Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Russell Drysdale was born in Cressy, Victoria on the 12th of September of 1886. At the outbreak of the Great War he was working at Home Hill about 100km South of Townsville, Queensland as a Cane Farmer. George travelled to Townsville to enlist on the 22nd of August 1914. He listed his Brother MJ Drysdale who was living in a suburb of Edinburgh in Scotland as his Next-of-Kin.

George was described as being 27 years and 11 months old, 5 feet 8 inches tall with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He weighed in at 10 stone 12 pounds (68.5kg).

He had served in the Edinburgh School Cadets for 2 years

George travelled from Townsville to Enoggera near Brisbane, Queensland to concentrate as a member of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, promoted to Lance Corporal on 29th of August 1914 and allocated to C Squadron.

It might seem strange that a brand new enlistee was promoted so quickly but at this stage there was no formed chain of command so the officers of the Regiment chose the more mature soldiers who had demonstrated a bit of initiative in training to fill the junior ranks. Men were just as often demoted if they did not perform or committed a minor misdemeanour. Some men couldn’t handle the additional responsibility and handed their promotions back! George remained a Lance Corporal throughout his training.  

The Regiment embarked from Brisbane on the 24th of September 1914 aboard the A15 Star of England. On the 25th of August 1914 (prior to embarkation) George had deposited a suitcase, I suspect with his civilian clothing, at a shipping company in Brisbane. He told them he would send instructions for its dispatch, but never did. It wasn’t until November 1920 that this company contacted the Department of Defence enquiring as to the whereabouts of George so that they could forward his belongings.

Despite training in Egypt from late 1914, George and his unit did not land on Gallipoli until May 1915 as the Light Horse had originally been left in Egypt as reinforcements and then re-rolled as dismounted infantry.  Promoted to Corporal at Gallipoli on the 30th of July 1915 and wounded near Quinn’s Post on Gallipoli on 7th of August 1915

On the 28th of August 1915 George was admitted to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis, Egypt. He spent some time in hospital before being returned to duty with the Light horse. He was however soon ill again, contracting Mumps in Cairo on the 20th of December 1915. George was promoted to temporary Sergeant on the 29th of December 1915 and then to substantive Sergeant on completion of three months’ probation on the 8th of May 1916.

The Second Light Horse Regiment then consolidated as part of the ANZAC Mounted Division to defend the Suez Canal against raids from Pro-Turkish Senussi Arabs. On the 3th of April 1916 the Turkish advanced on the Canal and were met by the Australians at a town named Romani. The 2nd Light Horse Regiment was ordered to take up a Defensive position at a locality named by the Australians as Mt Meredith which was high ground. George Drysdale was with C Squadron who at this stage were in reserve. Due to the strong Turkish probes, by midnight on the 3rd of April all reserves were committed and George was in the front line. The Turkish continued to press forward and C Squadron was reinforced with clerks, batmen, and other administrative staff from the rear. At about 3.30am there was only C Squadron holding the line against overwhelming Turkish attacks before they too were ordered to withdraw under heavy fire.  It appears that it was during this hasty withdrawal that George Drysdale and 10 other men were separated and later reported missing.

As with all men reported missing, POW, or Killed, the unit held an internal investigation into the circumstances. The enquiry into George’s disappearance was convened by Major W Markwell at Romani on the 25th of August 1916.

The enquiry listed the names of the men missing, killed or captured and then tried to piece together the circumstances from witnesses. No. 2068 Private Patrick O’Neill (incorrectly spelt O’Nill on the report) stated:

 “I had been lying alongside of Sgt. Drysdale the whole time during the action between the outposts and the Turks during the early morning of Aug. 4th near Mount Meredith. Just before dawn we were forced to retire. As we were retiring to our led horses I saw Sgt Drysdale, and again before we mounted. He seemed to be having some difficulty in finding his horse” (George’s horse had in fact been killed and was found the next day) Patrick O’Neill continues “I did not see him again. As we were retiring the Turks pressed us very close, having appeared just to our right. When we mounted they opened a heavy fire, and we then fell back to the Squadron. I am of the opinion that Sgt. Drysdale may have been wounded and taken prisoner. When I saw Drysdale last the Turks were about 40 yards (40 Metres) away.”

The Officer Commanding C Squadron, Captain Charles Cecil Stodart from Toowong, Queensland stated:

“I am O/C. ‘C’ Squadron. On the morning of the 5th of August I made a search of the country over which this Squadron was in action, and found all bodies of those whom we knew had fallen. Reg. No. 2197 Pte. McColl, R.M., Reg. No. 1266 Corp. Somerville, J. and Reg. No. 461 Segt. Drysdale G. R. of these men we could find no trace, and I am of the opinion that they must be prisoners of war.”

The court considered the evidence and came to the conclusion that "Sergt. Drysdale is a prisoner of war, either wounded or unwounded in the hands of the Turks through no fault of his own"

When men were confirmed killed or reported as POW their military equipment was packed up and returned to the Quartermaster Store and their personal effects had to be collected and sent back to their Next-of-Kin. Often items were sanitised from a man’s personal gear so as not to cause embarrassment to family. Items such as bawdy playing cards or postcards, letters from sweethearts or girls they had met on leave. George’s personal effects consisted of:

a wallet containing letters, a Card, Leave Passes, Receipts, a Silver Charm, 2 photos, and a fountain pen. A further package of personal items contained 4 pairs of socks, 1 pair of mittens, 3 ½ pairs of gloves, 1 balaclava cap. These items were normally packaged up and dispatched with a written chain of custody requiring signatures via returning troopships and in this case the effects were sent firstly back to Melbourne then on to his brother in Scotland.

Now a prisoner, George travelled by foot and train into Turkey and captivity. He commenced his internment at Afion-Kara-Hissar on the 31st of October 1916. Afion-Kara-Hissar is about 450km South West of Constantinople and was considered a reasonably good camp with respect to food, accommodation and access to medical treatment.  George was reported transferred to Angora Camp on the 7th of December 1916. Angora camp conditions were reported as very poor. The camp was in a swampy region and prone to insect borne diseases as well as communicable diseases caused by men in poor health. George would have been labouring on the Berlin-Baghdad Railway in the winter months of 1916/1917.

George Drysdale Reportedly died of Tuberculous Bronchitis, or Typhus on the 11th of February 1917 at Angora. The Turkish records of his death state that he died on the 8th of April 1917. The death certificate issued by the Turkish also mentions the 8th of April and that George died from Spotted Typhus. They also claimed his grave was marked and could be recognised which was patently untrue.  So there was a little confusion initially over when exactly George had died.

George’s Death was noted as February 1917 until, via the Red Cross Society, his sister stated that she had received a letter from him dated March 1917. This was further corroborated by PTE P Quelch who writes of his death:

“The exact date that Sergeant Drysdale died was 4am on Easter Sunday (this was the 8th of April for 1917). I miss him very much for he was a good pal to me…...”

The Department of Defence subsequently issued corrections to the official date of death.

958 Trooper George Roberts of the 1St Australian Light Horse Regiment reported from Angora that certain men had died:

“………………. In case my letters to Miss Chomley were destroyed here is a complete list – Sergt. Sullivan, 9th L.H., SGT JR Drysdale, 2ND L.H………………….”

Trooper Roberts also testified post war in 1919 that:

“The following Australians to my knowledge DIED from the below cause in the winter of 1917 between January and the end of March. These men had to march scantily clothed about six miles through snow. Typhus resulted from this exposure. These men were buried along the road and in different parts of Angora.”

George Drysdale’s name was on this list of men. Trooper Roberts also stated of George Drysdale:

“He was captured the same day as myself. I wrote to Mrs Drysdale and told her he was in the same ward as myself. He died either from a relapse after typhus or from acute enteritis, but with any attention he would have pulled round – any of them would. I have been in hospital and not got a wash for 14 days, you could be there for moths and you would’nt [sic] get a wash. His mother was distressed that none of us were at his burial but the Turks when you die, wash and bury you without delay. He left nothing – no clothes. We were together in hospital. It seemed to be diarrhoea when he went in. Things were awful then. Heavy snow too. We were walking to work six miles in the snow with no boots – practically no clothing.”

Private Richardson from the Light Horse Regiment wrote:

“Died of Malaria and Dysentery in Angora – I was in the same camp at the time. He was in a different hospital I understand he did not die from Ill-Treatment.”

So when all the evidence is considered the most likely scenario was that George Drysdale, being exhausted, ill fed and cold, was admitted to hospital with Tubercular Bronchitis, and diarrhoea and caught typhus from fleas or body lice. These compounding illnesses were unable to be effectively treated before the days of antibiotics and George weakened before dying on the 8th of April 1917. He was buried without ceremony in the cemetery at Angora in an unmarked grave.

In 1927 during the consolidation of the various cemeteries spread throughout Turkey and Mesopotamia, an attempt was made to find the grave of George Drysdale. This attempt was ultimately unsuccessful and as such George has no known grave. He is memorialised in Baghdad’s North Gate Cemetery with a headstone in the ‘Angora’ Memorial row. As at 2019, his memorial headstone was in very good condition.