Neil Ritchie

For the New Zealand Olympic cyclist, see Neil Ritchie (cyclist).

Neil Methuen Ritchie
Ritchie, pictured here as commander of XII Corps, pictured here in France, 29 July 1944.
Born	(1897-07-29)29 July 1897 British Guiana (modern Guyana)
Died	11 December 1983(1983-12-11) (aged 86) Toronto, Canada
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1914–1951
Rank	General
Unit	Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
Commands	2nd Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) 51st (Highland) Infantry Division Eighth Army 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division XII Corps Scottish Command Far East Land Forces
Battles / wars	First World War Western Front Mesopotamian campaign Second World War Dunkirk evacuation North African Campaign Battle of Gazala Battle of Normandy
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in despatches (4) Legion of Merit Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords Virtuti Militari, Fifth Class (Poland)
Other work	Chairman of an insurance company Colonel of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (1950–1952)

General Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie GBE, KCB, DSO, MC, KStJ (29 July 1897 – 11 December 1983) was a senior British Army officer who saw service during both the First and Second World Wars, where he commanded the British Eighth Army in the North African Campaign before being sacked in June 1942. Returning to England, he later commanded the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division and led XII Corps in the campaign in Northwest Europe from June 1944 until May 1945.

Military career

First World War

Following Lancing and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Ritchie's military career started in 1914 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment). During the First World War he served with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in Belgium and France, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1917, and later in the Mesopotamian campaign, in which he won the Military Cross in 1918, for "a fine example of coolness, courage and utter disregard of danger".

Second World War

By the start of the Second World War Ritchie had risen to the rank of brigadier, and was involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk. He held posts on the staffs of Archibald Wavell, Alan Brooke and Claude Auchinleck and was highly regarded by them all. It was Auchinleck who was to give him his highest field command, the British Eighth Army, in November 1941, following the dismissal of Alan Cunningham from that position.

Ritchie had the bad luck to hold his highest command during the earliest phases of the war, when British fortunes were at their lowest ebb. The Eighth Army, fighting in the North African Campaign, was the only British land force engaging the German Army anywhere in the world. After some early successes against the Italians the British were pushed back following the arrival of the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel. Ritchie was originally intended as a temporary appointment until a suitable commander could be found, but in fact ended up commanding the Eighth Army for over six months. He was in command of the Eighth Army at the Battle of Gazala in May–June 1942 where Ritchie failed to exercise strong command over the army and the British were heavily defeated, losing the port of Tobruk. He was sacked by Auchinleck on 25 June 1942 prior to the First Battle of El Alamein.

Ritchie (centre) addressing other officers in North Africa, sometime in 1942. Also pictured are Willoughby Norrie and William Gott.

Auchinleck is often seen as having appointed Ritchie, a relatively junior commander, in order to allow him to closely direct the battle himself as Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of Middle East Command. Ritchie was criticised heavily both during and after the war for his failure to stop Rommel. Since then several commentators have come to his defence, most notably Field Marshal Michael Carver.

After being replaced as the Eighth Army commander Ritchie was, from September 1942, appointed to command the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, trained in mountain warfare, in the United Kingdom, relinquishing command in November 1943. He was later selected by General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group, to command XII Corps, part of Lieutenant-General Miles C. Dempsey's British Second Army. He led XII Corps during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944 and the subsequent campaign in Western Europe, ending in May 1945. The fact that Ritchie regained an active command following his dismissal, unlike his Eighth Army predecessor, Cunningham, reflects the high esteem in which he was held by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), Alan Brooke.

Post-war

After the war Ritchie remained in the British Army, becoming General Officer Commanding Scottish Command and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1945 and General Officer Commanding Far East Land Forces, in 1947.

From December 1948 until retirement from the army he held the ceremonial appointment of Aide-de-Camp General to the King and from September 1950 he was colonel of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), his old regiment. Following his retirement he emigrated to Canada where he became a director of the Canadian subsidiary of Tanqueray Gordon & Co. and in 1954 became chairman of the Mercantile & General Reinsurance Co. of Canada. He died at the age of 86 in Toronto.

Honours and decorations

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire 7 June 1951 (KBE 5 July 1945, CBE 11 July 1940)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath 12 June 1947 (CB 1 January 1944)
• Distinguished Service Order 25 August 1917
• Military Cross 15 February 1918 "During the action against the Turkish Tabsor position on September 19, 1918, and during the subsequent advance, he was invariably to the fore and set a fine example of coolness, courage and utter disregard of danger. When the regiment occupied the El Medjel position on the evening of September 19, 1918, Capt. 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. His services throughout the two attacks, and the subsequent trying marches, were of inestimable value to the regiment.
• Mentioned in Despatches 26 July 1940, 30 June 1942, 22 March 1945, 9 August 1945
• Virtuti Militari, 5th class (Poland) 15 May 1942
• Commander Legion of Honour (France)
• Croix de Guerre (France) 1945
• Knight Commander of the Order of Orange Nassau (Netherlands) 1945
• Commander, Legion of Merit (United States) 1945
• Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem 2 July 1963 (Commander 2 August 1960)

References

• Churchill's Generals, Edited by John Keegan. ISBN 0-349-11317-3
• Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War, Nick Smart. ISBN 1-84415-049-6.
• Ammentorp, Steen. "Ritchie, Sir Neil Methuen, General". The Generals of WWII. Retrieved 15 June 2008.