Isaac Althorp Ridgway

Lt Isaac Althorp Ridgway
6 Battalion AIF

Isaac Althorp Ridgway (Source: de Ruvigny Vol.1 p 306)

During the First World War, 27 officers of the Australian Customs Service served their country of birth, or adoption, in the military forces or in a support capacity. Isaac Althorp Ridgway was one of them.

Lat.34˚21’N Long. 28˚5’E

The Mediterranean Sea, 12th May 1915.

“UNTO Almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the deep; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the sea shall give up her dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.” (Anglican Book of Prayer 1928)

Thus spoke Rev Thomas Fielden Taylor, Captain, New Zealand Brigade, as another body slid into the sea. It wasn’t the first burial that day, nor would it be the last.

The village of Lymm, Cheshire, UK

Source: The Francis Frith Collection

Isaac Althorp Ridgway entered this world on the 24th of August 1896. His birth would, almost certainly, have taken place in the family home, located in the beautiful Cheshire village of Lymm. Isaac’s arrival had been preceded by two sisters, Emily and Gertrude, and a brother, Thomas (later to be Lt Col Thomas Ridgway DSO MC).

Isaac’s family enjoyed comfortable circumstances, his father, Thomas Ridgway, being a successful solicitor and his extended family having had interests in commerce, in particular the tea trade. This good looking young man was to receive the benefits of a sound education, as befitted the family position. He was also to learn the importance of an ethical and honourable code of conduct, no doubt partly a product of the family commitment to local church and community life.

As a boy, Isaac started his schooling at Mostyn House School. He progressed, in due course, to Brighton College and, subsequently, to the Victoria University of Manchester. It was at Victoria University that he achieved a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) with honours degree. He was also awarded the Whitworth Engineering Certificate and, in 1910, became a Master of Science at the same university. In 1911 he achieved election as an Associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers (AMICE).

Joshua F. Ramsbotham

Source: National Archives of Australia A6247

In 1907, while undertaking his studies, Isaac became apprenticed to Mr Anthony G Lyster, Engineer-in-Chief of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. Having completed his professional qualifications, he continued to be employed as an assistant in various engineering projects around the Mersey and Liverpool docks. It was during this period that young Isaac would have met another harbour engineer who was to greatly influence the next few years of his life.

Joshua Fielden Ramsbotham had also served under Lyster and was employed at that time in various engineering capacities around the Mersey and Liverpool docks.There is no doubt that Ramsbotham and Ridgway struck up a friendship that was enhanced by their professional interests. Following his marriage in 1908, Ramsbotham started to look elsewhere to further his career.

In mid 1910, Ramsbotham was successful in being appointed, by the Western Australian Government, to the post of Engineer in Charge, Fremantle Graving Dock. He arrived with his wife to the sparseness of “the colonies” that same year.

The following year saw the arrival in Fremantle of an enthusiastic Isaac Ridgway to take up an appointment as Ramsbotham’s assistant. Over the ensuing two years, these two engineers tackled their duties with considerable skill and energy, providing reports and advice regarding the projects for which they were responsible. Both men gained respect from their profession and the wider community and were valued members of Fremantle society. Ridgway, in particular, appears to have endeared himself to those who knew him.

Although respected and admired, they were not, however, to be permitted to become comfortable. A new Commonwealth Government was groaning into shape and people of skill and commitment were being sort for a huge range of functions for which the new administration was realising it was responsible.

In September 1913, Joshua Ramsbotham was appointed as Director of The Commonwealth Lighthouse Service. He was shortly followed into the Lighthouse Service by Isaac Ridgway, who was appointed as a District Engineer in Queensland. Ridgway was to have a particular responsibility for providing and improving the lights on the Great Barrier Reef. However, war clouds gathered!

During his school and university years, Ridgway had variously served in the Senior Cadets, the Liverpool Rifles, 1st Cheshire’s and 1st Sussex regiments. This experience, together with his education and profession, made him an immediate target for appointment as an officer. It was no surprise, therefore, that, upon his enlistment in December 1914 following the outbreak of war, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. What was perhaps a little surprising, however, was his appointment to an Infantry unit – the 6th Battalion, part of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Australian Division – rather than a unit more appropriate to his engineering skills.

Training in Melbourne, Ridgway joined the transport A46 “Clan Macgillivray” on the 2nd of February 1915, bound for the Middle East. Arriving in Egypt, he marched in to the 6th Battalion as part of the 2nd Reinforcements and rapidly commenced the heavy training schedule demanded of all Australian units. It was late winter when he arrived in Egypt and the cold was taking its toll. The men sweated profusely during their training and had to endure damp clothes as the cold seeped in. Many suffered with pneumonia. Many others, perhaps enjoying their freedom from wives, girlfriends and mothers, succumbed to a variety of sexually transmitted diseases and the ravages of excessive alcohol. The trials were many but were endured as the army prepared itself for what lay ahead. In early April 1915, the army climbed aboard a fleet of transports and sailed into the Mediterranean. Rumours were rife, but the general consensus was that the destination was the Dardanelles. How right they were!

The landing at ANZAC Cove commenced in the early hours of April the 25th 1915. First ashore was to be the 3rd Brigade as the covering force, followed by the 1st and 2nd Brigades. The 3rd Brigade, despite considerable confusion as a result of having been landed in the wrong location, was considered to have achieved their objective by around 7.30 am and the other brigades were commencing their landing. In any case, it was too late to stop them. With them was young 2nd Lt Isaac Ridgway and his mates in the 6th Battalion.

The next few days were a desperate battle for survival. Casualties were heavy and units were seriously mixed up. Leadership in many cases fell to those who had the skills or personality to rally the troops, as large numbers of officers and NCO’s were killed or wounded. Promotion was rapid, it would seem, if you survived.

The War Diaries of the 2nd Brigade and most of its battalions were lost during the events of the first couple of weeks. Valiant attempts were made, as things settled down a little in late May and June, to reconstruct the official record. Much of that reconstruction was aided by the discovery of notes removed from the pocket of Major Cass when he was wounded in early May. These show that the 2nd Brigade remained in the firing line through to the morning of the 30th of April when they were withdrawn to be reorganised and rested. Official records show that, prior to the landing, the 2nd Brigade numbered 132 officers and 4024 other ranks. A rough count of casualties provided by Cass indicate that in the first four days following the landing his brigade had suffered 58 officers, killed or wounded, and 1625 other ranks, killed or wounded.

Through all this, Isaac Ridgway survived!

During the landing at ANZAC Cove, the British and French had been similarly engaged in a little bloodbath of their own.They had landed into hell at the aptly named Cape Helles and had attempted to advance along the peninsula toward a small Turkish town called Krithia. They had failed, brutally, to achieve their objective! The answer to the problem, apparently, was to provide reinforcements. The New Zealand Brigade, together with the Australian 2nd Brigade, now somewhat reinforced and rested (although still well below full strength with only 2568 men), were chosen for the honour.

During the night of the 5th of May the 2nd Brigade, together with the New Zealand Brigade, boarded a number of small steam packets for the two hour journey to Cape Helles. They landed on the morning of the 6th and settled down to await orders and their fate. They wouldn’t have long to find out!

The full account of what became known as the 2nd Battle for Krithia is worth reading. For the purposes of this story, however, we will only touch briefly on the detail. The morning of the 8th of May saw the New Zealand Brigade ordered to attack. By midday they were at a standstill, having suffered heavy losses. Frustrated with this further failure to achieve his objective, Hamilton decided for one last push. “At 4pm”, he says, “I issued orders that the whole line, reinforced by Australians, should on the stroke of 5.30, fix bayonets and storm Krithia and Achi Baba.” The 2nd Brigade performed superbly in a classic frontal assault. Firstly in Artillery Formation, then in line of companies, they stormed across 1000 yards of open country and bled to death. In one hour they were done, with over 1000 dead and wounded fertilizing the Turkish field. The 6th Battalion, alone, lost 365 killed and wounded and Isaac Ridgway was one of those lying in agony, waiting for help to arrive.

Help did arrive!

Displaying enormous courage and endurance, stretcher parties worked throughout the night of the 8th to rescue those that they could. Ridgway was located and removed to the rear where he received treatment before being evacuated to the hospital ship HMHS Braemar Castle. Ridgway had received two bullet wounds impacting the bladder, rectum and epigastrium. This type of wound was very common at Krithia as enemy fire was from trenches across flat country. These wounds were also almost impossible to recover from in 1915, with death the most common outcome. As a result, after some four days of agony, Isaac Ridgway died on the 12th of May and was buried at sea.

Official records show that Ridgway’s burial service was conducted by Captain Thomas Fielden Taylor, a New Zealand Anglican Chaplain, with his body being committed to the sea at Lat.34˚21’N, Long. 28˚5’E (approx. 190 km SE of Crete at a depth of about 2500 ft).

Shortly after Ridgway’s death, notification of him being wounded was received, in the first instance, by his former boss in the Lighthouse Service, Joshua Ramsbotham. It was necessary for Ramsbotham to make representations to army records for the correct notifications to be sent to Ridgway’s family in the UK, by which time, of course, their son was deceased. Ramsbotham was obviously mortified with the death of his young protege. It is known that he penned a paper to be read before the Liverpool Engineering Society in 1918 (reference). In 1915, he also wrote a newspaper article which was widely published, particularly in WA.

Others had also been deeply impacted by Ridgway’s death. In a period where Australia and Australians suffered great loss, this young man had been singled out by those who knew him well as a person worthy of memorialising. I am grateful to a person known only to me as “Brigadier-General”, on the Great War Forum website, for the following words and photographs:

“I'm glad this thread came back up as recently while visiting St John's Church in Fremantle Western Australia I was able to take some photographs of memorials & plaques in the Church to Lt Ridgway. He had worked at Fremantle Harbour for a few years prior to the war and had obviously made a big impression on the locals.

Some of the photos are below.

The first is of a carved angel near the altar. There are two of these and 4 soldiers are commemorated on them. Lt Ridgway has one to himself and the other three soldiers are named on the other angel.”

There is one final mystery concerning the Ridgway story. The return of kit belonging to deceased soldiers was contracted to Thomas Cook & Co. There was considerable delay in completing the return of Ridgway’s belongings to his family in Cheshire. However, it all appears to have been received by his father by January 1917. Included in the list of items was “one Valise (sealed)” and within that valise was “one black kit bag”. On the 27th of February 2008 the Great War Forum received a post from a member calling himself “birch1”. The post stated, in part, “Last week we were clearing out my father-in-laws house and found a kit bag belonging to Lt I A Ridgway. The stencil shows he served in the 6th Battalion of the AIF………No idea where my Father in Law got it from.” I have attempted to contact “birch1” without result.

Isaac Althorp Ridgway, having been committed to the deep, rests undisturbed with many of his brothers in arms. May he rest peacefully, comforted that his life is not forgotten.

Burial at sea WW1

Source: AWM A01859