MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: White Star cover with company's flag on the flap, to Timaru with largely very fine strike of the generic boxed 'NZ MILITARY POST OFFICE/OCT 15 1914/EXPEDITIONARY FORCE' d/s in violet & Wellington cds of the same date. The ERD for this pattern, of which identical datestamps were allocated to the first eight ships assembled at Wellington. Rare usage on the day the convoy departed Wellington.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: 1914 Polynesia PPC with boxed 'NZ MILITARY POST OFFICE/------1914/EXPEDITIONARY FORCE' d/s in violet (the date apparently omitted but it may not have been properly set) & Wellington machine cancel of 15OC-1914, corner fault & light bend. Another rare departure day usage. [The message states "...I suppose you have heard that we are away again...my horse was lame & I had to come through in train...We got to work this morning & put the horses aboard...We left the wharf about 4 oclock. We think we sail tomorrow night"]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: 1914 Ingleboro real photo PPCs 'Departure of the NZ Expeditionary Force/Troopships & their Escort in Wellington Harbour Oct 15 1914', and '...First Squadron Leaving Wellington Heads', unused. (2)

Grade A/A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: real photo PPCs of ships carrying "The Main Body" comprising No 3 'Maunganui' (the flagship) x2, No 4 'Tahiti', No 5 'Ruapehu' x2 (one used in 1918), No 9 'Hawkes Bay', No 10 'Arawa' & No 11 'Athenic', plus pre-war real photo types of 'Maunganui' 'Tofua' 'Ulimaroa' & 'Wilochra', used under cover or unused. Scarce group. (12)

Grade A-/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$350

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: real photo PPC of 'HMNZT/No 8' ('Star of India') 'Good-bye New Zealand. Our Boys Leaving', terrific shot of troops crowding the stern, unused. Superb!

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: PPCs of Hobart & Albany (WA) posted from those ports to NZ both with oval '.../TROOPSHIP No 12/...' d/s of OCT 22 1914 or OCT 29 1914, the second states "...Landed here yestday [sic]", minor blemishes. (2)

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: Ingleboro real photo 'SS Star of India HMNZT No 8' with oval '.../TROOPSHIP No 8/OCT 31 1914/...' d/s in blue used aboard 'Star of India', to NZ with message headed "Albany 30.10.14/Arrived here last Wed leaving again on Sunday with the Australian lot they have 29 boats...", creasing.

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: Ceylon PPC endorsed "HMNZT No 10/24.11.14" ('Arawa') with boxed d/s of next day & superb strike of the rare seriffed 'CENSOR/NEW ZEALAND' cachet (unlisted by John Firebrace) in violet. Message states "...Dr Webb died on 18th Nov concussion of the brain...Expect to receive lots of letters when we arrive at our destination about Christmas. No news from NZ yet". [It is speculated that the censor h/s was supplied in Egypt. Message suggests the writer expected he was en route to Europe]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: PPC of Port Said endorsed "HMNZT No 10" ('Arawa') with boxed d/s of DEC 2 1914 & message "...I will write more news when we get to camp at Cairo"; and PPC of Albany with oval '.../TROOPSHIP No 12/DEC 3 1914/...' d/s ('Morning Star') in violet on arrival at Alexandria. (2)

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: 1914 large PPC 'Christchurch Members 2nd Divisional Signal Co...' with names of all 19 members, to Wellington with Auckland machine of 25SP-1914, message headed "Troopship/No 8" ('Star of India') states "Expect to sail today. Put back last night after a fairly rough day at sea...Au revoir", minor blemishes. A rare card - stated to be the only recorded example & the only such card of more than three soldiers - posted before the departure from Wellington on 15.10.1914.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: 1914 cover to Auckland with superb strike of the oval '...TROOPSHIP No 12/SEP 30 1914/EXPEDITIONARY FORCE' d/s in violet used aboard 'Waimana'. Only a few 'Waimana' covers from the time in Auckland Harbour have been recorded.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

MAIN BODY & FIRST REINFORCEMENT: 1915 Egyptian PPC with a largely superb strike of the unusual & rare 'Expeditionary Force/Loose Letter/HMNZT-No 4' cachet (Firebrace #10/13) used aboard Troopship No 4 ('Tahiti'), 'PT CHALMERS/11JA15/NZ' cds & superb strike of 'TO PAY/½d/DEFICIENT POSTAGE' for the single deficiency (that we expect is very scarce) applied because not endorsed "OAS" but cancelled with the 1850s small 'DUNEDIN'-in-bars h/s, soiling mostly on the view side. Ex Gordon Darge. [From the return of the First Convoy to New Zealand]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS - SECOND REINFORCEMENT: English patriotic PPC with message headed "No 1 Vet Section/HMNZT No 15" ('Knight of the Garter') & very fine strike of the erroneously inscribed boxed '.../DEC 20 1914/FIRST REINFORCEMENT/...' d/s in violet overstruck, posted at Hobart with cds of Auckland & Palmerston North, twice redirected. [The First Reinforcement Convoy had sailed with the Main Body on 25.10.1914. The writer states "Just five days out from Wellington & might reach Hobart tomorrow..."]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS Tasmanian PPC with largely very fine strike of the rare double-boxed 'COMMANDER'S OFFICE/22JAN1915/ HMNZT No 13' d/s in blue (Firebrace #NZ15B) used aboard 'Verdalla', peripheral faults on viewside. Message signed "OE Hooper" states "...As our letters are censored I can't tell you much...". [Trooper Oswald Edmund Hooper survived the war & returned to New Zealand]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS THIRD REINFORCEMENT: Ceylon PPC with boxed '.../MAR 19 1915/THIRD REINFORCEMENT/...' d/s in violet. The message states "...had a great time in Colombo but too many cadging natives...shall be glad to go into camp again as the boat is too crowded..." [Third Reinforcement departed 14.2.1915; arrived 26.3.1915. The writer, LCpl Sidney Benjamin Perrett WMR was killed at Beersheba 5.11.1917]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS FOURTH REINFORCEMENT: WA PPC with boxed '.../APR 30 1915/FOURTH REINFORCEMENT/...' d/s in violet. The message headed "Albany 29th" states "Arrived here Wednesday...There are worse places than Auckland (!) ...Leaving here tomorrow...", corner fault.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS: FIFTH REINFORCEMENT: Indian PPCs each with boxed '.../JUL 19 1915/.../FIFTH REINFORCEMENT' d/s in violet (scarce) or blue, and a philatelic piece with Indian stamps tied by the d/s of JUL 17 1915 in violet. [The "Fifth" comprised three ships. The different inks on the same day indicates usage on different ships, suggesting that there were probably three identical datestamps] (3)

Grade A-/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS: SEVENTH REINFORCEMENT: Cover and three PPCs with boxed 'NZ MILITARY POST OFFICE/8NOV1915/ TROOPSHIP No 30' ('Maunganui'; manuscript "Censored/...") & '.../10NOV1915/TROOPSHIP No 31' ('Tahiti') both from Colombo, '.../18OCT1915/TROOPSHIP No 32' (in blue; message headed "SS Aparima 32") from Albany WA, and '.../15NOV1915/TROOPSHIP No 33' ('Navua') from Colombo. Ex Gordon Darge. [Troopships 30-34 departed 9.10.1915 & arrived at Suez 27.11.1915. Assigning numbered datestamps to particular ships was of little purpose. The numbering remained chronological, meaning that if a ship made more than one voyage, a different number was assigned for each voyage] (4)

Grade A-/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS: NZ PPC written at Albany WA with very fine strike of the boxed '.../18OCT1915/TROOPSHIP No 34' d/s in violet used aboard 'Warrimoo', to Hobart but missent to Egypt where "Freemantle to Aden" crossed-through - but still obvious - & 'PASSED BY/CENSOR/("initials")' h/s (Firebrace #NZ79) applied in violet, large 'PASSED' h/s stated to have been applied at Hobart. Ex Gordon Darge.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

REINFORCEMENT CONVOYS: EIGHTH REINFORCEMENT: PPCs (one a patriotic type) with boxed 'NZ MILITARY POST OFFICE/ 26NOV1915/ TROOPSHIP No 35' ('Willochra') & '.../14DEC1915/TROOPSHIP No 36' ('Tofua') both in blue, posted en route from Colombo to Alexandria, very fine strikes in blue or violet of boxed 'PASSED BY CENSOR/...' h/s (not recorded by John Firebrace). [There were another 35 Reinforcements sent to Europe but the Eighth was the last that provided troops for the Gallipoli Campaign] (2)

Grade A/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$150