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Edward RYAN #476

By Marg Powel & Des Crump | 11 June 2018

Extract from service record for Edward Ryan

Extract from Service Record for Edward Ryan, 3rd Machine Gun Battalion. National Archives of Australia

Indigenous Australian, Edward RYAN, 3rd Machine Gun Battalion

Edward (Ted) Ryan was the son of Christina Copson and Michael Ryan, born in 1894 at Wolvi, Queensland. Ryan enlisted in Brisbane in July 1916, age 22 and was selected to serve as a gunner with the 7th Reinforcements for the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, and trained at Lytton just out of Brisbane.

The reinforcements embarked aboard the troopship Ulysses from Melbourne in October 1916 and arrived in England very late in December where they were encamped at Perham Downs, Salisbury. Within a few short weeks Ryan was admitted to hospital with mumps but soon afterward rejoined his fellow recruits, as they moved to Durrington Camp before proceeding to France in June.

Ryan was wounded in action in October 1917 and was evacuated to hospital in England. There he spent several months recuperating in England and in June 1918 married Kathleen Wellspring. Shortly after he was returned to his unit in France and remained overseas until March 1919.

Edward and Kathleen Ryan returned to Australia together on board the troopship Katoomba in September 1919 where he was discharged.

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The information in this blog post has been researched by State Library staff and volunteers, it is based on available information at this time. If you have more information that you would like to share or further research uncovers new findings, this post will be updated.

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