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Cabled news was received in Brisbane on Tuesday of the death in France of Captain Dudleigh Chalmers Ranken, of the — Battalion Royal Fusiliers, only son of Mr. and Mrs. George Ranken, of Dunella,  Sherwood, and brother of Mrs. R. Hartigan and Mrs. J. H. Cannan (wife of Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Cannan, Officer Commanding the — Battalion, A.I.F.). Captain Ranken, who was in civil life second  brewer in the Queensland Brewing Company's service, left Brisbane for England in March, 1915, and got a commission. On May 13 last he was given his first lieutenancy, and 12 days later was raised to the rank of captain.

Dudleigh Ranken was probably born in Roma in 1885 where his father was a bank manager. He was one of six children born to George and Anna Marie Ranken, and was their only son. Around 1910, the Ranken family purchased a parcel of farm land at Sherwood from the Francis estate which extended from the corner of Dewar Terrace and Marlborough Streets through to a point opposite Sherwood Road and down to the banks of the Brisbane River. The property included the family home, “Dunella”. One of Dudleigh’s sisters; Eileen, married James Cannan who went on to command the 15th Battalion AIF at Gallipoli.

Sometime in 1915 it would seem that Dudleigh resigned his position as a brewer and travelled at his own cost to England to enlist. There is a family story that states he enlisted in England so that his mother “would never see him in uniform.”

About 60% of British WW1 service files were destroyed during an air raid on London in 1940 and details of Dudleigh’s military career would appear to have been destroyed. The information that is available indicates that Dudleigh was commissioned as a Captain in the 23rd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London). The 23rd battalion was one of the many so called “pals” battalions raised as part of Kitchener’s New Army; and was also known as the sportsmen’s battalion.

The 23rd arrived in Boulogne in November 1915 and saw action in the British sector north of the Somme. It would appear that the battalion was engaged in the Somme offensive which began on 1st July 1916. Dudleigh is listed as being killed in action on 27th July. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists Dudleigh Ranken as being commemorated at the British Memorial at Thiepval, near the village of Pozieres. The Thiepval memorial lists the names of 72,000 British soldiers killed in France (90% of those named died in the second half of 1916) and who have no known grave. A ceremony is conducted at Thiepval on the 1st July each year to honour those men.

Dudleigh’s mother;  Anna Marie, died four months after Dudleigh was killed; perhaps as a result of the grief she suffered at the death of her only son. Anna Marie was buried in the Anglican cemetery on Sherwood Road and her gravestone also mentions her son, Captain Dudleigh Ranken.

The Ranken farm was eventually sold off to the Sherwood Shire in 1923 for the creation of the Sherwood Arboretum. Included in the arboretum is an avenue of Kauri Pines planted to honour the shire citizens who gave their lives in the Great War. No doubt one of the trees honours Dudleigh Ranken. The name of Dudley Street (although incorrectly spelt) as well as the name of the family home, Dunella Street, perpetuate the legacy of the Ranken family in the Sherwood district on the land which was once their farm.

Courtesy of Ian Lang

Mango Hill