Private Walter Lawson Ruddy son of Millie Ruddy of 269 Westmorland Ave., Toronto, born 11 April 1890. A mail clerk. He was an employee of the Robert Simpson Company, and enlisted with a reinforcing draft to the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Shortly before his departure, married to Miss Pearl Hollister of Cornwall. His O.C. described him as a soldier and gentleman.
Service
Private Walter Lawson Ruddy 489803 attested 27 May 1916 in Toronto with 6th University Co. (2nd R.D.. He stood 5′ 9″ tall, 130 pounds, with dark complexion, grey-blue eyes and black hair.
Embarked at Halifax on 24 November 1916, per SS MAURETANIA disembarking at Liverpool on 30 November 1916.
Taken-on-Strength (T.o.S.) Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regt.) on 1 December 1916 at Seaford.
France
Landed in France on 17 December 1916. Walter arriving at his unit on 18 December, just in time for a big show. Between the hours of 1:30 and 1:45 am on 19 December 1916, three mines were blown in the vicinity of the GRANGE, BIRKIN and TIDZA groups.
The new crater named PATRICIA. The Regiment then moved back into reserve at Neuville St. Vaast.
Christmas 1916
The Battalion moved up to the front line of La Folie sector on Christmas Eve, 1916. But, the enemy showed signs of wishing to fraternize on Christmas Day, and appeared in No Man’s Land. However, they were not fired upon. Then, the 42nd Battalion relieved the men in the line, and the Dirty Patricia’s went into Divisional Reserve in the huts at Mont St. Eloy on 29 December 1916.
Private Ruddy left his unit and proceeded to 7th C.I.B. for training, on 17 September 1917, following inspection by the Corps Commander.
Following his training, Private Walter Lawson Ruddy re-joined his unit from the field, 12 October 1917, ready to participate in the Second Battle of Passchendaele.
Killed-in-Action
Private Walter Ruddy killed-in-action 30 October 1917. Initially, Walter sniped in the elbow near Bellevue Pill Box. Sent to the rear on his own, but his comrades found his body nearby, apparently killed by a shell.
Walter initially buried at Sheet 28.D.5.d.15.70, a few hundred yards from where his body lay today. Note the precise location of his body, Private Ruddy certainly buried by his own comrades.
Walter’s family notified following the concentration of graves years (1920-1923), his body missing, and therefore his name is to be found on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Walter’s body would be brought into Passchendaele New British Cemetery during the concentration years, only identified at this time by his uniform. Circumstances of Death form also noting the precise location of Private Ruddy.
The Menin Gate Memorial
The Menin Gate Memorial situated at the eastern side of the town of Ypres (now Ieper) in the Province of West Flanders, on the road to Menin and Courtrai. It bears the names of 55,000 men lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the Great War. Further, on the inner walls of the Hall, on the side of the staircases and on the walls of the loggias, panels of Portland stone bear the names of the dead, inscribed by regiment and corps. Finally, carved in stone above the central arch are the words:
TO THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO STOOD HERE FROM 1914 TO 1918 AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE.
Menin Gate Memorial
And, over the two staircases leading from the main Hall is the inscription:
HERE ARE RECORDED NAMES OF OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL IN YPRES SALIENT BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH.
Menin Gate Memorial
The names of Private Ruddy, Lance-Corporal John Robert Newell 670083 and Lieutenant Harold Agar all appear on the Menin Gate Memorial since they were declared missing following the Great War. These three men served with the PPCLI, died on the same day, and initially buried by the Regiment.
Ceremony
The dead remembered to this day in a simple ceremony that takes place every evening at 8:00 p.m. All traffic through the gateway in either direction halted, and two buglers (on special occasions four) move to the centre of the Hall and sound the Last Post. Two silver trumpets for use in the ceremony are a gift to the Ypres Last Post Committee by an officer of the Royal Canadian Artillery, who served with the 10th Battery, of St. Catharines, Ontario, in Ypres in April 1915.
CWGC ID Case No. 6, 7A & 7B
In May 2001, a case presented to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission reference to the grave of an Unknown Lieutenant and two other men in Passchendaele New British Cemetery. All men of the P.P.C.L.I. The evidence accepted as to the identity of the Lieutenant (Harold Edward Agar, Plot X, Row E, Grave 22), while the other two could not be placed in a specific grave of the three possibles and therefore remain missing, but definitely buried in the cemetery.
Private Walter Ruddy Burial Return
Plots IX and X are adjacent in Passchendaele New British Cemetery, and created in the same time period (Spring of 1920). The following Burial Return presented in evidence for Case No. 6 (Private Walter Lawson Ruddy 489803), Plot 9, Row A, Grave 28.
Private Ruddy, though buried in Plot IX, concentrated into the cemetery three days before Lance-Corporal Newel and Lieutenant Agar, both buried in Plot X Row E. The date for this Burial Return contained on the previous sheet, and also note the handwriting style indicates a different clerk. Plot 10, Row E, Graves 21 & 22 contain the graves of Newel and Agar, respectively.
Though all three men fell on the same day, and buried in the same location on the battlefield, note it took the exhumation teams several days to bring the bodies in from this one location. Not to be under-estimated, their work extremely important. Firstly, these exhumation teams did everything they could do to recover and identify the men. These men carefully chosen for the task. In addition, most of them, seasoned-veterans with medals of valour.
Passchendaele New British Cemetery
The presumed grave of Private Walter L. Ruddy, buried in Plot IX, Row A, Grave 28.
Lance-Corporal Newel and Lieutenant Agar buried beside each other in Plot X, Row E, Graves 21 & 22, respectively.
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