On 6 September 1917, the Newcastle Morning Herald reported,
Soccerites will regret to hear that Private Leslie Dryburgh has been killed in action. The deceased soldier was a member of Wallsend Mazeppas. He played with them in their old third grade days, and took part in the Richardson Cup games. He was reported missing, but later news conveyed that he had been killed in No Man’s Land. He left with the 30th Battalion. The sympathy of all Soccerites goes out to the relatives of this Soccer soldier.
Locally born miner Leslie Dryburgh represented Wallsend Mazeppas in 1914 and 1915. On 20 July 1916 he was reported missing in action in France. He was never found and on 23 July 1917 a court of enquiry officially pronounced his fate as killed in action. He was 24 years of age.