Thomas Ricketts

He raced through fire for ammunition and silenced enemy guns

Thomas Ricketts was born at Middle Arm, Newfoundland, on 15 April 1901. He grew up in a fishing community and had little formal schooling. When he enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment in September 1916, he was fifteen but claimed to be eighteen. His older brother George also served. Their passage from a small coastal settlement to the Western Front brought the brothers into some of the regiment’s hardest fighting.

Ricketts reached France in 1917. He fought in the Ypres sector and was wounded during the Battle of Cambrai that November. George was killed shortly afterwards. Thomas recovered and returned to active service in 1918, when the regiment, subsequently granted the title Royal Newfoundland Regiment, participated in the Allied advance through Belgium.

On 14 October 1918, near Ledeghem, his platoon was held up by German artillery and machine guns. Ricketts and his section commander took a Lewis gun forward to outflank the position, but their ammunition ran low. His Victoria Cross citation, published in The London Gazette on 6 January 1919, records that he “doubled back 100 yards under the heaviest machine-gun fire”. He retrieved ammunition, returned to the gun and helped drive the German crews into a nearby farm. The platoon then advanced and captured four field guns, four machine guns and eight prisoners; another field gun was subsequently taken. The citation credits his initiative with helping his comrades secure these gains without additional casualties (Department of National Defence, https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/medals/victoria-cross-recipients/thomas-rickettsk.html).

King George V invested him with the Victoria Cross at Sandringham in January 1919. Still seventeen, he became a celebrated returning serviceman and was promoted to sergeant. He also received the French Croix de Guerre with Golden Star. Public attention, however, was followed by a deliberate effort to build an independent civilian life.

After returning to Newfoundland, Ricketts learned to read and write and pursued the education his childhood circumstances had denied him. He attended Memorial University College and qualified as a pharmacist. He subsequently operated a pharmacy in St John’s, becoming familiar to customers through his professional work as well as his wartime reputation. He died on 10 February 1967 and received a state funeral. His later career connected the young soldier remembered for a sudden battlefield decision with a much longer life of study, work and service in Newfoundland.

Official Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on the 14th October, 1918, during the advance from Ledeghem, when the attack was temporarily held up by heavy hostile fire and the platoon to which he belonged suffered severe casualties from the fire of a battery at pointblank range. Pte. Ricketts at once volunteered to go forward with his section commander and a Lewis gun to attempt to outflank the battery. Advancing by short rushes under heavy fire from enemy machine guns with the hostile battery, their ammunition was exhausted when still 300 yards from the battery. The enemy, seeing an opportunity to get their field guns away, began to bring up their gun teams. Pte. Ricketts, at once realising the situation, doubled back 100 yards under the heaviest machine-gun fire, procured further ammunition, and dashed back again to the Lewis gun, and by very accurate fire drove the enemy and the gun teams into a farm. His platoon then advanced without casualties, and captured the four field guns, four machine guns, and eight prisoners. A fifth field gun was subsequently intercepted by fire and captured. By his presence of mind in anticipating the enemy intention and his utter disregard of personal safety, Pte. Ricketts secured the further supply of ammunition which directly resulted in these important captures and undoubtedly saved many lives.

Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 3 January 1919. 6 January 1919, Numb. 31108, p. 309