McWhirter and his brother George both enlisted in the Newfoundland  Regiment. They  were among the first residents of Newfoundland's west coast of the island to join up and were part of the second five hundred recruits. 

Their father, Henry, was quoted in The Western Star as saying that he was disappointed that he was past the age when he could offer his own services in defence of the Empire, but was quite happy that his two sons had decided to fight for the cause. 

The action at Gallipoli, Turkey, was the first fighting encountered by the Newfoundland Regiment. From the departure of the “First Five Hundred” in October 1914 until the following August, the regiment was in training, mainly in Aldershot, Scotland. 

On Aug. 19, 1915, the 1st Battalion of the regiment (34 officers and 1,042 men) left Aldershot, arriving in Alexandria, Egypt, on Sept. 1. They camped at several locations before being sent to the Gallipoli Peninsula on the northern side of the Dardanelles Strait, where they landed at Suvla Bay on Sept. 20. 

When Turkey entered the First World War on the side of Germany, Britain immediately planned an assault on Turkish territory along the Dardanelles in order to secure a passageway under allied control for the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. 

Several attempts to take the Gallipoli Peninsula met with stubborn resistance from the Turks. Many allied soldiers, especially from the Australian, New Zealand and Scottish regiments were killed or 
wounded. 

One Australian soldier’s experience, recorded in the song Waltzing Matilda, tells of his baptism by fire, from a young and carefree lad waltzing matilda, or hiking, in the Australian outback to a legless veteran destined to spend the remainder of his life “no more waltzing matilda for me.” 

His story exemplifies the fate of many of the young men from all parts of the British Empire who fought at Gallipoli. Having lost his legs to a Turkish shell, he at least got to go home. Many thousands of his comrades lie buried in one of the cemeteries on the Gallipoli Peninsula or in some other gravesite far from the land of their birth. 

The decision to involve the Newfoundland Regiment in the fighting at Gallipoli was made in the summer of 1915. The Royal Scots Regiment was in need of relief and it was the Newfoundlanders who would take 
their place. The regiment spent only three months at Suvla Bay, but it was a harrowing time for these men, who had no experience in trench warfare. The fighting was not so much frontal assault as maintaining  position. The main fighting involved sniper fire and shelling, often at night. 

While 22 members of the regiment were killed in the line of fire, and eight others died later from their wounds, it was the horrible conditions in the trenches which caused severe illness (and in 10 cases the deaths) of many hundreds of Newfoundland soldiers. 

Unsanitary conditions resulted in rampant dysentery, typhoid and other intestinal infections. Over half the regiment succumbed to one or more of these illnesses. 

After rainstorms, water flowed through the trenches like rivers. Many men suffered from trench foot from standing for long periods in the tagnant water. It resulted in excessive swelling and sometimes caused dead flesh to form on the feet and lower legs. Gangrene and amputation often followed. 

In late November, the water in the trenches froze, and hundreds of men, including more than 150 Newfoundlanders, suffered from frostbite and exposure. Many required hospitalization, but probably because of their experience in dealing with cold and ice back home, all of the Newfoundlanders survived, although a few were a little worse for the 
experience. 

The decision to pull out of Gallipoli was made in November, but the Newfoundland Regiment remained in place until Dec. 19, when it was evacuated to Cape Helles on the southwestern end of the peninsula. From there the regiment formed part of the rearguard action, until Jan. 9, 1916 when all allied forces were finally withdrawn. The 
Newfoundland Regiment rearguard under the command of Lieut. Owen Steele was one of the last to leave. 

On Hill 10, in a cemetery overlooking Suvla Bay, are the remains of eight Newfoundlanders: Pte. McWhirter, the first casualty; Pte. William F. Hardy, killed on Sept. 23; Pte. Michael J. Blyde (Sept. 26); Pte. David M. Carew (Oct. 7); Pte. Josiah Squibb (Oct. 19); Pte. Frank H. Roberts (Oct. 23); Pte. Samuel Hiscock (Nov. 4); Cpl. Hubert 
Ebsary (Dec. 1). There are 12 more Newfoundlanders buried at the NZAC cemetery and two others at the Lancaster Landing cemetery. 

During  World War One, the  Newfoundland Regiment suffered the following casualties: 846 Newfoundlanders and labradorians were either killed or reported missing in action, 253 died of wounds, 146 died of disease, 2 died accidentally and 1 committed suicide. 

In addition there were a further 2314 soldiers wounded. The total number of casualties for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment were 3565. 

To find out more about Newfoundlanders and their life in the trenches press here: Trenches on the Web - Special: The Narrow Way Project

To visit the war memorials to Newfoundland's fallen heros press here: The Newfoundland Beaumont Hamel Memorial

To find out about Newfoundland's volunteer cadet units press here.

To visit the war memorials to Newfoundland's fallen heros press here: The Newfoundland Beaumont Hamel Memorial