A Great War D.S.M. group of six awarded to Petty Officer 1st Class R. N. Ritchie, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. ((118025 P.O. 1Cl., H.M.S. Andes); 1914-15 Star (118025 P.O. 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (118025 P.O.1, R.N.); Coronation 1902, bronze, inscribed on reverse, ‘Robt. N. Ritchie, P.O. 2nd Cl. H.M.Y. Osborne’; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R. (P.O.2 Cl., H.M.Y. Osborne) mounted for wear, some contact marks, nearly very fine and better (6) £800-900

Ex D.N.W. 12 February 1997.

D.S.M. London Gazette 31 March 1916 ‘For services in the Patrol Cruisers under the Command of Rear Admiral Sir Dudley R. S. de Chair, K.C.B., M.V.O., during the period ending 31 December 1915.’

Robert Niven Ritchie was born on 17 January 1867 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. He entered the Royal Navy on 21 January 1882, aged 15 years, as a Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. Lord Warden. He transferred in this rate to Impregnable on 26 January 1882, and advanced to Boy 1st Class on 7 February 1883. He served next aboard Defence (September 1883), Repulse (January 1885) being advanced to Ordinary Seaman on 17 January 1885. He subsequently served aboard Rupert (August 1885), the Royal Yacht Caroline (February 1886) where he received advancement to Able Seaman on 1 August 1886, Excellent (February 1890) and then the Royal Yacht Osborne. He served in this vessel for 13 years until pensioned ashore with 18 years adult service as a Petty Officer (Rigger) 1st Class on 3 February 1903. He was awarded his L.S. & G.C. medal in April 1895 whilst serving aboard the Royal Yacht Osborne.

He enrolled in the R.F.R. at Portsmouth on 13 July 1906 and was mobilised on 2 August 1914 as a Petty Officer 1st class aboard H.M.S. Victory I. He transferred to Drake on 25 August 1914 and returned to Victory I on 8 April 1915. He subsequently joined the armed merchant cruiser H.M.S. Andes on 21 April 1915, and continued to serve in this vessel for nearly two and a half years until 7 September 1917.

Whilst his D.S.M. was in recognition of the arduous patrol work carried out in the North Sea in the latter part of 1915, Ritchie was on board the Andes to witness a remarkable action when, on 29 February 1916, Andes, in company with the armed merchant cruiser Alcantara, encountered the German raider Greif, disguised as a Norwegian ship, Rena. At about 0845 lookouts aboard the Alcantara spotted smoke off the port beam so her commander Captain Thomas Erskine Wardle manoeuvred closer to identify what the smoke was coming from, which turned out to be from the S.M.S. Greif. A few minutes later Andes reported that her lookouts had sighted a ship with two masts and a black funnel headed north-east. Two Norwegian steamers were also observed, flying their large flags. The two British vessels closed on the Greif until within range to signal one another. First Captain Wardle ordered the German vessel to stop and two blank rounds were fired. The Germans hove to and signalled that they were from Trondheim and were headed for Rio de Janeiro. At about 0940 the British were close enough to the raider, so they lowered a few boats with a boarding party to take command of the seemingly harmless steamer. At this moment the raider revealed her intentions, unmasked her guns and opened fire on the Alcantara at a range of 800 yards. The first discharge struck Alcantara’s bridge which caused heavy damage and destroyed the communications equipment. Further shots hit and sank some of the boarding party’s boats and also knocked out the Briton’s steering gear.

Alcantara increased her speed and began returning fire as the Germans attempted to flee towards the Norwegian coastline. Her first shot struck and disabled the Greif‘s poop gun, killing the crew in the process. For several minutes the two vessels duelled at close range until gun fire was heard by the Andes which was about five miles from the battle area. She closed to within three miles of the Greif and opened fire. Her first shots struck the bridge of the German raider and destroyed its steering gear. The Germans attempted one last desperate move, a torpedo attack. Greif launched two torpedoes at the Alcantara, the first one hit amidship and the second passed under the stern. By the end of the engagement, the British knocked out another German gun and set her fuel tanks on fire, one shot entered the hull of the Greif, exploded, and slowed the vessel to a sinking halt. Reports say that both the Greif and Alcantara were struck several times at or below the waterline which left the British vessel in a sinking state as well. German fire ceased at 1018 and a few minutes later the Royal Navy sailors spotted life boats being lowered from the burning Greif.

The British kept up their fire and as the German commander climbed down the rope to his life boat, shrapnel struck him in the neck and he was beheaded. Several moments later Captain Wardle ordered his men to abandon ship and at 1102 the Alcantara was underneath the water. Around this time the Comus and Munster arrived and finished sinking the German raider. Wardle and his surviving crew were in the water for about twenty minutes before being picked up. An estimated 187 Germans perished along with seventy-two Britons, five officers and 120 Germans were rescued and taken prisoner by the Andes and Munster.

Ritchie next joined Victory I on 8 September 1917, where he remained until demobilised on 12 February 1919.