Gallipoli numbers

WHANGANUI, NEW ZEALAND:

A Gallipoli figure that has understated New Zealand’s service since it was first published is being corrected, after Guy Hollister of Whanganui, great-grandson of Trooper Eric Meadowcroft, asked the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) to fix it.

The Anzac Portal, run by the DVA, has stated that 8,500 New Zealanders served at Gallipoli. That number traces back to the 1919 Waite figure of about 8,556. Current New Zealand public history puts the number who landed on the Gallipoli peninsula at between 16,000 and 18,000 (Crawford and Buck; NZDF and Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage; ww100.govt.nz; Phenomenal and Wicked attrition study on nzhistory.govt.nz).

On 19 October 2026 Guy Hollister, who runs The Anzacs (theanzacs.co.nz), wrote to the DVA, with Auckland Museum copied in, asking for the Anzac Portal’s Gallipoli page to be corrected. He set out that the right figure depends on the question asked: how many New Zealanders landed on the peninsula, versus how many were involved in the Gallipoli campaign. He pointed to the 16,000 to 18,000 peninsula landing range in New Zealand research, and to The Anzacs Roll Call Gallipoli campaign census of 22,479 men tagged for the campaign.

On 28 October 2026 Dr Kylie Galbraith, Senior Historian in the History Team at the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs, replied that the department is satisfied the published figure should be updated. The Anzac Portal team will amend the page to say that between 16,000 and 18,000 New Zealanders served at Gallipoli. A broader review is continuing, and the department welcomed ongoing contact on the research. DVA have already been told that the total is greater still when the count is of men involved in the campaign rather than only those who landed on the peninsula.

Two published figures therefore sit side by side, with a clear distinction:

• 16,000 to 18,000: New Zealanders who landed on the Gallipoli peninsula (Crawford and Buck / NZDF and Manatū Taonga). This is the range DVA will put on the Anzac Portal in place of 8,500.
• 22,479: The Anzacs Roll Call’s Gallipoli campaign census on The Anzacs: New Zealanders tagged for the Gallipoli campaign from Online Cenotaph evidence (theanzacs.co.nz/roll-call). That is campaign involvement, not a peninsula landing certificate alone.

A related dual-source ship audit on The Anzacs shows 23,053 men with proven Gallipoli-pipeline embarkation (named ship, voyage date, matching man). That is travel proof, not a per-man landing certificate. The gap between the pipeline and campaign counts and the 16,000 to 18,000 landing range is the men who embarked for Gallipoli or were tagged to the campaign but did not land on the peninsula. See The Anzacs Roll Call and the ship audit.

Against the old 8,500 figure, the DVA correction to 16,000 to 18,000 means nearly twice as many New Zealand families as once thought have a direct peninsula landing link. Against that same 8,500, The Anzacs Roll Call campaign census of 22,479 is nearly triple (about 2.6 times as many).

“This one is personal. The number has been wrong since the beginning, and I wanted it put right. My great-grandfather, Trooper Eric Meadowcroft, was one of those men, and so were thousands of others who were left out of that 8,500.” Guy Hollister

“It matters for remembrance. If you are a New Zealander and you have always wondered whether someone in your family was at Gallipoli, the odds are now much higher that they were. I am grateful to Dr Galbraith and the DVA History Team for looking at the evidence and acting on it.” Guy Hollister

Key facts

• Old figure: 8,500 New Zealanders at Gallipoli, based on the 1919 Waite figure of about 8,556.
• Corrected peninsula landing figure (DVA / NZ public history): between 16,000 and 18,000 New Zealanders who landed on the Gallipoli peninsula (Crawford and Buck; NZDF and Manatū Taonga; ww100.govt.nz; Phenomenal and Wicked, nzhistory.govt.nz). Nearly twice the old 8,500.
• The Anzacs Roll Call Gallipoli campaign census: 22,479 New Zealanders tagged for the Gallipoli campaign (theanzacs.co.nz/roll-call). Campaign involvement, distinct from the peninsula landing range. Nearly triple the old 8,500 (about 2.6 times).
• Dual-source ship travellers: 23,053 men with proven Gallipoli-pipeline embarkation (named ship, voyage date, matching man). Travel proof, not a per-man landing certificate (theanzacs.co.nz/ship-audit).
• Request made: 19 October 2026, by Guy Hollister to the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Auckland Museum copied in. The request set out both the landing range and the larger campaign count.
• DVA response: 28 October 2026, from Dr Kylie Galbraith, Senior Historian, History Team, confirming the Anzac Portal will be amended to 16,000 to 18,000. DVA have already been told the figure is greater when campaign involvement is counted.
• Page affected: anzacportal.dva.gov.au … /gallipoli
• Public pages: theanzacs.co.nz/media-gallipoli-numbers and theanzacs.co.nz/roll-call

Media contact

Guy Hollister
The Anzacs, Whanganui, New Zealand
Email: guy.hollister@gmail.com
Web: theanzacs.co.nz
The Anzacs Roll Call: theanzacs.co.nz/roll-call

About The Anzacs

The Anzacs (theanzacs.co.nz) is run by Guy Hollister from Whanganui, New Zealand. Guy is the great-grandson of Trooper Eric Meadowcroft. The Anzacs is dedicated to accurate remembrance of the New Zealanders who served, so that their families can find and honour them.

Ends

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