Having researched the landing of Edmund Bowler in some detail, after claims for some years by some of his descendants that he was the first New Zealander to land at Anzac Cove at 4.30am, it is quite clear that this is incorrect. He landed in the first tow off his transport, the Lake Michigan, as Beach Landing Officer with the 12th Battalion AIF and Headquarters staff. The first tow left the Michigan (12th Battalion War Diary) including Bowler at 6.50am. This places Bowler landing after 7am and before 7.30am. He landed some two and a half hours after a number of New Zealanders in the AIF had already landed in the first waves and splashed ashore around 4.30am. It seems this information was not accessed and claims checked by Frank Glen (writer of Bowler of Gallipoli). Bowler's own writing about his journey ashore and landing bears little resemblance to the pre-dawn nerve-wracking silent row ashore of the first landers, well documented in contemporary reports, unit documents and unit histories. Bowler was the first member of the NZEF ashore. Confirmation of the facts is relatively easy using readily available on-line access to Australian War Memorial Museum records. It will most probably never be known who was the first New Zealander ashore, although most likely he was a member of the 9th Battalion AIF, the leading boats of the Battalion being the first to disembark onto what was to become known as Anzac Cove.
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