeditionary Force. At 5 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, the escort, now consisting of the Australian cruisers Sydney and Melbourne, put to sea, followed by the Australian transports. The New Zealand transports followed in their wake, and on November 3 the Ibuki rejoined the escort. On the night of November 8-9 the convoy passed within 50 miles of the Cocos Islands, and at 6.30 a.m. on the 9th the 80S signal was picked up which resulted in the memorable destruction of the German raider Emden by the Sydney, which had hurriedly left the convoy in response to the signals sent out by the cable station at the Cocos Islands. The announcement of this fine achievement by the Sydney was received with the greatest enthusiasm on the troopin' November 15 the convoy reached Colombo, the victorious Sydney, with 138 prisoners from the battered Emden, subsequently entering the harbour. The prisoners of war were distributed over the New Zealand and Australian troopships. On November 17 the New Zealand troopships, escorted by the cruiser Hampshire, left for Aden, which was reached on November 25. On the following day the journey was continued’ to Suez. On November 28 information was received by wireless that there was a probability of disembarkation at Suez, which meant that, instead of proceeding to England, as was supposed to have originally been the plan, the force was to land in Egypt. This proved to be the case, hut the journey was not yet quite at an end. The great waterway of the Suez Canal, with its defence posts and garrisons of Indian troops, was entered, and Port Said was reached on December 1. The Emden’s prisoners were transferred to the Hampshire, and the convoy left for Alexandria on December 2, arriving there the following day. The troops disembarked next day, and several months later were in action on Gallipoli, this e|)ic adventure to be followed later by grim battles in France, Palestine, and other theatres of war.