THE SUDAN CAMPAIGN 1896-1908 30
Seven: Commander W. B. Drury, an Australian born Royal Navy officer who was attached to the Egyptian Army as a Bimbashi and worked with Captain Peake to clear the ‘sudd’ to open up a route up the White Nile and Bahr-el-Jabal rivers to Uganda 1914-15 STAR (Cdr. W. B. Drury, R.N.); BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Cdr. W. B. Drury, R.N.) these three all later issues; ORDER OF OSMANIEH, 4th Class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamels; KHEDIVE’S SUDAN 1896-1908, 1 clasp, Sudan 1899, unnamed; ORDER OF THE MEDJIDIE, 3rd Class neck badge, silver, gold and enamels; ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY, Bronze Medal (Successful), (Lieut. W. B. Drury. R.N. “Sultan” June 30th. 1899), naming re-engraved, complete with ribbon buckle, good very fine or better (7)
£350-400
Note: The 1914-15 star trio was issued in 1987 as due to his sudden death it was not claimed at the end of the Great War. See accompanying correspondence.
M.I.D. London Gazette 25 October 1916. Order of the Medjidie, 3rd Class London Gazette 8 April 1913. Order of Osmanieh, 4th Class London Gazette 27 April 1906. Order of the Medjidie, 4th Class London Gazette 19 April 1901.
William Byron Drury was born in Brisbane, Australia, on 19 April 1875. In October, 1889, third son of the late Colonel E. R. Drury, C. M.G., of Queensland. At the age of 14 he joined H.M.S. Britannia on 15 January 1900 for training, which he completed in December 1901 and was posted to H.M.S. Canada on the North American station. On 15 June 1892 he was rated Midshipman and shortly afterwards was witness to a ‘peacekeeping’ action on the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, which restored to power the hereditary Chief of the Mosquito Nation, Henry Clarence, in July 1894. Midshipman Drury was officially praised for his good work during these operations. On 15 December 1895 he was promoted to Sub Lieutenant and was sent back home for posting to H.M.S. Victory for further training in July 1896. He served on the Mediterranean in Victory, Royal Sovereign and Hawke, taking part in the latter ship in the landings on Crete in 1898.
Whilst on the Mediterranean station, he volunteered for service in Egypt and was, with five others, selected to take charge of gun boats on the Nile under Lord Kitchener. Drury was attached to the Egyptian Government for service with the Nile Flotilla from 2 March 1899, on the gunboat Sultan.
At 2 p.m. on 30 June 1899, a native soldier and a 13 year old boy fell overboard into the Nile when a section of rail gave way on the gunboat Sultan. The boat was travelling at about 10 knots some 12 miles South of Omdurman, where the river was about 20 feet deep and infested with crocodiles. Drury, fully clothed, jumped into the river to rescue them, followed by Mustapha Mahomed and Abda Salam. Both the soldier and the boy were successfully rescued, with Mahomed and Salam picked up first, followed 10 minutes later by an exhausted Drury. All three rescuers were awarded the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society.
www.dnw.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138