William Arthur Ritchie

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Fri, 28/07/2017 - 14:05

First Name:

William

Middle Name:

Arthur

Last Name:

Ritchie

Mother's Name:

Mary Ritchie nee Dobbie

Father's Name:

David Ritchie

Date Enlisted:

Monday, March 15, 1915

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Rank at Discharge:

Private

Unit:

Light Horse Field Ambulance

Company:

14th Australian General Hospital

Awards:

1914/1915 Star

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Wednesday, December 25, 1974

Details:

William Ritchie (Service No 595) was born at Mount Kembla, near Wollongong, N.S.W. around 1893. His father David was a union official at Mount Kembla during the 1902 mine disaster and gave evidence at the Royal Commission that followed. It seems the family left for Dorrigo soon after. In 1922 he married May Brittain.

William enlisted in Brisbane when he was 22 years old, worked as a farmer, lived at Dorrigo, N.S.W and was single.

He was sent to Gallipoli on 1st December 1915 as medical staff where he served with the 2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance as well as the Imperial Camel Corps in Egypt.

In August 1916 he was admitted to hospital in Egypt dangerously ill and it was a while before he recovered.

In March 1918 he was returned to Australia as nursing staff, but no discharge date is recorded.

In February 1918 a report in the Dorrigo Gazette states William's father had received notice of the award of the Military Medal, however no record of this exists.

William's brother Alexander Ritchie (Service No 2636) was killed in action in Belgium in 1917.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, RITCHIE WILLIAM ARTHUR