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Australia

Peter Thomas Drizzie's attestation sheet records his birth in South Melbourne, Victoria, in 1874. At the time of enlistment on 29 February 1916, he lived in Perth, Western Australia and was employed as a Labourer in a market garden. He was married to Mary Drizzie, and they lived on Gill Street, North Perth.
His life before joining the AIF was a chequered one. Whilst he stated that he was born in South Melbourne it is possible that he was born in Austria and spelt his surname as Dorrizzi, Dorizzi or Dryzii. He may have also been christened Petor.
In 1902, he married Mary Williams (1864-1934), a widow. She was born Maria Antonia (Mary Ann) Marsengo (also spelt Mozanger) in Turin, Italy, in 1864. According to the 1903 Victoria Electoral Roll, they lived in Heatherton, where he worked as a Labourer and Mary was occupied in Home Duties. On 27 July 1904, they had a daughter, Eileen Rosa Dryzii, also known as Eileen Rose Drizzie (1904-1990). Mary brought five children with her from her previous marriage.
Not long after, he appeared in the Victoria Police Gazette on 13 October 1904 at age 31.

"Peter Drizzie is inquired for by his wife, Mrs. Drizzie, Shamrock Hotel, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Description: - a market gardener, 31 years of age, short, thin build, dark hair, fair moustache, blue eyes, dimple on chin; wore a black beaufort coat, serge trousers, and white shirt 11th October 1904."

The family moved to Perth soon after the birth. Possibly, Drizzie had already located to Perth.

On 17 January 1908, he was listed as a steerage passenger aboard the Bullarra travelling from Port Hedland to Fremantle. No family members were present, suggesting he had left them again to work in the Pilbara.

Drizzie enlisted in Perth on 29 February 1916. Peter Drizzie was a colourful character if his attestation sheet is anything to go by. On the page that lists any distinctive marks, he is recorded as having a 'coat of arms + girl' on his right bicep and a 'girl skipping, wreath + flags' on his right forearm. He had a 'lion, flags + shield' on his left bicep, and on his left forearm, 'flags, clasped hands'.
Drizzie embarked as part of the 14th Reinforcements, 28th Battalion, aboard HMAT A28 Miltiades on 7 August 1916. Whilst in England at Rollestone on 9 October 1916, he committed an offence of overstaying his leave by forty hours, for which he received 168 hours of Detention.

He proceeded to France on 9 February 1917. He was taken on strength with the 28th Battalion on 9 March 1917. The 28th Battalion, with 25th, 26th and 27th Battalions was part of 7th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division. It had fought at Pozieres between 28 July and 6 August 1916. In early March, as Drizzie was taken on strength, the Battalion had returned to Acid Drop Camp, having been relieved in the line by 26th Battalion on 5 March. Drizzie's first day with the battalion saw them move into the lines to relieve 25th Battalion, where they stayed four days before returning to Acid Drop Camp. The battalion undertook training until 20 March, at which point they began a series of marches to be in position to support 26th Battalion's attack on Lagnicourt on 26 March 1917.

This was probably Drizzie's first significant battle experience. The 28th Battalion's War Diary records;

"The fighting in the village was severe and the enemy later launched two counterattacks – the first nearly succeeding owing to there being no troops of the Division on the right – this attack was finally repelled partly by the efforts of a party under 2 Lieutenant Jerry who after destroying the enemy returned with only one man left out of the whole party. (He was later wounded by a shell and died that evening.)"

The battalion moved into Shelterwood Camp for training at the end of March. The battalion had suffered five officers and 26 other ranks killed, and two officers and 99 other ranks wounded, with a further seven missing for a total of 139 casualties suffered for the month. This had been offset by only two officers and 34 other ranks arriving.

At some point between joining the battalion in March 1917 and Second Bullecourt on 3 May 1917, Drizzie became a stretcher-bearer. Why had he been given this role? He may have volunteered. Peter Drizzie's physical profile, as recorded in his attestation papers, suggests he was relatively small and light for a soldier. When he enlisted, he was 40 years old, 5 feet 5.5 inches tall and weighed 127 pounds (56kg). One might suggest that he lacked the typical physique of stretcher-bearers in such a demanding role.

In an engagement, the role of the battalion stretcher-bearers was to collect the wounded from the battalion's front and bring them back to the Regimental Aid Post (RAP). At that point, the Field Ambulance Brigade would take the wounded to the following link in the casualty chain: the Casualty Clearing Station.

On 14 April 1917, the battalion marched for eight hours to Beugnatre, proceeding the following day to the sunken road near Vaulx, where the battalion was used to support 1st Division AIF, repelling a German attack on the outpost line between Lagnicourt and Noreuil. The 28th Battalion was withdrawn the following morning.

The 28th returned to the line on 2 May. This was the start of Second Bullecourt, a further attempt to break the Hindenburg Line. The 2nd Division attacked alongside the British. 3 May 1917 was a challenging day of intense combat for the men of the 28th Battalion. They had been in position on the Noreuil – Longatte Road at 3.40 am in preparation for 2nd Division's assault on Bullecourt. The 7th Brigade would support the 5th and 6th Brigades, and 28th Battalion was the brigade reserve. At 3.45 am, the British barrage opened up on the Hindenburg Line in preparation for the assault. This resulted in counter-battery fire from the Germans, and at 4.25 am, the 28th Battalion was hit with gas shells, causing all the men to don their gas masks. At this point, there were no wounded. The 5th and 6th Brigades had begun their advance at 3.45 am under cover of the barrage and, by 4.19 am, reported that the enemy position, OG 1, had been gained, and by 4.32 am, 6th Brigade had taken its first objective. Meanwhile, 5th Brigade was struggling, and there were reports that its battalions were retiring. 5th Brigade was subjected to enfilading fire from the trenches towards Queant, which, due to a failure in planning, artillery fire did not suppress, meaning the advancing 5th Brigade troops were subjected to withering machine gun fire.

At 7.10 am, orders were received for the battalion to move to the railway embankment, and one company was detailed to bring forward bombs. By 8.45 am, the battalion was in position, with six casualties being recorded. Between 9 am and 10.30 am, the battalion was subjected to very heavy shrapnel and High Explosive (HE), with the railway embankment becoming crowded with men from the battalions from 5th Brigade who had fallen back from their assault.

At 10.45 am, the commander of 5th Brigade spoke to the 28th Battalion's commander and requested that the whole battalion move forward to OG 1 and OG 2 and bomb up those trenches towards Queant to prevent counterattacks. There would be a delay until the company carrying bombs from the ammunition dump returned. A and B Companies were assigned the furthest trench works OG 2, whilst C and D were assigned OG 1. These trenches ran parallel to each other and were 130m apart. Communication trenches ran between the two works every 100-150m. Major Arnold Brown was given overall command of the operation. He would be in OG 1, and Captain Jack Roydhouse would be the senior officer in OG 2.

At 10.55 am, the Company commanders were briefed on the forthcoming operations to bomb out OG 1 and OG2. Between 11.10 am and 12 noon, the men prepared for the operation by making particular dispositions for trench clearing.

By 1.45 pm all Companies were in position in OG 1 and OG 2, and the bombing up commenced at 2.00 pm. This involved moving east down the trench line overcoming any German resistance with Mills bombs.

At 2.25 pm, the officer commanding D Company, which was in OG 2, reported that the bombs were not being brought up to the position. 5th Brigade was telephoned by the CO 28th Battalion and asked that the bombs be sent up urgently.

At 2.35 pm, Major Brown reported that the position was enfiladed with machine guns, which prevented the battalion from attacking along the top of the trench.

At 3.00 pm, Captain Roydhouse and his Companies had got as far as they could in OG2 and had barricaded the trench with the Germans on the other side supported by a machine gun.

At 3.30 pm, Major Brown reported that the Battalion had reached a point where they were encountering stubborn enemy resistance, still 600m short of the objective as his companies bombed their way east up OG.1

By 3.45 pm, Major Brown had hardly moved, and worse, the 5th Brigade men who were in the trench when his companies arrived thought that the battalion was its relief and retired.

At 4.00 pm, the Commanding Officer of 28th Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel George Read, sent up all available scouts and observers to assist the stretcher-bearers. Peter Drizzie and the other stretcher-bearers of 28th Battalion were overwhelmed with wounded.

13629 Private Edward Munro of the 5th Field Ambulance provided an account of what it was like to be a stretcher bearer that day. Like Peter Drizzie, he would be awarded the Military Medal for his performance carrying wounded on 3 May 1917. He captured the essence of the bearer's experience: 'The casualties amongst the bearers were very great, they being very conspicuous on the exposed road' This is the sunken road that went back to Noreuil Valley, the location of a group of RAPs (Regimental Aid Posts). The official war historian Charles Bean described the stretcher-bearers at Second Bullecourt as 'trailing like ants day and night' along the road. Lengthy sections of the route were in full view of the Germans.
Major Brown and his companies continued to defend the position in OG1 as best they could; however, by 5.45 pm, they had been bombed back to the Central road. Brown requested more men and more bombs. The OC commanding 28th Battalion, in turn, telephoned 5th Brigade HQ and asked for more men and bombs so that the attack could be continued.

As the 28th Battalion's war diary records, Major Brown had sent numerous requests for more bombs. But all to no avail. When some boxes of bombs were finally brought forward, they were discovered to have no detonators. Brown hastily despatched a number of men to the railway embankment, where they collected detonators. On their return, Brown's men continued bombing along both lines of trenches.

At 6.25 pm, Major Brown advised that he had pushed the enemy back down the trench; however, owing to the enemy machine guns, he could not attack overland. He reported that the enemy was fighting back hard.

At 7.05 pm, Major Brown reported that he had pushed the Germans back 300m down the trench and had established a block after inflicting heavy casualties.
By now, enemy artillery was responding, forcing the 28th Battalion to pull back to regroup and try again. On three separate occasions, Brown's dwindling number of men had pushed through to the Noreuil–Riencourt road, and on each occasion, relentless German rearguard action had forced them back.

At 7.35 pm, in the opposite trench works, Captain Roydhouse was also reporting that after being pushed back, he had pushed the enemy out and created a block. However, he was in desperate need of more bombs.

At 7.45 pm, Major Brown reported having been driven back again, only to force the enemy back fifteen minutes later in another bomb attack. The fighting was desperate.

Reviewing the war diary, with its record of a constant stream of messages being sent back from the forward positions to the Battalion HQ, you are struck at the bravery of the runners carrying the messages and the stretcher-bearers carrying the wounded who had to move through a stream of machine gun fire.

By 8.15 pm, Major Brown had reported being driven back again and stated that he could not do much more with the few men he had left. Casualties had been very heavy. Lieutenant Colonel Read told him to hang on. He was the only officer still in the fight up in OG1.

By 10.35 pm, Brown was still waiting for his reinforcements.

At 11.45 pm, the 6th Brigade on the left of the 28th Battalion began pulling out of its positions, and by 1.00 am, Colonel Read had received orders to pull the remaining men of Brown and Roydhouse's Companies back to the start line. The battalion suffered ten officers and 152 other ranks as casualties, although despite the intensity of the trench bombing, relatively few were killed.

The 28th Battalion came out of the line and returned to camp at Favreuil on 6 May. It was on this day that Peter Drizzie was promoted to Lance Corporal.
On 12 May 1917, Peter Drizzie was recommended for the Military Medal for his performance on 3 May. The recommendation read as follows;

"For great bravery and devotion to duty as a stretcher bearer during the attack on the Hindenburg Line East of Bullecourt, when he worked all day without ceasing under heavy machine gun and shell fire."

This award was duly gazetted in the Commonwealth Gazette No. 189 on 8 November 1917.

"Stretcher bearer during the attack on the HINDENBURG LINE, East of BULLECOURT on the 3rd May 1917. This man showed wonderful bravery and devotion to duty. He worked all day without ceasing, carrying wounded through heavy Machine Gun and Shell fire. After the battalion was withdrawn he remained back at his own request and carried on until exhausted. He showed absolute disregard for personal safety."

This suggests that Peter Drizzie had spent 3 May moving between the trenches at OG1 and OG2, taking wounded men back to the RAP and that once the battalion had moved back to its start line at 1.00 am, he had continued to go forward looking for wounded.

Unfortunately, his promotion was short-lived. On 17 August 1917, he was caught in an Estaminet after hours and was punished by demotion to Private. Estaminets were small cafes or bars in rear areas run by the local French villagers. They would sell coffee, cheap beer or wine.

On 19 September 1917, Drizzie contracted trench fever and was sent to England aboard HS St David for recuperation. Trench fever was a louse-borne disease caused by the bacterium Bartonella quintana. The onset of trench fever is sudden, with fever, weakness, dizziness, headache (with pain behind the eyes), and severe back and leg (shin) pains. He was admitted to hospital in Shorncliffe, suffering from trench fever and general debility. On 25 September, he was transferred to 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford.

On 28 September, he was granted a furlough until 12 October. Despite the furlough, he could not overcome his debility, so he returned to Australia on 1 November 1917 and was aboard A68 Anchises when his award of the Military Medal was gazetted. He arrived in Perth on Christmas Day 1917 and was discharged on 22 January 1918.

In 1925, he was listed in the rate book for North Perth as living at 15 Waugh St.

He died at Edward Millen House, a repatriation hospital for returned soldiers, aged 51 in Perth on 2 March 1926 and is today buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery in Nedlands, Western Australia.

For his service on the Western Front, he received the Military Medal, British War Medal and Victory Medal.