Obituaries Australia

Harold Ryrie, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 16 January 1920

There died last month in Sydney a member of that grand old New South Wales family, the Ryries, in the person of Major Harold Stewart Ryrie, late of Coolringdon, Cooma. Major Ryrie, who was a cousin of Major-General Sir Granville Ryrie, K.C.M.G., C.B., member in the Federal Parliament for North Sydney, left for Egypt with the first contingent as lieutenant in the 6th Light Horse Regiment (2nd Brigade), and served with distinction in Gallipoli, Sinai, and Palestine until the month of April 1918, when he was seriously wounded, and was invalided home in August of the same year. He was a gallant officer, and was much esteemed by all the men who served with him. He was awarded the Distingushed Service Order for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty while commanding his squadron during an attack."

After Coolringdon had been carried on for some years as the estate of the late David Ryrie, it was bought from the rest of the family by Messrs. E. A., O. B., and H. S. Ryrie, who afterwards sold it to Mr. Robert Craig, and O. B. and H. S. Ryrie bought Moorlands, in the Walgett district, in 1908. This was eventually sold to the Peel River Company. Messrs. O. B. and H. S. Ryrie went for a twelve months' trip to England, Scotland, Ireland, and the Continent, returning via Berlin, Budapest, Rome, and Naples to Australia. They later bought Yarrabundie, in the Trundle district, which they sold just before war broke out.

Major O. B. Ryrie left in the 1st Brigade with the 1st Australian Light Horse, also as lieutenant, and returned as major about two months ago. Another brother, Lieut. E. A. Ryrie, already mentioned, joined the Imperial Forces, and served in France with the R.F.A. Major Ryrie was a bachelor, and is survived by four brothers and four sisters, three of whom are in England, and one (Mrs. Campbell) is in New South Wales.

He was interred in the Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, with full military honours. The gun carriage, on which many beautiful wreaths were placed, was drawn by four horses, and the firing party was composed of 50 men. The Headquarters Reserve Band played the Dead March and Chopin's Funeral March. There was a large attendance of relations and friends, also of representatives of the Light Horse regiments.