On 21 November 1914, the "Keighley News" publicised a letter which was received by William Morley, from his son, the explorer, Herbert Morley. The letter was dated 27 July 1914, (one day before the First World War broke out and about a month before the Occupation of German Samoa operation), therein Herbert tells of six German warships docking in Samoa; "probably… just a bit of a show-off".