Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

He sustained wounds from having been gassed in France and died in hospital in Birmingham. He was said to be 28. He was the youngest son of Andrew Ritchie, Market Gardener and Euphemia Blackie Ritchie.

Deaths Jun 1918   Ritchie Robert 28 Birmingham 6d 202
 

Wargrave with Private Memorial.

He is remembered on the Haddington War Memorial at St Marys Church,  the largest Parish Church in Scotland. The earliest reference to a church in Haddington dates from 1139
Founded as a Collegiate Church in 1380, and taking over one hundred years to build, the church was largely ruined during the mid ­sixteenth century Siege of Haddington. This was after the Rough Wooing by Henry VIII the siege of Haddington taking place in 1548-49. 

At the instigation of John Knox, born in Giffordgate just across the river, the Town Council repaired the Church in 1561 "frae steeple to the west end".

The War Memorial is at the entry to St Mary's Parish Church
1 Sidegate
Haddington
East Lothian
Lothian
EH41 4AS
Scotland

It is a  cross of red sandstone with shaft and plinth, sitting on three stepped stone base. Dedicatory plaques on plinth and stone base. Raised lettering in black.

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”

Robert Ritchie was born at Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland in 1890.

He came to Australia when he was 19 years old & joined the Australian Imperial Force on 20th March, 1916 as a 26 year old Tram Conductor from Bondi, NSW.

Private Ritchie, Service number 98, arrived in England for further training on 10th July, 1916.

He was hospitalised on 4th September, 1916 & proceeded overseas to France on 21st November, 1916.

Private Ritchie was appointed Lance Corporal on 1st December, 1916. Promoted to Temporary Corporal on 22nd August, 1917, he was sent to England on 6th September, 1917 to join Machine Gun School at Grantham & rejoined 9th Machine Gun Company in France on 8th January, 1918.

Temporary Corporal Ritchie was promoted to Corporal on 20th February, 1918.

Corporal Robert Ritchie was wounded in action - Gassed on 17th April, 1918.

He was invalided to England & admitted to 2/1st Southern General Hospital, Birmingham, England on 23rd April, 1918 with “Shell Gas Poisoning – very severe. Burns of body. Ulceration of epiglottis & larynx. Late bronchitis developing. Broncho-pneumonia affecting all lobes.”

Corporal Robert Ritchie died at 11.35 pm on 9th May, 1918 at 2/1st Southern General Hospital, Birmingham, England from (1) Shell Gas Poisoning & (2) Broncho-pneumonia.

He was buried in Haddington Cemetery, Haddington, Scotland & has a private headstone.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)

https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/haddington.html

Robert RITCHIE was born at Haddington in Scotland on 3rd February 1890. His parents were Andrew Richard Ritchie and Euphemia Ritchie of Haddington, Scotland. He had at least four brothers and one sister. He was 19-years-old when he came to Australia. About five years later, on 4th April 1914, he joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a tram conductor (casual) in Sydney. On 20th March 1916, he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces. .

According to Robert’s Attestation Paper, the date he joined the AIF was 28th January 1916, but the date he signed the paper was 20th March 1916. This latter date is the one his service was reckoned from. He was posted to the 9th Machine Gun Company in the 9th Brigade with the rank of Private (Service Number 98). For his next of kin, he nominated his father. When he enlisted he was living at Bondi in Sydney.

He embarked for England aboard HMAT ‘Benalla’ at Sydney on 12th May 1916 and disembarked in England on 16th July 1916. On 21st November 1916, after a period of training at Larkhill, he left England for France where he went straight to the field. On 1st December 1916 he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. He remained on duty until 20th May 1917 when he was sent to the Machine Gun School at Camiers in France for further training. He returned to his unit on 9th  June 1917.

Robert was promoted to Temporary Corporal on 25th August 1917. On 6th September 1917 he was sent to England to attend the Machine Gun School at Grantham. He left England to return to France on 2nd January 1918. He re-joined his unit on 8th January 1918 after spending 3rd to 6th January 1918 at the Machine Gun Company Base Depot at Camiers. On 20th February 1918 his promotion to Corporal was made permanent. This occurred while he was at Gas School, which he attended from 17th to 23rd February 1918. 

On 17th April 1918 he was gassed severely at Villers-Bretonneux. He was admitted to the 55th Field Ambulance before being transferred to the 41st Casualty Clearing Station, all on 17th April 1918. On 19th April 1917 he was transferred to the 8th General Hospital at Rouen before being evacuated to England on 22nd April 1918 where he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital at Birmingham on 23rd April 1918.

On 9th May 1918 Robert died due to the effects of gas poisoning combined with broncho-pneumonia. He was buried at Haddington Cemetery, Haddington, Scotland with full military honours on 14th May 1918. His funeral was attended by three of his brothers (a fourth brother was in Sydney) and his brother-in-law, amongst others. His place of association in Australia is Sydney.

- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.