Granville Ryrie

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Sir Granville Ryrie
1 July 1865–2 October 1937
Major General Ryrie after his return to Australia in 1919.
Place of birth	Michelago, New South Wales
Place of death	Sydney, New South Wales
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1898–1927
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Australian Mounted Division 2nd Light Horse Brigade
Battles/wars	Second Boer War World War I Gallipoli Campaign Sinai and Palestine campaign Third Battle of Gaza Battle of Beersheba
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Companion of the Order of the Bath Volunteer Decoration Mention in Despatches (5)
Other work	Member of Parliament for the divisions of North Sydney & Warringah High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

Major General Sir Granville de Laune Ryrie KCMG, CB, VD (1 July 1865 – 2 October 1937) was an Australian soldier and politician who served in the Second Boer War and the First World War.

[edit] Early life

Ryrie was born in Michelago, New South Wales on 1 July 1865, into a farming family. His father was Alexander Ryrie, a grazier and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (1880-91) and of the Legislative Council (1892-1909), and his mother was Charlotte, née Faunce, both born in New South Wales. Granville was educated at Mittagong and at The King's School, Sydney; he later became a jackaroo, and eventually managed his own property. He was also a good heavyweight boxer. In 1896 he married Mary, whom Ryrie nicknamed Mick.

Ryrie volunteered to serve in the Second Boer War, from 1899 to 1902. He was selected to serve in one of the Bushmen's Contingents, groups of light horsemen, because of his skills on horseback and in shooting. During the war he was promoted to the position of honorary Major.

[edit] Pre-war political career

In April 1906, Ryrie was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as member for Queanbeyan, where he served until 1910. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Australian House of Representatives at the 1910 election, but was successfully elected to the Division of North Sydney at a by-election on 11 March 1911, following the death of Hon. George Edwards.

[edit] Military career

Ryrie conducting an informal inspection of Australian light horsemen following the first Amman raid, Palestine, 9 April 1918

At the beginning of the First World War, Ryrie was promoted to Brigadier-General, and was given command of the Australian 2nd Light Horse Brigade, part of the Anzac Mounted Division. He was in the Suez canal area and then joined the Battle of Gallipoli on 19 May 1915, where he was wounded twice. He was later moved to Egypt and London for respite, but rejoined the Brigade for the Sinai and Palestine campaign. He was involved in the famous charge of the light horse in the Third Battle of Gaza, in which Australian forces captured the town of Beersheba. In December 1918 he was made commander of the Australian Mounted Division, and in April 1919 was put in charge of the Australian Imperial Force. He was promoted Major General in September.

[edit] Post-war career

A WWI German Field Gun near North Sydney Oval. It was unveiled by Ryrie in 1921.[1]

After returning to Australia, Ryrie remained the Member for North Sydney. In 1920, he was made an Assistant Minister for Defence in the ministry of Billy Hughes, assisting Senator George Pearce. At the 1922 election he was elected to the newly created Division of Warringah, where he served until 1927, when he was appointed Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in London. He was also an Australian delegate to the League of Nations.

Ryrie returned to Australia in 1932, and died in Sydney on 2 October 1937, survived by his wife and children. He was buried at Michelago after a state service at St Andrew's Anglican Cathedral.

Micalago Station is still in the Ryrie family and is run by David Ryrie, Granvilles eldest grandson. David and his family still reside in the original homestead.

Ryrie Street in North Ryde, Australia is named in his honour.

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Granville Ryrie

[edit] References

• Major General Granville de Laune Ryrie. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on November 19, 2005.
• Serle, Percival (1949). "Ryrie, Granville". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. 
• A. J. Hill, 'Ryrie, Sir Granville de Laune (1865 - 1937)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, MUP, 1988, pp 502-504.