Upon the outbreak of the First World War on 5 August, the New Zealand Government authorised the raising of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) for service in the war. The day after the declaration of war, the British Government requested New Zealand seize the wireless station at German Samoa, a protectorate of the German Empire. Major General Alexander Godley, the Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces, raised the Samoan Expeditionary Force with volunteers drawn primarily from New Zealand's Auckland and Wellington Military Districts. With the support of Godley, Ross went to Samoa to report on the Occupation of German Samoa. His appointment was criticised, particularly by the opponents of the Government. It was felt that Ross should represent all of the country's press rather than those newspapers that employed him.