Private 201835 George Ruddick, 1st/4th Yorkshire Regiment (Territorial), formerly 5287 Yorkshire Regiment (Territorial)
Died of wounds 27th June, 1917
George Ruddick was born in Newby in 1892 the son of James Ruddick, a farm labourer, born Dalton Piercy, and Elizabeth Ann Walshaw who was born in Middlesbrough.
George was one of 12 children: Sarah Ann, John William, Frederick Robert, Albert, George himself, Margaret Hannah, James, Elizabeth Mary, Ernest, Christopher, Thomas, Emily, and Harold.
In 1911 George was living at Haregill Lodge, Masham, with his eldest brother John and family, together with his brother Frederick and sister Elizabeth Mary. John was a farmer and in the census of that year he recorded George and Frederick as ‘brothers working on the farm’, and Elizabeth as “farmer’s sister dairy work”. James Ruddick, Frederick’s father was still in Newby with wife Phyllis, his 5 youngest children and one grandchild, Annie aged 4 years.
According to the Book of Remembrance George was a farm man prior to enlistment and went abroad in Spring 1915. We also know from official sources that George enlisted in Masham, but said that he lived in Nunthorpe. (Presumably he gave the address of his parents, as Newby was frequently classed as being in Nunthorpe)
Private Ruddick died on 27th June 1917, and the Book of Remembrance tells us that he died following a gas attack. The war diary of 1st/4th Yorkshire Regiment records that there was a gas attack on 16th June where
"Casualties were caused by enemy shell and rifle fire and at least as many more by poison gas. Four Officers and four other ranks were killed by gas, one Officer and 14 other ranks were wounded, one Officer and sixteen other ranks were gassed.”
(See http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bandl.danby/001/BnIndex.html for further details of 1st/4th Yorkshire Regiment)
As official sources say that Private Ruddick died of wounds it may well be that he was one of the 14 wounded or the 16 that were gassed on this occasion, and that he subsequently died 11 days later.
Private Ruddick was 25 years old when he fell, and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His body lies in plot B 10 at the intimate Rookery British War Cemetery, Heninel in the Pas de Calais.
George Ruddick was one of 5 brothers who served 2 of whom fell. He is commemorated on the Memorial Plaque in the church of St Peter and St Paul, Stokesley as well as on the Newby War Memorial and at St Paul’s church, Healey.
Go to next soldier: Shore A. or back to Ruddick F.R. brother of the above.
Back to The Fallen - the Dead of 1914-18