Pte. J. Ruddy West Riding K.I.A. SOLD

Description

WWI War and Victory Pair to 201171 Pte. James Ruddy West Riding Regiment K.I.A. 03/05/1917    SOLD

Condition – E.F.

James Ruddy was born in Brighouse in the West Riding of Yorkshire and resided in Rastrick of the same county. He enlisted in the 2/4th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) at Brighouse in 1916. His Battalion was to join the 186th Brigade of the 62nd (West Riding) Division. Following a lengthy training  period, the Division embarked for France on 10th January 1917.

Pte. Ruddy, together with his Battalion, first saw action on 27th February near Beaumont Hamel and later was engaged at Achiet-le-Petit on 17th March, where 40 men were killed. Following this, the 2/4th Bn. West Riding was heavily engaged in the Battle of Bullecourt (part of the Arras Campaign) on 3rd May 1917. The 2/4th Bn. were led in the attack by Lieut. Col. H.E. Nash and “they unfortunately became hung up by thick wire entanglements that had not been sufficiently cut” 1 As a result, the Battalion sustained heavy casualties due to machine gun fire. The casualties included Pte. James Ruddy, who was killed in action.

The medal pair is sold together with a copy of the MIC, (stating Pte. Ruddy was killed in action on 03/05/1917), Soldiers Died in the Great War page and C.W.G.C. certificate showing that James Ruddy is Remembered with Honour on the Arras Memorial.

Note 1 P51 History of the 62nd (West Riding) Division Vol. 1 by Everard Wyall.