"Before leaving the Drill Hall Colonel Smith addressed a few words of advice to men as to their work and conduct in camp and on active service. He besought them to attend diligently to their drill and their musketry. He spoke honestly, he said, when he stated that they were physically as fit a draft as any that had gone before. "He would like to see them beat all records at Trentham for shooting. Another thing he asked them to do was to write home to their relatives.
''Boys," concluded Colonel Smith, "I would ask you to live straight, go straight, and shoot straight. As General Birdwood said, 'the only good Germans were the dead ones' Go, therefore, and create as many good Germans us possible. Good-bye, boys God-speed, and a safe return to your friends."
The Mayor (Mr J. J. Clark) added a few words of appreciation on behalf of the citizens of Dunedin. At the beginning of the war, he said, there were some who had thought that colonial soldiers would be good for only garrison duty, or something of the sort. History had proved otherwise. They who were going knew what they were up against, and he was sure they would do just as good work as their glorious comrades had done at Gallipoli and in France, and would bring further honour to New Zealand. He wished them God-speed and success. At the call of one of their number the men gave three hearty cheers for Colonel Smith, and three for the Mayor. A few men returning to camp from leave also left by the train."
William Harley was the fifth son of William and Tamar Harley of 27 Jackson St, St Kilda, Dunedin. He grew up in a working class area of town and worked as a clerk. He joined the Army in January of 1917 and shipped out to Europe that July. He spent a few days in hospital with some sickness or other from the sixth to the ninth of February and then rejoined his unit, the 3rd Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade.
The Brigade's Official History say this about the time and place of William's death - I have not found anything more specific: This was a good sector, the driest and quietest occupied by our Brigade since June of the previous year. The defensive works, however, had not reached a satisfactory stage of advancement. Particularly was this so on the left, where the 3rd Battalion's front line, 1,000 yards in length, consisted only of a series of detached posts. Taking advantage of the fine weather then prevailing, a special effort was put forth by both the forward units to bring about the desired improvement. Excellent results followed. The 4th Battalion brought to completion the works that had been suitably laid out but not developed. Within a week the 3rd Battalion had dug 1,000 yards of now trench along its front, together with the necessary communication saps, had erected 500 yards of wiring and 700 yards of revetting, and had laid over 700 yards of duck- walk. But the 3rd Battalion were not content with this achievement. Sergeant J. W. Clayson with his patrol had been reconnoitering No Man's Land during daylight, and had succeeded in marking down the whole of the enemy's posts opposite the battalion front. On the information so gained a peaceful advance was planned, and in one night the battalion established four posts from 300 to 450 yards beyond its new front line, wired and garrisoned them, and linked them up with a continuous belt of wire entanglements.
The Rifles were relieved by units of the west Yorkshire Regiment on the 23rd of February. William had died five days before. A sniper? Maybe. Perhaps nobody now knows.
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Anderson Bay Cemetery, Dunedin. DCC photo.
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