| Name |
RITCHIE, George [1] |
| Birth |
17 Jul 1906 |
Melton, Victoria, Australia  [1] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Military Service |
19 Jul 1922 |
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Royal Australian Navy, Ordinary Seaman |
|
| Death |
18 Apr 1924 |
Garden Island, New South Wales, Australia |
| Cause: Murder:- Hit on head with a maul and then his throat cut. |
Address:
H.M.A.S. Brisbane, |
- Murder and Suicide.
Sydney.–On the 18th April, 1924, GEORGE BROWN (25). murdered George Ritchie (18), on board the H.M.A.S. Brisbane, then lying at Garden-Island, in the harbour of Port Jackson, Sydney, by striking him on the head with a maul and cutting his throat with a razor, and afterwards committed suicide by hanging,- and at an adjourned inquest, held on the 5th instant before the City Coroner, a verdict of murder and suicide was returned.
New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930), Wednesday 28 May 1924 (No.22), page 279
CRUISER TRAGEDY
Victim Eldest of Family of Six
George Ritchie, the victim of the tragedy on 1-I.M.A.S. Brisbane, was 18 years of age; He joined the navy two years ago. He was the oldest of a family, of live hoys and one girl. His mother died two years ago. His father, Mr David Ritchie, lives In Blackwood street, Yarravllle. The (Irst news of the tragedy received by the family was a telegram from Sydney yesterday stating that the lad had been found dead In his blink. Beyond that and newspaper reports the father knew nothing. Deceased was a member of Yarravllle Rainbow Cycle Club, and had numerous friends. He had a boy-and-girl friendship with Miss Grace Chadwick, 118 Francis street, Yarravllle,
and the two were photographed together when he was home last Christmas. A pathetic sidelight on the tragedy Is that Miss Chadwick received a letter from the lad yesterday. Two of Ritchie's brothers, together with his father, are employed at Messrs Doherty's bakery, in Yarravllle.
Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Saturday 19 April 1924, page 1
|
| Burial |
19 Apr 1924 |
Rookwood, New South Wales, Australia |
Address:
Rookwood Cemetery, |
- Plot:- Sect. M1 Row TT Plot 12
Buried with Honours
Victim of Warship Murder -. Sydney' April 21.
Tlie remains of George Ritchie, the young seaman who was the victim of theriiurder on H.M.A.S. Brisbane, were -buried with -naval honours'- at Rook-wood on-Saturday. ' Fourteen seamen from the ship,., all- young Australians, .attended in charge, of Lieutenant Kennedy, and proceeded from the cemetery. 'railway station to - the burial
place, in slow marching order. Half of their "number constituted .a/ firing party, and carried' reversed arms. the coffin of polished cedar >vas;. draped with a . Union Jack and bore a number of beautiful floral tributes from the ship. / The coffin was -carried by four oficers.' Tho'ltoinnn Catholic chaplain from the ' Brisbane, assisted ' by - tlie Rev. Father Clancy, -conducted the burial service, which was witnessed, by about 200 civilians, including many women. Three volleys were fired over the grave at the close of the service, tile tiring party. coming to the general salute as the '.'Last Post" 'was sounded.; The seaman .reverently leaned on their ordered arms as the chaplain offered up the concluding prayer. '. " George Browne,, the, assistant cook of the Brisbane, who was found hanged, was burled at "Rookwood 'the same day. There were few to witness his burial.
Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Monday 21 April 1924, page 7
|
| Inquest |
16 May 1924 |
Garden Island, New South Wales, Australia |
| Court of Enquire |
Address:
H.M.A.S. Brisbane |
- The record of the Naval Board Minutes can be found at the National Archives of Australia (NAA).
Title
HMAS Brisbane - Murder of Ordinary Seaman George RITCHIE ON 13529 and suicide of Cook George BROWN ON 11484
Contents range
07 May 1924 - 28 May 1924
Series number
MP124/6
Control symbol
446/201/86
Access status
Open
Item ID
3902596
|
| Fact |
18 Jun 2022 |
New South Wales, Australia |
| Dedication Service to Remember George Ritchie |
Address:
Rookwood Cemetery |
- Mark Fleming, founder of the Naval Graves Project, started the following petition to the Department of Veteran Affairs (Australia)
We wish to provide a Headstone for a lad murdered 98 years ago. Ordinary Seaman George Ritchie joined the Royal Australian Navy at age 16, on the 19th of July 1922 when he joined the Training Ship HMAS Tingira anchored in Rose Bay Sydney as a Boy Seaman 2nd Class. He was onboard Tingira until 2nd Oct 1923 progressing through the ranks to Boy Seaman 1st Class & Ordinary Seaman and he was posted (sent) to the Light Cruiser HMAS Brisbane (I) for further training. Where just over 6 months later he was brutally murdered while asleep in his hammock. Another sailor on the ship was found to have hanged himself and is suspected of being responsible for George's murder. George was buried in the Catholic Naval Section of Rookwood Cemetery Sydney, he was not sent home to Melbourne. It was deemed he did not die in the line of duty and so he was not provided with a headstone. He was 17, three months short of his 18th birthday/ His family (his farther and 5 siblings) could not afford to provide one for him. The Naval Graves Project seeks your help to request the Government to provide a headstone so that by the 100th Anniversary of his death in two years he will finally have a headstone.
This petition made change with 1,034 supporters!
Dedication Service to Remember George Ritchie
On the 18th June 2022 a headstone dedication service was held at Rookwood Catholic Cemetery to commemorate George Ritchie, a 17 year old seaman who was tragically murdered onboard the HMAS Brisbane.
George was buried in the Naval section of the cemetery in 1924 without a headstone, as the Navy only provided them for those that had officially died in the line of duty.
Mark Fleming, founder of the Naval Graves Project started a change.org petition to right this wrong and with the organisations ongoing diligence the Office of Australian War Graves finally agreed to provide a white marble headstone for George 98 years after he died.
The Naval Graves Project volunteers have been on-going advocates for the dedicated Navy men and women who have served their country, highlighting their contributions to Australia and ensuring that they are not forgotten.
Chaplain Rev. Andrew Waters, the patron of the Naval Graves Project and also a keen historian has also been championing George’s case to the Navy. At the service Chaplain Father Adrian Cooke blessed the grave before the laying of wreaths next to the new headstone.
George Ritchie joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1922 at the young age of 16. George joined the training ship HMAS Tingira anchored in Rose Bay. He progressed through the ranks to Boy Seaman 1st Class & Ordinary Seaman and was posted to the HMAS Brisbane for further training.
Sadly, just 6 months later and three months short of his 18th birthday, he was brutally murdered while asleep in his hammock onboard the ship. Another sailor was found to have hanged himself and is suspected of being responsible for the murder.
Mark Fleming and the volunteers from the Naval Graves Project have worked tirelessly to procure a headstone for George Ritchie. As member Ross Beecham expressed “If he was our boy, we would want him to have a headstone”.
The Naval Graves Project is a volunteer group that researches, records and remembers all Australian Navy personnel. The erection of the headstone is a testament to the hard work this organisation does to ensure as Mark Fleming said on the day “ from this day forward his name is displayed for all to see”.
|
| Reference Number |
S1323 |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic |
| _FSFTID |
GF8K-SCX |
| _UID |
CDB7A547B389430DA7C62C1764A489E92618 |
| _WEBTAG |
- George Ritchie died having been murdered of board HMAS Brisbane 18 April 1924. His grave was finaly marked by the Navy in 2022.
|
| Person ID |
I4141 |
My Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
2 Feb 2026 |
1906 - 1924 (17 years) Has 18 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.