The plight of Dryburgh and her fellow inmates such as Betty Jeffrey in a Japanese prisoner of war camp inspired the 1996 film Paradise Road.
[4] Dryburgh trained as a teacher at King's College, Newcastle, after leaving school, later achieving a BA degree from Durham University with distinction in Latin and Education.
"[clarification needed] It was a critical time in China's history, with a growth in anti-foreign feeling, but Dryburgh managed to learn the Shantou dialect in two years and then started work as a teacher at the Sok Tek Girls' School.
[9] Within days of arriving at the camp, Dryburgh started arranging church services for her fellow inmates, as well as a Glee Club, hymn singing, writing classes and poetry sessions.
[4][6][10] She also ran a short story club for the prisoners and produced a monthly camp magazine which included articles on cookery, a children's section and a crossword puzzle.
[6][10][11] After joining forces with fellow musician, Norah Chambers, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, the pair formed a camp choir.
Dryburgh wrote down pages of music from memory, from baroque to contemporary, for the Vocal Orchestra to perform, as well as pieces of her own light classical compositions.
[4] The music was arranged in four parts, which were hummed by the women to give the effect of an orchestra, and included pieces by Handel, Chopin, Brahms and Beethoven.
[9] Constant hunger and disease eventually took their toll on Dryburgh, who died on 21 April 1945, a few days after the women were transferred to a camp at Loebok Linggau.