52 Facts About Neil Ritchie

Neil Ritchie commanded Far East Land Forces from 1947 to 1949 and led the Joint Services Mission in Washington, DC, from 1949 until his retirement in 1951.

Neil Methuen Ritchie was born in Essequibo, British Guiana, on 29 July 1897, the third child of a Scottish planter, Dugald MacDougall Ritchie, and his wife Anna Catherine Leggatt.

Neil Ritchie had an older brother and sister, and a younger sister.

Neil Ritchie was educated at Lancing College, a boarding school, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Neil Ritchie served initially on the Western Front with the 1st Battalion, Black Watch, one of the two Regular Army battalions in the regiment, which was then part of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division.

Neil Ritchie joined the 2nd Battalion, the other Regular Army battalion in the regiment, which was part of the 21st Brigade in the 7th Division, a British Indian Army division, serving in the Middle East in the Mesopotamian campaign.

Neil Ritchie was designated acting battalion adjutant on 24 April, and he was confirmed in the role on 5 January 1917.

Neil Ritchie was awarded the Military Cross on 15 February 1919 for his actions during the Battle of Sharon on 19 September 1918.

Neil Ritchie carried a Lewis gun up part of the way as its carrier was exhausted, and thereby materially assisted in driving off an enemy picquet which was holding up the attack on top of the hill.

Neil Ritchie continued to serve as adjutant until 28 February 1921, when he returned to the regimental depot in Perth, Scotland, in command of a training company.

From 18 July 1923 until 5 October 1927, Neil Ritchie served under Wavell as a General Staff Officer Grade 3 at the War Office.

Neil Ritchie attended the Staff College, Camberley, as a student from 1929 to 1930.

On completion of the staff college course, Neil Ritchie returned to his regiment, which was now serving at Meerut in British India.

Neil Ritchie was a General Staff Officer Grade 2 with Northern Command, India, from 2 April 1933 until 2 April 1937.

Neil Ritchie encountered Brigadier Claude Auchinleck, who commanded the Peshawar Brigade in the region.

On 4 December 1937, Neil Ritchie married Catherine Taylor of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of James Arnott Minnes, a partner in a warehousing firm, in Chelsea, London.

On 3 January 1938 Neil Ritchie transferred from the Black Watch, which by now he had been with for just over twenty-three years, to the King's Own Royal Regiment, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Neil Ritchie became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, King's Own, on the same date.

Neil Ritchie commanded the battalion until August 1939, shortly before the Second World War began in September.

Neil Ritchie returned to England, where he was promoted to colonel on 26 August 1939 and became a General Staff Officer Grade 1 at the Senior Officers' School at Sheerness, Kent.

Neil Ritchie seems to have impressed Brooke, as on 3 January 1940 the latter wrote in his diary that "Neil Ritchie, my new BGS, seems to be turning out well and should, I think, be good".

Neil Ritchie served under Brooke as BGS of Southern Command until Brooke was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, in July 1940.

At the relatively young age of forty-three, Neil Ritchie received a promotion to the acting rank of major-general on 28 October 1940, with service number 9334, and became General Officer Commanding of the 51st Infantry Division.

Neil Ritchie remained with the 51st Infantry Division until June 1941, when he was sent to the Middle East, where he served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff to Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Command.

Neil Ritchie was perforce pitch-forked into a command at a desperate moment [really desperate], knowing little or nothing of his subordinate commanders or troops and told to retrieve an apparently lost battle.

Neil Ritchie's appointment was originally intended as a temporary one until a suitable commander could be found, but he ended up commanding the Eighth Army for nearly seven months.

Neil Ritchie was awarded the Polish Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari for his part in Operation Crusader.

Neil Ritchie was handsome and authoritative; goodhumoured in a slightly heavy manner.

At one point Neil Ritchie bypassed Godwin-Austen and countermanded the latter's orders to Major-General Francis Tuker, the commander of the 4th Indian Division.

Neil Ritchie lacked experience in handling large formations, particularly armoured ones.

Neil Ritchie's more experienced subordinates, Norrie and William Gott saw him as little more than a mouthpiece for Auchinleck and often ignored or undermined him.

Neil Ritchie met with Brooke, who was now the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, at the War Office on 15 July 1942, and Brooke decided to give him a second chance.

Neil Ritchie had done so wonderfully well in France during the fighting leading to Dunkirk, and I had grown so fond of him, that I hated seeing him subjected to this serious reverse.

Neil Ritchie was appointed to command the 52nd Infantry Division on 11 September 1942.

Neil Ritchie was selected to command XII Corps in place of Lieutenant-General Montagu Stopford, who was sent to India.

Neil Ritchie became a temporary lieutenant-general and war substantive major-general on 3 April 1944, and a substantive major-general on 19 May, with seniority backdated to 25 December 1943.

When Neil Ritchie asked for another division and more artillery after the breakout from Normandy, Montgomery provided it.

Neil Ritchie could be tough and occasionally ruthless with his subordinates.

One of his first actions as commander of XII Corps was to relieve Major-General William Bradshaw from command of the 59th Infantry Division because Neil Ritchie felt he was not up to the task of handling a division in operations.

Neil Ritchie received several foreign awards, including being made a Commander of the Legion of Merit by the United States, a Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords by the Netherlands, and a Commander of the Legion of Honour by France, which awarded him the Croix de guerre.

Neil Ritchie became a substantive lieutenant-general on 30 October 1945, with seniority backdated to 21 December 1944.

Neil Ritchie was a victim of promotion beyond his capabilities, where the fault lay substantially with his superior officer, Auchinleck.

Neil Ritchie was never heard to complain about his treatment and his willingness to step down and learn how to command smaller formations was truly admirable.

Neil Ritchie was promoted to general on 23 April 1947, with seniority backdated to 9 October 1946.

Neil Ritchie's tenure coincided with the first year of the Malayan Emergency.

In July 1949, Neil Ritchie became the commander of the British Army Staff in Washington and Military member of the Joint Staff Mission there, and he served in this position until his retirement from the army.

Neil Ritchie became a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1947 Birthday Honours, and was advanced to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 1951 Birthday Honours.

From December 1948 until his retirement, Neil Ritchie held the ceremonial appointment of aide-de-camp general to the King, and from September 1950 he was colonel-in-chief of the Black Watch, his old regiment.

Neil Ritchie retired from the Army on 29 August 1951.

Neil Ritchie was appointed a Commander of the Order of St John on 2 August 1960, and advanced to a Knight of the Order of St John on 2 July 1963.

Neil Ritchie died at his home in Toronto on 11 December 1983 at the age of 86.

Neil Ritchie's remains were cremated and the ashes scattered on his son Dugald's property near Claremont, Ontario.