Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Warrent Officer 2nd Class

Awarded on:

August 2nd, 1945

Recommendation:
"Company Sergeant-Major (CSM) Ryan was dropped by parachute into Yugoslavia in October 1943 as a Wireles/Transmitter operator (W/T operator) to the ISLD (Inter-Services Liaison Department) party at Croat Partisan Headquarters. He at one established his W/T station and since that date has single handed carried a great volume of intelligence traffic. For 6 months he also handled the operational traffic for the British Mission in that area. This work involved being on the keyboard every day for many hours at a stretch and not once during the whole period did CSM Ryan miss a scheduled contact. When on several occasions the Heaquarters was attacked by the enemy CSM Ryan displayed courage and tenacity of a high order. One example of this was when 5 Stuka aircraft made a direct attack on the W/T building with CSM Ryan was transmitting a most immediate message. He refused to take cover and succesfully completed the signal.

Taking into account the constant danger of working in enemy occupied territory CSM Ryan showed a very high technical excellence and maintained an exeptional standard of courage and devotion to duty over a long and trying period."