Herbert Drury

Pre war Army
Served 7 and half years in the Army, 5 years in Hong Kong.
8th Coast Regiment RA, constisting of 12, 30 and 36 Coast Bty, plus support Batteries further inland, stationed in Hong Kong. Families had been evacuated to Manila and Australia in June 1940. During the Battle for Hong Kong, the battery at Fort Davis consisted of three 9.2-inch Mark V coastal defence guns and two 3-inch AA guns. The battery, was part of Western Fire Command, which was responsible for the coastal defence batteries in the western sector of Hong Kong Island. There were no coastal defence batteries situated on the Mainland during the battle. The guns on Mount Davis, especially F3, the highest gun, were able to traverse and fire landward, which they did with great effect during the battle, although it was not what they were designed for.

The batteries had limited amounts of high-explosive shells and were mainly equipped with amour-piercing shells, which were more effective in engaging enemy warships. The guns at Jubilee below Mount Davis were blocked by terrain and could only fire seawards. When the coastal defence batteries were constructed, it was not contemplated that they would be used for landward firing at infantry positions.

During the afternoon 24th a force of fifty gunners from Fort Davis and Jubilee were sent to the Wan Chai area to fight as infantry under Lt Arthur Clayton and Battery Sgt Major Barlow. Herbert may have been included in this party, it was in the close quarter fighting (house to house and street to street) in Wan Chai that he lost his life in the closing stages of the battle.

Unknown