Commanding the Seventh Contingent was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Porter, an outstanding, if somewhat controversial character. His only active service had been in the various campaigns in New Zealand from 1863 to 1871. He was 58 years old when he came to South Africa. In South Africa he was mentioned in dispatches and appointed a C.B. for his service. He was still an active soldier in 1917 when he would have been 74 years old.
The Seventh Contingent’s excellent record clearly reflected the fact that 12 officers and at least 6 NCO’s with previous service in South Africa sailed with the contingent. In addition, 69 men from previous contingents joined the Seventh in South Africa. These experienced men were without doubt one of the key reasons for the good record maintained by the later New Zealand contingents.