Walter Potter Ritchie VC (27 March 1892 – 17 March 1965) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. The award was made for his actions during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Early life

Walter Potter Ritchie was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

on 27 March 1892, one of six children of Walter Ritchie, an ironworker, and his wife Helen . He was educated at a school in the

Cowcaddens Cowcaddens (; , )
is an area of the city of

area of Glasgow. After completing his schooling he became a blacksmith's apprentice but soon enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, joining the 8th Cameronians despite being underage. He was later transferred to the 2nd Battalion of

The Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...

as a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

First World War

On the outbreak of the First World War, Ritchie was sent with his unit to France, as part of the

4th Division In military terms, 4th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *4th (Quetta) Division, British Indian Army * 4th Alpine Division Cuneense, Italy * 4th Blackshirt Division (3 January), Italy *4th Canadian Division *4th Division (Australia) * 4th ...

, British Expeditionary Force. He fought in the

Battle of Mons The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (World War I), British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies of World W ...

in August 1914 and then in the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...

the following month. He was wounded in October 1914 near

Armentières Armentières (; , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fi� ...

. The Seaforth Highlanders later moved to the Somme sector, stationed near Mailly-Maillet. On 1 July 1916, the opening day of the

, the 4th Division was tasked with capturing the ground to the north of Beaumont Hamel. Its advance was preceded by an artillery barrage and once it ceased, the troops of the division moved forward in a series of waves. Ritchie's battalion was part of the second wave. The advance faltered due to heavy machine gun fire and due to the extent of casualties among the officers, some of the British soldiers began falling back. Ritchie, seeing this, climbed to the parapet of a trench and sounded his bugle, which he carried with him, contrary to orders. The bugle call rallied the British soldiers and helped restore order and reverse the withdrawal. After the battle, there were only around 80 survivors from his battalion. For his actions on 1 July, Ritchie was recommended for the

(VC). The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. The citation, published in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' read: Ritchie was presented with his VC by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

on 25 November 1916 in a ceremony at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. After the VC investiture, he went to Glasgow for a period of leave but declined to talk to friends about his experiences during the VC action. He later received the French

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

, which was presented to him by

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sir

Aylmer Hunter-Weston Lieutenant General Sir Aylmer Gould Hunter-Weston, (23 September 1864 – 18 March 1940) was a British Army officer who served in the First World War on the Western Front, at Gallipoli in 1915, and in the very early stages of the Somme Offensi ...

in December 1916. Returning to active duty with the Seaforth Highlanders on the Western Front, his battalion would go on to be involved in several engagements for the remainder of the war, including actions around Arras and the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies of World War I, Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front (World Wa ...

in 1917 and the Battle of the Lys and the fighting along the Hindenburg Line the following year. By the end of the war, he had been wounded a total of five times, as well as being gassed twice.

Later life

Remaining in the British Army after the war, Ritchie was transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders. By this time he was married to Mary and the couple went on to have two children. He was soon promoted to

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

and served as the battalion's

drum-major A drum major or field commander is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or cor ...

. During the

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between th ...

commemorations of 1921, he was part of the VC honour guard for

The Unknown Warrior The Unknown Warrior is an unidentified member of the British Empire, British Imperial armed forces who died on the Western Front (World War I), western front during the First World War. He is interred in a grave at Westminster Abbey, also kno ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. He retired from the British Army in 1929 but then remained involved with the military life by working as a recruitment officer in Glasgow. He later worked in the education system. During the Second World War, Ritchie rejoined the British Army and served with the

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equi ...

on the Home Front until his discharge in 1941, on account of his health. Ritchie died on 17 March 1965 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and his remains were cremated.

Medals and legacy

As well as the VC and Croix de Guerre, Ritchie was entitled to the

1914 Star The 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, is a British First World War campaign medal for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. Institution The 1914 Star was authorised under Special Army Order no. 350 in ...

with Mons Clasp,

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

and Victory Medal for his First World War service. He also held the 1939-45 Star and War Medal 1939-45 for his service during the Second World War, and was a recipient of coronation medals for two sovereigns,

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, and the George V Silver Jubilee Medal. The medals are no longer in the possession of the family, having been first sold in 1970 and presently owned by an Australian collector. On 1 July 2022, 106 years to the day after Ritchie's heroism earned him the Victoria Cross, it was announced that his medals were to be offered at auction by Spink in London. The bugle on which he rallied his comrades during the Battle of the Somme is held at the Queen's Own Highlanders Museum at

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

. On 1 July 2016, a hundred years to the day of Ritchie's VC action, a centenary paving stone outside the People's Palace in Glasgow was unveiled in his memory. Fifty members of his family were present at the ceremony.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Edinburgh)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, Walter Potter 1892 births 1965 deaths British Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross Seaforth Highlanders soldiers British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Glasgow Scottish drummers British male drummers British military musicians British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross 20th-century British male musicians British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Ordnance Corps soldiers Cameronians soldiers