Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

A perky Scotsman who became the heart and soul of the 17th Battalion - Jock Raitt endeared himself to all who knew him.

One of eight children of an insurance agent, James Raitt and his wife Louisa (nee Strachan), John William Raitt was born at Inverbervie, Scotland in 1886. Shortly after the turn of the century he found his way to Australia and was working in the central west of New South Wales when war broke out.

Enlisting in early 1915, along with his mate Alexander Cameron (SN 1156) from Dunedoo, the pair were assigned to D Company of the 17th Battalion. The boys embarking from Sydney in the ‘Thermistocle’ on 17 May 1915 and after training in Egypt, they landed at Gallipoli on August 20.

The concern of the troops over the availability of water on Gallipoli led to a humorous incident involving Jock Raitt. He later recalled, “A night or two after we arrived on Gallipoli, I was one of a party detailed to try to find water. After wandering about half the night, we found an old well somewhere on our left, and got as much water as we could drink.”

“Struggling back up the hill, in the morning, we passed a soldier sitting down enjoying a great feed of rissoles. He looked just as grimy as any one of us, and being hungry and tired I sang out, ‘Half your luck, mate.’ I had passed on a little way, when he got up and hailed me. When I got back to him he asked me where I came from. We talked for a while and then he handed me some of his rissoles and said, ‘Off you go and tell your mates you have shared Birdwood’s breakfast.’”

It was the corps commander, who habitually wore a shirt, breeches and leggings, with a helmet, displaying no badges of rank that would identify him as an officer.

Promoted to Corporal, Jock Raitt remained on Gallipoli until the battalion was evacuated on December 20. Private Alex Cameron had been evacuated to hospital in Malta earlier, during November, suffering jaundice.

Following reorganisation of the AIF in Egypt, Alexander Cameron was transferred to the 2nd Division Artillery Brigade, whilst Corporal Jock Raitt remained with the 17th Battalion as they both headed to the Western Front.

Promoted to Sergeant, Jock Raitt had a lucky escape on 9 October 1916 near Passchendaele, an action that won him a Military Medal. The Story of the 17th Battalion AIF records that Raitt was ordered to take a party and clean up any of the enemy in dugouts on the railway cutting.

“Raitt collected a few men and with Sergeant CG Schwonberg, proceeded to bomb the dugouts, during the process of which they accounted for a machine gun and its crew. A little later Schwonberg was severely wounded, and as Raitt bent down to tend his wounded comrade, a party of Germans came up behind and took him prisoner. He endeavoured by signs to secure the permission of his captors to carry Schwonberg, but this they refused and soon Raitt was being escorted by two of the enemy towards their positions. The party had proceeded several hundred yeards when a shell burst close by them, one of the Germans falling wounded.

With great presence of mind, Raitt swung a lightening right fist onto the jaw of the other German, and then turned, and fled back to his own lines, discarding his greatcoat as he went. Although heavily fired on, the plucky fellow got back safely.”

Sadly, Schwonberg died of his wounds – his body not recovered till four months later.

An integral part of the 17th Battalions operations throughout 1917, Sergeant Raitt was promoted to Regimental Sergeant Major at the end of the year. He was awarded the Belgium Decoration Militaire in February 1918 ‘for distinguished services rendered’. Suffering trench fever mid-way through 1918, he was evacuated to England.

It was during his convalescence that he met his future wife Mary Ritchie McCullum Allan (1888-1964), a Scots lass from Firth. They married at West Ham, London in July 1918. The couple arrived back in Australia in October 1919 and spent the rest of their married life at Arncliffe.

After the war John Raitt worked at the Eveleigh railway yards and took an ongoing interest in the affairs of the 17th Battalion Association which was formed in 1930. He was the Chairman of the 40th Anniversary commemoration of the battalion sailing in the ‘Thermistocles’, on 7 May 1955 at Winn’s Auditorium in Sydney.

Unfortunately, it was the final time Regimental Sergeant Major John William Raitt MM would be amongst his 17th Battalion comrades – he died a month later, on 7 June 1955 aged sixty-eight.

His mate, Alex Cameron (1891-1960) also survived the war and married Raitt’s sister Elizabeth Ann Raitt (1892-1946) at Smiddyhill, Angus, Scotland in January 1919, before returning to Australia soon after with his bride to live at Kogarah.