4 Field Regiment (SVN) 'Old Boys' Sep 25 Newsletter

From Denis Moore I served in 108 Bty first tour. Now that I am too old to be an FO, I represent in NSW the Friends of Gallipoli Inc, a not-for-profit, non-political, non-religious organisation that invokes the mutual respect between the ANZACs and the Mehmets generated through behaviour with honour in battle on Gallipoli to promote friendship. The nexus between Gallipoli and Vietnam is thin; however, soldiery is soldiery. I run a commemoration of the withdrawal from Gallipoli on 20 December at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, the Governor General, the Commander of the Australian Fleet, the Repatriation Commissioner, representatives from DVA, appropriate Consuls General and a broad cross section of people attending last year, including some former members of 4 Field Regiment. I also provide talks on Gallipoli and have distributed plaques bearing the 1934 words of Ataturk to some leading Sydney schools. I have a close relationship with RSL NSW. Last year, after the Anzac Day march in Sydney and a service at the Anzac Memorial, I was invited to attend an Anzac Day service on the forecourt of the Anzac Mosque at Auburn where I delivered the ode in the presence of the Turkish Consul General and the Imam. I think that you are aware that I have the honour of marching in front of the 4 Field Regiment banner on Anzac Days in Sydney. The attached may be interest. I compiled the article largely from publicly available information. A Brief history of Dr Charles Ryan Born in Victoria in 1853 and educated at Melbourne Grammar, Charles Snodgrass Ryan commenced medical training at the University of Melbourne in 1870. He completed surgical training in Edinburgh in 1875 and then undertook post- graduate study in Europe. Whilst in Rome, he responded to an advertisement in the London Times that sought twenty surgeons to serve in the Turkish Army. As a member of the Turkish Army, Dr Ryan served in the Turko-Serbian War of 1876-1877 and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 in which Serbia and Montenegro fought against the Ottoman Empire, Russia later joining the conflict. For more than four months he was involved in the siege of Plevna, which earned him the nickname “Plevna”, then served at Erzurum in eastern Ottoman Empire. After the fall of Erzurum, he was briefly held as a prisoner of war by the Russians. After those wars he was decorated by the Ottoman Sultan for his gallant service and awarded a campaign medal. In his memoirs, which were published in London [Under the Red Crescent, 1897], he speaks highly of the Turkish soldiers and their enduring qualities. In June 1878, he returned to civilian life in Melbourne as a surgeon, consulting surgeon and physician, and for some years as the first Victorian Consul General of Ottoman Türkiye. His medical responsibilities briefly included ensuring that the recently captured Ned Kelly was fit to stand trial and certifying death after his execution. In 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War, aged over 60 and nearly forty years after his Turkish military service, Dr Ryan was appointed Assistant Director of Medical Services, 1st Australian Division, AIF. He sailed for Egypt in