sentences:  Following the outbreak of World War I, Plugge volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF).A major in the Territorial Force, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and placed in command of the Auckland Infantry Battalion, which was formed from one company each of four territorial regiments and had the first serial number, 12/1, on its roll.He was not particularly popular as a commander, being regarded as an amiable but weak leader, and reportedly favoured the company drawn from his territorial regiment.