After training on a machine gun course, he served at Gallipoli from September 1915 as Machine-Gun Officer of the 5th Manchester's until he was evacuated in October 1915 suffering from jaundice. The Manchester's moved to Egypt after their withdrawal from Gallipoli and Bryan served in the 127th Brigade Machine Gun Company at Abu Mena and the Suez Canal. He helped protect the railway built from El Qantara, Egypt to El Arish as part of the preparations for the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.