These images show New Zealand troops en route to German Samoa then, following the demand for German surrender, landing and marching through the streets on 29 August 1914.
The approximately 1400 soldiers of the Samoan expeditionary force were all volunteers from New Zealand Territorial Force units. After their eight-month stint on German Samoa nearly all went on to join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Middle East and France. By the war's end 210 of these men had been killed in action or died of wounds (163 died in France). A further five were killed while serving with the Australian Imperial Force.
Alexander Turnbull Library
Photographer: Malcolm Ross (1,2,4-6); (3, 7) unknown)
References: (1) 1/4-017518-F; (2) (1) 1/4-017516-F; (3) PA1-q-107-29-2; (4)1/4-017530-F; (5) 1/4-017532-F; (6) 1/4-017533-F; (7) 1/4-017529-F
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa must be obtained before any reuse of this image.
