Samoa in the Great War
Roll of
Honour of Samoa born Sailors and Soldiers who fought for
the Allies in the Great War 1914-1918
Allen F K Lieut RNR
*Allen T Lieut RFC
Doughty M Lieut NZEF
Westbrook E Sergt Mjr
Allen R H Sergt
Tattersall H E Sergt
Roberts F Lce Cprl
An Mu M Pvte
Bernard J Pvte
Claxton Pvte
Duffy E Pvte
Fruean A Pvte
Gurr B Pvte
Hills C Pvte
Huckett O Pvte
Hunkin C Pvte
Hunkin G Pvte
McFarland L Pvte
Meredith F Pvte
Meredith O Pvte
Meredith T Pvte
Parker S Pvte
Railey C Pvte
Stowers J Pvte
Stowers R Pvte
Stowers W Pvte
Swankey A Pvte
Swanney J Pvte
Togimau
*Williams A Pvte
Yandall A Pvte
Yandall J Pvte
Harder J Want Ofcr USN
Harder F Abs USN
Harder P Pvte US Army
Moors H W Pvte US Army
Partsch K Pvte US Army
Paul J Pvte US Army
Ulberg F Pvte US Army
*Denotes Died at the Front
During the build up to the outbreak of war, the British Government decided to invade the German possessions of New Guinea and Samoa to prevent attack on the British colonies of the Pacific, and arranged with the French, Australian and New Zealand Governments to send a fleet of allied ships to Samoa, carrying New Zealand troops, and another fleet of Australian ships and troops to New Guinea. On 6 August 1914 Britain’s Secretary of State, Sir Lewis Harcourt, sent a telegram urging New Zealand’s Governor General to send a force to seize control of German occupied Samoa.
The New Zealand Samoa Advance Force left Wellington on 14 August 1914 on board the transport ships Moeraki and Monowai, converted merchant steamers. They were escorted to Noumea, New Caledonia by three Royal Naval ships of the New Zealand Division - HMS Psyche, Philomel and Pyramus, and two colliers NZ Colliers Katoa and Koromiko. In Noumea these ships were joined by the French warship Mont calm, and the Australian cruisers Australia and Melbourne. The fleet then proceeded to Suva, Fiji, where ten Legion of Frontiersmen and thirteen Samoan guides joined them. They sailed for Apia, arriving there on 29 August 1914, landed the New Zealand troops, captured the German flags and raised the British flag on the Apia Courthouse.
During 1914, several Samoa-born men living in Australia and New Zealand enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and were sent overseas to fight at Gallipoli. This campaign lasted 240 days and by 20 December 1915 all the ANZAC troops had been withdrawn. Recruits from Samoa during 1915 were sent to fight in France and Belgium, the Western Front, in various New Zealand regiments. A recruiting party from the New Zealand Samoan Force left Apia for Tonga in January 1916, with some recruits from Western Samoa. They and the Tongan recruits arrived in New Zealand later in 1916 and enlisted in the Maori Reinforcements. They served firstly on the Western Front and later in Palestine. Individuals, usually Englishmen living in Samoa, enlisted in the British Forces.
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Various organizations were set up to raise money for the welfare of the troops, by holding bazaars and other entertainments. Money was raised for the Belgian Relief Fund, the Hospital Ship Fund, the Wounded Soldiers’ Fund, the Samoa Soldiers’ Benefit Fund, the Wounded Aviators’ Fund, the Apia Women’s Patriotic Fund and the Red Cross by various fund-raising efforts. Two beds at Netley Hospital were financed by the Apia Women’s Patriotic Fund. In 1918 the Samoa Times estimated that a total of at least £4000 had been raised in Samoa for the various funds. This is the equivalent of approximately £160, 000 in 2013.
Copyright to C.Liava'a.
All photographs published with
permission of owners