Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Arthur Plugge,

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(17 February 18772 July 1934), was an English-born officer who served during the First World War with the New Zealand Military Forces. Born in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

, Plugge emigrated to New Zealand in 1899. He worked as a teacher at Kings College in Auckland for a number of years before becoming headmaster at Dilworth Ulster Institute. He was involved in the

New Zealand Territorial Force New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and following the outbreak of the First World War, he volunteered to serve in the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. As commanding officer of the Auckland Infantry Battalion, he was among the first New Zealanders to land at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

on 25 April 1915. He commanded a battalion for several months on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. He was relieved of his command in December 1916 and was the sports coordinator for the

New Zealand Division The New Zealand Division was an infantry division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for service in the First World War. It was formed in Egypt in early 1916 when the New Zealand and Australian Division was renamed after the detachmen ...

for the remainder of the war. In later life he farmed at Taupiri where he died at the age of 59. Plugge's Plateau Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery is located on the hilltop where he established his headquarters on the day of the Gallipoli landing.

Early life

Arthur Plugge was born in

, England, on 18 February 1877. The youngest son of J. P. Plugge, he was educated at

Elmfield College Elmfield College, York (1864–1932), originally called Connexional College or Jubilee College (or School) in honour of the Primitive Methodist Silver Jubilee in 1860, was a Primitive Methodist college on the outskirts of Heworth, York, Engla ...

in York, he subsequently attended Leeds University. Upon completing his education, he became a teacher at

Archbishop Holgate's School Archbishop Holgate's School is a coeducational Church of England secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in York, North Yorkshire, England. History The school was founded as Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School in 1546 by R ...

in York. Emigrating to New Zealand in 1899, he taught science at Kings College in Auckland. He subsequently became headmaster at another Auckland school, Dilworth Ulster Institute. He was actively involved in the Territorial Force, serving with the 3rd Auckland Regiment as a major.

First World War

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Plugge volunteered for the

(NZEF). A

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Territorial Force, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and placed in command of the Auckland Infantry Battalion, which was formed from one company each of four territorial regiments and had the first serial number, 12/1, on its roll. He was not particularly popular as a commander, being regarded as an amiable but weak leader, and reportedly favoured the company drawn from his territorial regiment.

Gallipoli

Plugge's battalion arrived in Egypt on 3 December 1914 and from there were the first New Zealand troops to land at ANZAC Cove on 25 April 1915. Upon landing, Plugge positioned his battalion headquarters at the top of a hill just inshore from the Cove. The hill was consequently given the name Plugge's Plateau by the invading troops, and after the war, Plugge's Plateau Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery was established on the hilltop. During the day's action, Plugge was lightly wounded in the wrist by a shell fragment. He was wounded again a few weeks later on 8 May, during the Second Battle of Krithia. For his work during the landings of 25 April, he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for the first time when General Ian Hamilton's report of 20 May was published in '' The London Gazette''. Plugge was evacuated to Malta for medical treatment, and here he contracted malaria which necessitated his transfer to England for treatment. After recovering his health, he was returned to his command in Gallipoli, leading his battalion during the evacuation from the peninsula. He was again

and appointed to the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in October 1915, for his services during the Gallipoli campaign.

Western Front

When the

was being formed in early 1916 in Egypt, following the conclusion of the Gallipoli Campaign, Plugge was made commander of the 1st Auckland Infantry Battalion, which was part of the 1st New Zealand Infantry Brigade. The New Zealand Division proceeded to the Western Front and in September, Plugge led the battalion during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

. At the end of the year, following a reorganisation of the division, he was removed from his command by the divisional commander, Major General Andrew Russell. Russell was unhappy with Plugge's performance as a battalion commander; his command had a high desertion rate relative to other units of the New Zealand Division. In light of his Gallipoli service, Plugge was not returned to New Zealand. Instead, he was allowed to remain with the division as its sports coordinator. The commander of the NZEF, Lieutenant General Alexander Godley believed that Plugge became a negative influence within the New Zealand Division as a result of being overlooked for a brigade command. Regardless, it transpired that Plugge excelled in his new role. Russell recognised the importance of sport for the morale and well-being of the soldiers under his command and Plugge promoted participation in organised sporting events. He remained in the position until he was discharged from the NZEF on 18 June 1918.

Later life

On his return to New Zealand, Plugge took up dairy farming at Taupiri, near Huntly. He also maintained an involvement with the School Cadet Corps and the

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

. He died on 2 July 1934 at the age of 57. He was buried in Taupiri Cemetery with military honours with a number of notable former and current soldiers present, among them Major General George Spafford Richardson and Colonel John Evelyn Duigan. He was survived by his wife, Millicent, and three children. A son, John, had been killed in a flying accident with the Royal Air Force just two months earlier.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plugge, Arthur 1877 births 1934 deaths New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George New Zealand military personnel of World War I Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull Alumni of the University of Leeds English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand schoolteachers