| Entry Text: | RITCHIE, Jock. Letter of Proceedings: Origins, Childhood, Four Careers. xiii, 588p., illus London: Minerva, 1999. ISBN: 0754105903.
Born in 1917, he went to Eton then joined the RN as a special entry cadet in 1934. By the start of war he was newly in command of MA/SB 3, carrying out anti-submarine patrols at Portland. In early 1940 he and the boat joined the local defence force at Alexandria. She was mined and he was wounded in the Suez Canal. After almost a year recuperating he took command of the new SGB 4 building at Yarrow's. After six months of action in the Channel he moved to King Alfred and then to the staff of RA Coastal Forces. In October 1943 he returned to sea as First Lieutenant of Mackay based at Harwich and the following April took command of Lancaster of the Rosyth Escort Force. In late November 1944 he took over the damaged Wensleydale, but almost immediately moved to Catterick, based at Alexandria. After service mainly in the Aegean, she was heading to South Africa for refit when the war ended. A lively and enjoyable tale which also covers his postwar career. |
|---|