The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX2184) Private John Campbell Drylie, 2/2nd Battalion, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (NX2184) Private John Campbell Drylie, 2/2nd Battalion, Second World War.

NX2184 Private John Campbell Drylie, 2/2nd Battalion
KIA 3 January 1941

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private John Campbell Drylie.

Jack Drylie was born on 3 March 1916, the only son of William and Agnes Drylie of Murwillumbah, New South Wales. He and his three sisters were brought up on their father’s banana plantation at Stokers Siding. Jack was educated at the Cleveland, Gympie and South Brisbane Schools and went on to work assisting his father on the banana plantation. In 1938 he was in an accident on the Pacific Highway when his motorcycle collided with a car. He recovered from his fractured hand and extensive lacerations after a period in Brisbane General Hospital.
Jack Drylie had three uncles who had served in the First World War, one of whom was killed in action in Belgium in October 1917. Perhaps this influenced his decision to enlist in the second Australian Imperial Force shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939. He left Murwillumbah with a contingent of 22 young men bound for training camp on 25 October 1939.

Despite leaving the train station early in the morning, a “fine muster of citizens” assembled to see them off. Veterans of the First World War led the singing of the war songs of their day, and each member of the contingent was given a bag of fruit, cigarettes and money along with “three lusty cheers”. The last Jack Drylie would have seen of Murwillumbah was a crowded railway platform, with a band playing “Auld Lang Syne” as the train steamed out.

Jack Drylie was posted to the 2/2nd Battalion, beginning his training at Ingleburn Army Camp before leaving for active service overseas in early 1940. His battalion was first sent to Egypt, and continued its training in the Palestinian desert for the remainder of the year.

In early 1941 the 2/2nd Battalion became one of the first Australian battalions to fight in the Western Desert Campaign when it took part in the Battle of Bardia in Libya.
The 16th Brigade launched an attack on the Italian-held village of Bardia in the early hours of 3 January 1941. The 2/2nd Battalion had been ordered to support the left flank of the 2/5th Battalion during the operation. The men left for their start line on time under shell-fire in the half-light of dawn. As they went, the men of A Company began singing, and the whole battalion took up the song, launching the attack singing together. Although they encountered stronger defences than expected, it was later reported that “all ranks showed great dash and determination, and the general success of the battalion was hard earned and deserved.”

That success had come at a price, however, with the 2/2nd Battalion suffering a significant number of casualties. One of those killed was Private Jack Drylie. Little is known of the manner of his death, but his body was recovered from the battlefield and was buried nearby. Today his remains lie in Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery in Egypt under the words “great love hath no man than this”. He was 24 years old.
His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private John Campbell Drylie, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section