Arthur Plugge Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Plugge , CMG ( 17 February 18772 July 1934 ) , was an English born officer who served during World War I with the New Zealand Military Forces . As commanding officer of the Auckland Infantry Battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force , he was among the first New Zealanders to land at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 . Plugge ' s Plateau Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery is located on the hilltop where he established his headquarters on the day of the Gallipoli landing . Early life . Plugge was born in Hull , England on 18 February 1877 . Educated at Elmfield College in York , he subsequently attended Leeds University . Emigrating to New Zealand in 1899 , he taught science at Kings College in Auckland . He was headmaster at another Auckland school , Dilworth Ulster Institute , from 1909 until 1914 . He was actively involved in the Territorial Force , serving with the 3rd Auckland Regiment . Military career . Following the outbreak of World War I , Plugge volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force ( NZEF ) . A major in the Territorial Force , he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and placed in command of the Auckland Infantry Battalion , which was formed from one company each of four territorial regiments and had the first serial number , 12 / 1 , on its roll . He was not particularly popular as a commander , being regarded as an amiable but weak leader , and reportedly favoured the company drawn from his territorial regiment . Gallipoli . Plugge ' s battalion arrived in Egypt on 3 December 1914 and from there were the first New Zealand troops to land at ANZAC Cove on 25 April . Upon landing , Plugge positioned his battalion headquarters at the top of a hill just inshore from the Cove . The hill was consequently given the name Plugge ' s Plateau by the invading troops , and after the war , Plugge ' s Plateau Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery was established on the hilltop . During the day ' s action , Plugge was lightly wounded in the wrist by a shell fragment . He was wounded again a few weeks later on 8 May , during the Second Battle of Krithia . Plugge was evacuated to Malta for medical treatment , and here he contracted malaria which necessitated his transfer to England for treatment . After recovering his health , he was returned to his command in Gallipoli , leading his battalion during the evacuation from Gallipoli . He was mentioned in dispatches and appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George in October 1915 , for his services during the Gallipoli campaign . Western Front . When the New Zealand Division was being formed in Egypt following the conclusion of the Gallipoli Campaign , Plugge was made commander of the 1st Auckland Infantry Battalion , which was part of the 1st New Zealand Infantry Brigade . He went on to lead his battalion during the Battle of the Somme . In December 1916 , following a reorganisation of the division , he was removed from his command by the divisional commander , Major General Andrew Russell . This was partly due to dissatisfaction with Plugge ' s performance , and was also an attempt to address a high desertion rate amongst his battalion . In light of his Gallipoli service , Plugge was not returned to New Zealand . Instead , he was allowed to remain with the division as its sports coordinator . It transpired that this was a role in which he excelled , and he remained in the position until he was discharged from the NZEF on 18 June 1918 . Later life . On his return to New Zealand , Plugge took up dairy farming at Taupiri , near Huntly . He also maintained an involvement with the School Cadet Corps and the Boy Scouts . He died on 2 July 1934 at the age of 57 and was buried in Taupiri Cemetery with military honours . He was survived by his wife , Millicent , and three children . A son , John , had been killed in a flying accident with the Royal Air Force just two months earlier .