Key Points
- Dr Charles Ryan, an army doctor, was first employed by Ottoman army and later by British army
- He fought Türkiye as an ANZAC soldier, met his old comrades wearing Ottoman army medals
- Euroa, hometown of Dr Ryan, now dedicates a memorial in his honour
Euroa suffered heavy casualties during the First World War.
Nearly 150 km away from bustling Melbourne, a group of people gathered in this small town in north-eastern Victoria last week in Euroa, to honour a local hero.
The town is small, with its population just pushing 3000 but in its heart, it houses a hugely significant war history.
It was home to Charles Ryan – a war veteran who has a rare feat of fighting for and against a country over the two wars.
He had served in the Ottoman army in the 1870s and received medals from the Ottoman Sultan before serving with the ANZACs in Gallipoli in 1915 after returning home to Australia.
On 20 April, Euroa’s Telegraph Park saw the unveiling of a memorial honouring Dr Ryan who served as a surgeon in the Ottoman as well as the ANZAC armies.
Flags of Türkiye and Australia were unfurled, Waltzing Matilda was sung and speeches in Dr Ryan’s honour were made.
“I thought we would just put a simple stone with a plaque on it, but it [the idea] developed and kept on developing and I had to send invitations to the unveiling,” Jeff Starkey tells SBS Turkish.
(Left to right) Turkish Vice Counsel Zafer Türkmenoğlu, 'Turkish Charles Ryan' authors John Gillam and Yvonne Fletcher at the ceremony in Euroa. Source: Supplied / Michael Silver
He tells SBS Turkish that he found Dr Ryan’s name on the local RSL honour board and did not know about his Ottoman connection.
However, he adds there are no references to his Ottoman service in Australian military documents.
But he made a speech at the unveiling ceremony of the memorial to draw a sketch of Dr Ryan’s Ottoman connection.
As per Mr Starkey, Dr Ryan became a surgeon after completing his studies at the University of Melbourne and the University of Edinburgh in 1875.
Responding to an advertisement by the Ottoman government of the time in a London newspaper to recruit doctors, he applied for a job while he was there.
Dr Ryan was then employed by the Ottoman government as a military surgeon.
He arrived in Istanbul, was commissioned into the army and served briefly in the final stages of the Turko-Serbian war and then in the defence of Plevne [now Bulgaria] against the Russian invasion.
Dr Ryan was well-regarded for his services and received medals from the Turkish Sultan.
His extensive memoirs were published titled Under the Red Crescent in 1897.
Then it was time to return home to Australia.
Visitors at Charles Ryan's photo exhibition in the Euroa Library. Source: Supplied / Michael Silver
Euroa and the surrounding Shire of Strathbogie sent over 1200 of its men to the War, a much higher rate than the rest of Australia.
Two hundred and sixty-three of these men were killed and around 700 were wounded.
Ninety honour boards around the region list their names. Three of them are Victoria Cross recipients.
One of the names on the honour board in the Euroa RSL was Dr Charles Ryan.
When I learnt Charles Ryan’s full story around 2014, the significance was obvious. I thought he must be celebrated to bring the two cultures together.JEFF STARKEY
“So, we applied to the local shire for memorial funding,” Mr Starkey says.
Mr Starkey learned about Dr Ryan’s Turkish connections from Dr John Başarın OAM, chairman of Friends of Gallipoli, a community body that works on strengthening Australia-Türkiye ties.
Mr Başarın has published several books about the First World War from the Turkish point of view.
The initial idea to build a memorial dedicated to Dr Ryan was his and was jointly furthered with Mr Starkey and the local shire.
Dr Ryan was well-regarded for his service and received medals from the Turkish Sultan and the British King.JOHN BASARIN
“He symbolises the strong friendship between the Australian and Turkish communities and, as a humanitarian hero, deserves to be recognised widely,” he said in his speech at the memorial ceremony.
John Başarın and Siobhan Ryan. Source: Supplied / John Başarın
Families of local Victoria Cross recipients Alexander Stewart Burton and Frederick Harold Tubb, who fought at Lone Pine in 1915 and Siobhan Ryan, the great-granddaughter of Dr Ryan also attended along with other relatives of war veterans.
Guests at the ceremony. Source: Supplied / John Başarın
Mr Silver, now 70, obtained the rare glass slides when aged 14.
He exchanged them for his camera.
He had no idea about their significance at that time, and it was many years before he discovered those photographs taken in Gallipoli in 1915 by Dr Ryan.
He became a Charles Ryan enthusiast.
“I am so happy to be part of this,” he tells SBS Turkish.
His life is so interesting, it should be a film.MICHAEL SILVER
Mr Starkey was president of Euroa’s local history society for many years and knew that Dr Ryan’s father was one of the early settlers in Longwood, 11 km away from this town.
He’s now investigating the possibility of establishing a “sister schools” relationship between primary schools in Türkiye, Euroa and Longwood.
Two of Euroa’s Victoria Cross recipients and ANZAC heroes, Mr Burton and Mr Tubb, were educated at the Euroa and Longwood primary schools.
“There is a significant link there. An opportunity for significant cultural communication,” says Mr Starkey.
