Tom Murray, a local farmer, at his property around Ryal Bush. Sometime later he and Murray's daughter, Lettie, became engaged although the pair were not married before the war in Europe separated them. First World War Less than a month after the outbreak of the First World War, Richard Travis sought to join the 7th (Southland) Mounted Rifles, a squadron of the Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment. Giving his occupation as "horsebreaker", he enlisted in Invercargill. His stature of and weight , with "a fresh complexion, blue eyes and fair hair", belied his military potential. He was attested on 20 August 1914 and after a short period of basic training Travis departed New Zealand along with the first contingent—known as the "Main Body"—of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) bound for Egypt. Gallipoli Upon arrival in the Middle East in December 1914, the New Zealanders undertook further training at camps in Egypt, before taking part in the landing at Anzac Cove as part of the Gallipoli campaign on 25 April 1915. The Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment (including Travis' Southland Squadron) did not take part in the initial landing; instead they were sent as dismounted reinforcements the following month. Travis, who was part of the transport section and had responsibility for breaking in new horses, was not scheduled to proceed with the rest of the Southland Mounted Rifles Squadron. Instead he was to remain with the horses in Egypt. Nevertheless, exhibiting the same disregard for discipline that had gotten him in trouble earlier in his life, he stowed away upon the squadron's transport and joined them on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Travis' unauthorised presence was soon discovered and disciplinary proceedings followed: he was returned to Egypt and received 14 days' confinement. Nevertheless, in October he was later able join up with the Southland Squadron as it rested on Lemnos after the August fighting before returning to Gallipoli to take part in the final month of the campaign before the Allied forces were evacuated in December 1915. While at Anzac Cove he established a reputation as a fine soldier who possessed the ability to move through "no man's land" unscathed. Western Front Following their evacuation from Gallipoli, the New Zealanders returned to Egypt while the War Office considered their future deployment. After sustaining a knee injury while breaking in a horse, in March 1916, Travis was transferred to the infantry and was posted to