William Ritchie (rugby union)

William Ritchie (11 March 1882 – 22 May 1940) was a Scotland international rugby union player.[1]

William Ritchie
Birth nameWilliam Traill Ritchie
Date of birth(1882-03-11)11 March 1882
Place of birthDunedin, New Zealand
Date of death22 May 1940(1940-05-22) (aged 58)
Place of deathTimaru, New Zealand
UniversitySt John's College, Cambridge
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Cambridge University ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1903
1905		 Anglo-Scots
Provinces District		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1905 Scotland 2 (0)

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

He went to St John's College, Cambridge.

Ritchie played for Cambridge University.[2]

Provincial career

He played for Anglo-Scots against South of Scotland District on 26 December 1903, having played the day before for Cambridge University in their match against West of Scotland at Partick.[3]

He played for the Provinces District side against the Cities District side in January 1905, while still with Cambridge University.[4]

International career

He was capped by Scotland twice, in 1905.[5]

Military career

He served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, in the 40th Reinforcements, New Zealand Field Artillery in the First World War.[6] He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM).[7]

Family

Both his father and grandfather were ministers in the Church of Scotland.

His father John Macfarlane Ritchie (1842-1912) was from Orkney. His mother was Ella McLaren (1853-1932) from Glasgow. Both had emigrated to the Scottish expatriate city of Dunedin in New Zealand; and they married there in 1875. They had a number of sons, including William, and one daughter.[6]

William married Dorothy Cecil Dibbs (1883-1942) from Sydney, Australia in 1909. They had 3 children.[6] One son, Dennis Gordon Ritchie, was in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and died in a forced landing at Ardmore Airport in New Zealand in 1944. His body was pulled from the wreckage but he died in the hospital.[8]

Death

William Ritchie died in Bidwill Private Hospital in Timaru. He is buried in Timaru Cemetery.[6]

References
  1. "William Traill Ritchie". ESPN scrum.
  2. Scotland. The Essential History of Rugby Union. Nick Oswald and John Griffiths. Headline Book Publishing. 2003
  3. "Register". Retrieved 7 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  5. "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - William Ritchie - Test matches". ESPN scrum.
  6. "Profile | South Canterbury Museum". museum.timaru.govt.nz.
  7. "William Traill Ritchie - Online Cenotaph - Auckland War Memorial Museum".
  8. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=38440
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