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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Address from the C-in-C Field Marshal Sir John French to the Officers and Men of the 149th Northumberian Brigade May 1915

"The Northumberland Infantry Brigade particularly distinguished themselves under the leadership of Brigadier-General Riddell, whose loss we deplore so much. He fell at the head of his Brigade while leading you to attack the village of St. Julien. I deeply deplore the loss of one of the most gallant officers that ever lived and one of the best leaders."

Friday, November 29, 2013

Brigadier-General James Foster Riddell , 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 1861-1915

Captain JF Riddell is the officer 5th from the right, second row with the IGS 1854 medal.
"The General was the bravest man any of us likely to see,"wrote his Brigade Major. "Of his behavior and example the day before, 25th April, which was magnificent, I should like to tell you," wrote one of the Adjutants. Next day, April 26th, orders were received about 2p.m. at Brigade Headquarters that the Brigade was about to attack and retake the village of St. Julien, a frontal attack over open ground swept by shell, machine-gun and rifle fire. At 3 o'clock General Riddell decided that he must go forward into the firing line. His Brigade Major says: I did all that I could do to stop him from going into what I knew was almost certain death, but it was to no avail, as he was too brave a man to think of self under the circumstances."
James Forster Riddell, a man who lived for his beloved 5th Fusiliers, was born on 17th October 1861, a son of John Riddell of the Riddell Family Baronents of Roxburghshire descended from the 2nd Baronet Walter Riddell c.1660. However, all the sons, while in the line of decent,were all younger sons and none inherited the Baronetcy. He attended Wellington College and was gazetted from RMC Sandhurst into the 2nd Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers in 1880. His ranks were as follows: 2nd Lieutenant 1880 Lieutenant 1881 Captain 1887 Major 1900 (3rd Battalion) Lieutenant Colonel 1904 (CO 3rd Battalion) Colonel 1907 Brigadier-General 1914 (149th (Northumberland Infantry) Brigade) He served in the Hazara Campaign of 1888, was mentioned in despatches, and later was tasked to raise the 3rd Battalion, which he commanded from 1904 till until 1908. In an interesting sidenote, it will be noted that Lieutenant Colonel Dashwood, formerly 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers took command of the 2nd Battalion at the same time as Riddell did for the 3rd Battalion. There was a reason for this which was unfortunate for Riddell as it was pure bad luck due to seniority. Due the poor performances of the British in South Africa, the 2nd Battalion had the grave misfortune of having been almost entirely captured on two occasions. This resulted in two CO's of the Fusiliers being sent home which played havoc with the promotion rolls of the Regiment. It so happened that in 1904 two vacancies occurred at EXACTLY the same time concerning the 2nd and 3rd Battalion(the 3rd was a regular battalion at this time) and due to Dashwood being senior to Riddell by a mere year and despite being a 1st Battalion man, with Riddell having a very strong claim to command the 2nd Battalion, the latter was selected to lead the 3rd Battalion. He had to return to South Africa in 1904 to take command and brought them home to disband in 1906 on the disbandment of them and the 4th Battalion. The photo above (courtesy of the Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland) is unique, in that, in the middle of a major war he was tasked in 1901 to take a detachment of the 3rd Battalion to Australia to honour the newest self governing dominion of the British empire. The newspaper clipping below commemorates the event with a mention of Major Riddell. The sword on these pages is the one he ordered from Wilkinsons in 1900 and is shown in the photograph.
Here is his MIC card which confirms Riddell disembarking with his Brigade in France a few days before his death. Its gives an idea how desperate the British line was at this time at 2nd Ypres when the Germans nearly broke the British in two. This battle was also notable for the German's first use of chlorine gas in the war and the achievements of the Canadian Corps in their first battle of the war against the Germans.
The Warkworth Memorial of Northumberland. Brigadier Riddell's name is at the top.
The Wilkinson Sword of Brigadier James Foster Riddell, 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers and its Wilkinson Proofed Sheet dated 14th March 1900.