high wood Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Another of those photographic puzzles that I have spent the afternoon trying to solve but have failed to make any headway with. This young lad is named on the back of the postcard as Roy, age 19. Died from wounds received in France September 8th 1918. His uniform is unusual and is probably his school's O.T.C. uniform. There is no indication as to where the photograph was taken. I have checked on the CWGC site by date of death and the name Roy as well as the initial R. There are no soldiers called Roy or Royston listed. Having checked the medal index cards none of the 9 soldiers listed as having died on this day with the initial R are called Roy. The closest is 42828 Roland Reynolds of the 11th Btn Suffolk Regiment who died age 18 having previously served with the Essex Yeomanry. I am reading the message as meaning that he died aged 19 not that the photograph was taken when he was 19. He looks considerably younger. Can any one identify the uniform? The cap badge has a Canadian look to it and the shoulder title appears to be composed of two single letters. I had thought that they are S something but I am no longer sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Cap badge and shoulder title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 R C Gregory, age 19 ? http://www.cwgc.org/...64/GREGORY, R C Name: Ronald Christopher Gregory Birth Place: Bagshot, Surrey Residence: Brackwell, Berks Death Date: 8 Sep 1918 Death Location: France & Flanders Enlistment Location: Wokingham, Surrey Rank: Private Regiment: Royal Warwickshire Regiment Battalion: 1st Battalion Number: 35286 Type of Casualty: Died of wounds Theatre of War: Western European Theatre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 The other question though is whether he was 19 when he died or just 19 when the picture was taken -if so then he could be up to 4 years older when he died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandie Hayes Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 No, he was Ronald Christopher Gregory. I'm struggling with this one, too. Sandie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Thank you. Ronald Gregory is on my list and is the only other soldier listed as having died on the 9th September aged 19.The others either have different ages or none recorded. The real problem is that none of them are called Roy and Ronald is usually shortened to Ron or Ronnie. Roy might of course have been a nick name. I think that the clue is in the uniform as it might tell us where he went to school. The other possibility is that the date is wrong. It could be out by a day or two either side of the 8th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandie Hayes Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 I think the uniform is all wrong but this chap seems the nearest so far... Name: Charles Roy Ritson Birth Place: Dulwich Residence: Anerley, S.e. Death Date: 8 Sep 1918 Death Location: France & Flanders Enlistment Location: London Rank: Private Regiment: London Regiment Battalion: 28th (County of London) Battalion (Artists Rifles) Number: 767290 Type of Casualty: Died of wounds Theatre of War: Western European Theatre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Well done Sandie, I do believe that you have cracked it From FreeBMD Births Sep 1899 (>99%) Ritson Charles Roy Camberwell 1d 803 From the Artist's Rifles Roll of Honour: 1918. Sept 8th. Ritson. Pte Charles Roy,* 1/Artists. Inchy- Moeuvres. *Died of Wounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandie Hayes Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 His service records are available on Ancestry. Are you a member? Yes it's him! Service record: Next of kin: Father, Fletcher Ritson. 1911 Census: 14 Lanercost Road, Tulse Hill SW Head: Fletcher Ritson 52 Son: Roy Ritson 11 Looks like he wasn't known as Charles. Sandie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandie Hayes Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 You were right about a Canadian connection. Roy's brother, William John, was serving with the Canadian Scottish, Moose Jaw. Another brother, Leonard was an Observations Officer on HMS Pegasus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Sandie, thank you again for the update. I have checked William John Ritson's enlistment papers. He enlisted in the 210th Infantry Battalion, C. E. F. but Roy is not wearing their cap badge. The London Ritsons seem to have moved around a lot as William gives two different addresses for his father in the space of six months. 81 Sydenham Hill Road on the 9th March 1916 and 35 Thicket Road, Annerley on the 20th September. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 There's an MIC for another brother, Fletcher Jeffrey Ritson, 2nd Lt RGA. In 1920, William John called his son Ian Roy Ritson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 8 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2012 That was a touching tribute from William John. It seems from his service papers that Roy received a GSW to his back (probably shrapnel) and died about seven days later at Rouen. The telegrams sent to his parents are also in his papers and one can only imagine the anguish that they caused; "regret to report that your son is dangerously wounded". Thank you everyone for helping to restore Charles Roy Ritson's rightful place in our collective memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootrock Posted 8 October , 2012 Share Posted 8 October , 2012 A great-uncle of mine, who lived in a nearby area of London, had served in the TA in the London Scottish before the war. The only photo I have of him in uniform shows him wearing a kilt. Could this explain the kilt in the above photograph? Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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