He died after just two hours fighting on the rugged Turkish peninsula, one of at least 124 New Zealanders to perish on the first day of the costly campaign.
A comrade who witnessed his death called him "a hero to the last", saying he continued to fire at the enemy even as he collapsed. He was only 23. His sister, like so many others, never recovered from the loss.
The people of 1915, like us, were enjoying life in a new century, savouring its new technologies and new schools of thought. War had been far from anyone's mind before the world was suddenly plunged into a global conflict that seemingly came from nowhere.
The Great War should never have happened. It lacks any understandable cause and yet one country after another declared an allegiance and sent their best and brightest to the frontlines.
The futility of the Gallipoli campaign caused by deficiencies in its planning, adds rather than detracts from the efforts of those who served.
Navigational errors saw the Anzacs land 2km north of the intended site. They came ashore at Anzac Cove, a narrow beach overlooked by steep hills. The landings never came close to achieving their objectives.
It is hard now to comprehend the sacrifices these men made for their country. It's doubly hard, if not impossible, to comprehend life in the trenches.
Anzac Cove was hell on Earth. Troops endured heat, flies, the stench of rotting bodies, insufficient water and disease.
These men endured so much and that is why we honour their memory. We recognise their unwavering commitment in the face of horrific conditions, bad planning by those in charge and overwhelming odds.
The esteem for those who fought and died overseas has increased over the years and this will again be shown today in commemorations around the country.
The majority of those who turn out to pay their respects will, like me, have had no experience of warfare.
This Anzac Day I will remember my grandfather who served in the Western Desert Campaign during World War II.
Like many other veterans, he rarely spoke of the war. On the odd occasion that he did discuss it, I gathered that he much admired Erwin Rommel, the commander who ably led the opposing German forces in North Africa.
And that was it. No tales of heroism. No mention of suffering or even of death. I suspect now that he and other veterans found it difficult to discuss what they went through and wanted to shield their families from that experience.
War no doubt shaped the lives of all the soldiers who made it home, as it certainly did for those who died on foreign fields.
Whether they were fully aware of it or not these young men fought and died for an idea: a world free of tyranny where citizens can enjoy broad freedoms.
There is no greater gift that one generation can pass on to the other and for that we should be eternally grateful and we should, of course, remember them.
More than that, we should be emboldened by their example: we too have an obligation to do all we can to ensure the world is a better place for future generations.
