Captain Richard Breydon
Queensland 1897 Jubilee Contingent to England
1st Queensland Mounted Infantry
1st Military District (WW1)
by Robert Simpson
Richard Breydon was born in Ireland on 6th November 1869, a son to John Breydon and Jane Savage. He had three other brothers and three sisters that are known of. His Father passed away before 1880 and this prompted his Mother to move the family to Australia. They departed Plymouth, England mid 1880 and arrived at Brisbane on the Dunbar Castle on 26th October 1880. He appears in a School list with other family members from 1882 in the town of Ramsay in Queensland, so his family must have settled there. His Mother remarried to Henry Graham on 14th June 1887. One of his brothers, Robert, was noted in the 1895 Directory as a dairy farmer at Ramsay and a brand was registered to him at Ramsay on 5th February 1887. He was also on the Ramsay State School committee in 1897. The family remained in Ramsay until the early 1900’s when some moved to Clifton. Richard had moved to Toowoomba by 1895 and was living in Russell St.
Not much is known of his early military records, when and where he enlisted. He first appears in the Brisbane Courier dated 5th October 1896 under the heading Defence Force Appointments with “The following non-commissioned officers are appointed second-class instructors on probation … those attached to Mounted Infantry Corps, company sergeant-major Richard Breydon” and “The following second-class instructors are posted for duty to the respective corps … Company Sergeant-major R. Breydon, No. 5 Company, Moreton Mounted Infantry”. Another article in The Queenslander on Saturday 10th October 1896 has “The following second class instructors are posted to duty to the respective corps … Company Sergeant-Major R. Breydon, No. 5 Company, Moreton Mounted Infantry”. The Brisbane Courier dated 15th April 1897 has an article headed “Queensland Troops for England – As the outcome of the meeting of Mounted Infantry officers held at Lytton on Tuesday, the following have been selected to represent Queensland at the Jubilee celebrations in England: – … Company Sergeant-major R. Breydon, Gatton”. The Queenslander had a note in Saturday 8th May 1897 of him leaving Adelaide, Saturday last on the G.M.S. Gera, for Bremen. The next newspaper record has him returning to Sydney on 3rd April 1898 from Bremen on the ship Gera, and he is listed as a Sergeant Major, so he was overseas for nearly a year. It would appear that the ship’s journey ended and started at Bremen, but called into other ports and he disembarked in Britain. His service history shows him being at Hythe and Aldershot and this is confirmed in a newspaper article. The article was published in the Brisbane Courier 4th March 1898, entitled “Military Instruction in England, A Queenslanders Experience” and is a letter from him to a comrade in Toowoomba while he was in England for military education. He talks about a “great Jubilee campaign’ and pleasant tours around London, the fog and weather. He misses reading Toowoomba papers and talks about working hard and being successful with his studies. “I have had the honour of soldiering with some of the smartest corps in the service, and of going through courses at different schools with the cream of the British Army (rather a proud position for a common Toowoomba soldier).” While in England he was involved in various training and this included musketry at Hythe and P.T. drills, a course of swords and gymnastic drills, army signalling and machine gun at Aldershot. He received certificates for these training schools; Instructor of Musketry, a proficiency certificate on the Maxim machine gun, rifles and revolvers at the Royal Small Arms Factory and was qualified to instruct infantry drill. He embarked on the Gera on 14th February 1898 at Southampton for Queensland. The letter also says “There is one thing of which I am convinced, and that is the materiel which is to be found in the Queensland Mounted Infantry cannot be surpassed in any branch of the military forces I have seen”. He states that they just need more continuous training to be fighting soldiers.
1st February 1901 The Queenslander QSM Breydon middle front row.
In the Boer War, he was No 4, Company Sergeant Major with the 1st QMI, B Company. The First (Queensland Mounted Infantry) Contingent was raised from officers and others serving in local defence forces. They were enrolled, organised and equipped between the 13th and 28th October and left on the S.S. Cornwall on 1st November 1899. Lieutenant Alfred Adie was also with this contingent. They were both part of colour party at Meeandah camp that received a flag from the Mayoress of Brisbane. The Contingent arrived at Table Bay on 12th December, landed at Cape Town the following day and proceeded to Orange River in two trains. They then went to Belmont and were involved in the action at Sunnyside on 1st January, where the first Australian casualties occurred. The contingent was involved in engagements including the Relief of Kimberley, Poplar Grove, Driefontein and Bloemfontein. He was captured at Sannas Post on 31 March 1900. There is a lot of mention of him and B Company 1st Contingent in the newspapers concerning the action there where others were killed and he was reported as missing. The newspapers also state he was from Gympie at the time, so he may have been posted there prior to embarking. In the battle Sanna’s Post, the Queensland Contingents were sent as part of the relief force to assist Broadwood’s troops. Ricardo’s force was ordered to reinforce a kopje and Captain Dowse was sent to hold a position on the left which they did for five hours against a much larger Boer force. At one stage Lieutenant Adie with twenty men stopped a flanking movement by the Boers that threatened them. They were then ordered to withdraw. Captain Dowse and his men provided protection for Lieutenant-Colonel Ricardo and his men to withdraw, which they did without loss. But when Dowse and his men came to withdraw several hundred Boers were now firing at them. Sergeant Major Richard Breydon and 10 men were sent forward to hold one of the drifts while he ordered the others to scatter and reunite on the other side of the river. One of the soldiers with Breyton was killed with a bullet to the head. When the rest of the company was clear they made a dash for their lives, while being pursued by over 400 Boers and fired at with rifles, machine guns and artillery. With about 400 yards to safety, they encountered a creek and the horses got stuck in the mud. The Boers surrounded them and Sergeant Major Breydon and four men were marched off into captivity. He remained so until he was relieved at Pretoria on 4th June 1900. The contingent was involved in other operations for the second half of 1900 and in early November they were sent by train to Cape Town as orders had been received for them to return. On 13th December 1900, they boarded the transport Orient, and arrived in Brisbane on 17th January 1901 and were disbanded there on the 23rd. He reported to camp and was examined by Dr. Thompson and was of “good health and of sound constitution”. He was recommended one month’s full pay at Contingent rates and was discharged on 23rd January to permanent staff.
An article in the Brisbane Courier 21st August 1901 mentions him in the course of a libel action in the Supreme Court by Colonel Ricardo against the Observer newspaper but he did not appear in the court.
On 16th September 1903 in Brisbane he married Mary Donaldsen at her Mother’s home Culmore in Petrie Terrace. Her Father had passed away previously.
Also, in 1903, he was living at Bowen House, Ann St as Sergeant Major C.M. Forces and Slaters Queensland Almanac lists him as being Permanent Staff, Quartermaster-Sergeant Instructors (C.S.) late Q.M.I.
On 17th May 1904 tragedy struck when their first son, Francis was prematurely born stillborn at Lisboy, Prospect Terrace, Kelvin Grove. It struck again when twin brothers, James and Thomas, were again born premature stillborn on 23rd May 1905.
In 1905, they were living at Prospect Terrace and he was listed as a Military Instructor. They then shifted to Toowoomba and were there in the 1908 and 1910 electoral rolls, living in Norwood St., and he had the same occupation. The Toowoomba climate had its effect and on 29th May 1906 another son was born, Cecil James, and he survived. Cecil moved to New South Wales as an adult and served in World War 2 as Lieutenant N323682 in the 9th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps. They were still in Toowoomba in 1907 and living in Mary St., with a bit of gossip saying Mrs. Breydon was spending a few weeks in Brisbane. Another son, Richard Eric was born in 1909, moved with them to Victoria and ended up being a Company Auditor and accountant. In 1913, they were back in Brisbane at Prospect Terrace, Kelvin Grove and he was a Warrant Officer and they were still there in 1915. Their last son, Claude, was born at Madam Xenos’ Nursing Home, Bowen Bridge Rd. in 1914.
Family portrait taken in the early 1920’s
In the First World War, he was commissioned as an honorary Lieutenant and Quarter-Master of the 4th Division in Victoria (1st Military District) but the family must have moved there after the war. He served in the Australian Instructional Corps throughout Australia for many years from 1st October 1906 until 1st August 1922 with different Brigades.
The Electoral Roll of 1915 has them still at Prospect Terrace and he was a Warrant Officer. A note in the paper on 10th June 1916 states Mrs Breydon will not be home to visitors today. An article in the Brisbane Courier on 31st March 1917 about St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church notes that he was a new member elected to the committee of management of the church and he was a Lieutenant.
By 1919 they had moved to 20 Larnook St, Armidale in Victoria and his occupation was listed as soldier. His Mother passed away on 15th March 1919 and there is a lengthy obituary in The Queenslander about her, in which she is held in high regard by the community and it also notes Richard as living in Melbourne.
In 1924, they were living at 410 Rathdown St, Carlton North and he was a news agent.
He was transferred to the Reserve of Officers on 1st August 1927.
On 11th May 1929 he retired from the army and was transferred to the Retired List with the Honorary rank of Captain.
In 1931, they were living at 272 Beaconsfield Pde Middle Park and he looks to have retired as no occupation is listed. The 1936 and 1937 Electoral Rolls have them living at Hawsleigh Court, Hawsleigh Ave, St. Kilda and in 1943 they were at 123 Kooyong Rd. Armadale and he was listed as a caretaker. Mary passed away in 1944 and was mentioned in Brisbane and Melbourne newspapers. His last address was given as 2 Royal Cresent, Armadale and he passed away there on 16th March 1949. He was cremated and his ashes were interred after the service on 17th March 1949 at Fawkner Memorial Park in Garden of Remembrance 1, Compartment 29, Niche 113.
He was entitled to the Queens South Africa Medal with Relief of Kimberley (February 1900) Driefontein (March 1900) and Transvaal (May 1900) clasps, the British War Medal (WW1), the Queen Victoria Jubilee Medal, the Long Service, Good Conduct Medal (awarded 7th November 1914) and the Meritorious Service Medal.
The museum has his chest which he used when, as a member of a Contingent of 3 Officers and 21 Other Ranks, he attended Queen Victoria’s 60th Jubilee Celebration in London in 1897. The Jubilee Detachment of the Q.M.I. stayed at Chelsea Barracks in London.
ANZAC Biographies
On our website you will find the biographical details of ANZAC (as well as British) servicemen & women
whose medals or other memorabilia form part of the collection belonging to the
Maryborough Military & Colonial Museum,
Maryborough, Queensland, Australia.