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Cenotaph record

John William Dryden

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Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    John William AWMM
  • Surname
    Dryden AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    WWII 37566 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    1 April 1913 AWMM AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    WW2 Pre 1940-1941 AWMM 293 Courtenay St., New New Plymouth AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    WW2 Mrs. E. Dryden, 293 Courtenay St., New New Plymouth (mother) AWMM
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
  • Campaign
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWII 37566 AWMM
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW2 Casual Labourer/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes

Last known rank

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  • Last rank

Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Sergeant J. W. Dryden, MM; New Plymouth; born NZ 1 Apr 1913; casual labourer; wounded 8 Jan 1944. (Source: Kay, R. 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion. p.358.)

    '‘As we started to scramble over the bridge,’ says Moore, ‘Jerry got to work, and threw unpleasantness of assorted types at us. … I was proud of those boys, many of them new reinforcements, but laden as they were with no show of taking cover, they calmly kept their distance apart….’ After crossing the rubble of the demolished spans they had to climb ten feet to the decking. There Corporal Dryden kept them moving between shellbursts and assisted them to clamber up. When Corporal Laurence and Private Mitchell were hit, he helped them to safety. His coolness in a situation that might possibly have led to panic earned him the MM.' (Source: Kay, R. 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion. p. 358.) AWMM
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Death

About death

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  • Death
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Kay, R. (1958). 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch. AWMM
      pp.358, 383. AWMM
    • Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      p.131 AWMM

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