The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (729) Corporal Thomas Ritchie, 50th Battalion, AIF, First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (729) Corporal Thomas Ritchie, 50th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

729 Corporal Thomas Ritchie, 50th Battalion, AIF
KIA 15 June 1918
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 23 August 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal Thomas Ritchie.

Thomas Ritchie was the eldest son of David Ritchie of Edinburgh. Little is known of his early life or how or when he came to Australia. At some point in his life he followed the trade of grocer, but in Australia he went to Port Pirie and worked for BHP.

Ritchie enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force shortly after the outbreak of war in August 1914. He was posted to the 10th Battalion and sent overseas for active service not long afterwards. The first contingent was originally bound for Europe, but a sudden change of plan saw them sent to Egypt in preparation for an assault on the Ottoman Empire.

In the early hours of 25 April 1915 men of the 10th Battalion rowed silently towards Gallipoli and the Turkish shore at what would become known as Anzac Cove. The 10th Battalion’s war diary records the event:
.....no sound was heard, except the splash of the oars; we thought that our landing was to be effected quite unopposed, but when our boats were within about 30 yards of the beach a rifle was fired from the hill in front of us above the beach, right in front of where we were heading for. Almost immediately heavy rifle and machine gun fire was opened upon us.

The men finished rowing to the shore and dashed for the heights above the beach. Some of the 10th Battalion’s men reached the farthest inland that day, but had to pull back owing to a lack of support.

Ritchie was seriously wounded on Gallipoli by a bullet wound to his left shoulder. He was evacuated to a hospital in Egypt for recovery. After the evacuation from the Gallipoli peninsula the AIF underwent a period of reorganisation to accommodate a flood of volunteers, and as part of this process Ritchie was transferred to the 50th Battalion.

In June 1916 he was sent to England and underwent further training before being promoted to corporal. At the same time he became ill and spent time in hospital, delaying his arrival to the Western Front. He finally joined his battalion in France in September 1917.

One month later Corporal Ritchie was gassed and again evacuated to England for treatment. Again, further illness delayed his return to the front lines. He rejoined his unit on 12 June 1918. At that time the 50th Battalion was in the line near the French village of Vaire.

Three days later, on a fine and warm day that was noted as being “particularly quiet”, Corporal Thomas Ritchie was killed. Little is known of the manner of his death, but it may have been the result of the small amount of German artillery fire experienced that day. He was buried nearby. Thomas Ritchie was 28 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among more than 60,000 other Australians who died during the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Corporal Thomas Ritchie, and all those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section