William "Rusty" Ruthven, VC (21 May 1893 – 12 January 1970) was an Australian soldier and

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician. For actions 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 ...

he was an Australian 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 award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British 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.

Early life

Born in

Collingwood, Victoria Collingwood is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3km north-east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Yarra Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. Collingwood recorded a ...

, William Ruthven was educated locally at the Vere Street State School. He became a mechanical engineer and was employed in the timber industry prior to his enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force in April 1915 for service in the

. He stood only tall, just above the minimum height requirement.

First World War

Ruthven was 24 years old, and a

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 ...

in the 22nd Battalion, 2nd Division, when at Ville-sur-Ancre on 19 May 1918 the following deed took place for which he was awarded the

. The full citation for his actions appeared in a supplement to 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 ...

'' on 11 July 1918: (Victoria Cross) He was wounded in June 1918 and in July was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Later in the war he returned to Australia and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and campaigned with other VC winners on a recruiting drive. He was demobilised in December 1918. In early 1919, his VC was stolen from his home, along with several other items. Police arrested the culprits and the medal was returned with a note apologising for the theft. VC Anzac Day 1927 P02349

Later years

Ruthven was the timekeeper for the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...

from 1939 until his death. His nephew

Allan Ruthven Allan Gordon Ruthven (17 April 1922 – 14 March 2003) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. He played his entire 222-game career with Fitzroy. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal. Playin ...

played for Fitzroy. During the Second World War, Ruthven served in Australia with several garrison units, including the 3rd Australian Garrison Battalion, and was based at Murchison, which was the largest prisoner of war camp in Victoria. He achieved the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He was elected a councillor in the Melbourne municipality of Collingwood, and in 1945 was elected as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

. He sat in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

from 1945 until 1955 as the Labor Party member for the

electoral district of Preston The electoral district of Preston is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It currently centres on the northern Melbourne suburbs of Preston and Reservoir. It has always been a safe Labor Party seat. The most prominen ...

, then following a redistribution, represented the

electoral district of Reservoir Electoral district of Reservoir was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. Members Election results See also * Parliaments of the Australian states and territories * List of members of the ...

until his retirement in 1961. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. The Ruthven Soldiers' Club in Broadmeadows was opened in his honour in 1959, and in 1963 the Ruthven railway station near Reservoir was named after him.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruthven, William 1893 births 1970 deaths Military personnel from Melbourne 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army officers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Melbourne People from Collingwood, Victoria