Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce Ritchie
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Royal Highlanders of Canada (The Black Watch)

When the battalion went into action after D-Day, they guys had had three or four years’ training. But after the first big slap in the ass at St. Andre, we were never able to get organized with trained troops. Even when we got replacements, the battalion had been knocked down with such strength that they weren’t a fighting entity any more.

(Ritchie quoted in Denis Whitaker, Tug of War, 172)

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1912, Bruce Rowlett Ritchie graduated from RMC and McGill University, and work for Sun Life Insurance in Montreal. He originally served as signals officer with the Black Watch but after the Normandy campaign began, he found himself moved around to several units before finally returning to the Royal Highlanders. While attached to the Algonquin Regiment as second-in-command, Ritchie rejoined his old regiment at the request of Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Mitchell who had taken command after the death of Lieutenant-Colonel S.S.T. Cantlie on 25 July 1944.

In less than one month, Ritchie would command three infantry battalions. At the end of August 1944, he was appointed new commanding officer of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry until the recovery of Lieutenant-Colonel Denis Whitaker. Then on 15 September, he transferred to take over the South Saskatchewan Regiment. A week later, he replaced Mitchell in command of the Black Watch. Brigadier W.J. Megill, who had clashed Mitchell and secured his removal, also objected to Ritchie, whose appointment was nevertheless confirmed.

Like his predecessor, he had a difficult relationship with his brigadier and felt unsupported by the division hierarchy. After two months hard fighting out of France the battalion had been depleted and reinforced with raw recruits several times over. When his inexperienced troops were ordered forward soon after his taking command, Ritchie recalled:

I objected very strenuously. The remnants of the battalion had suffered a bloody nose at some previous battles. The remaining officers and NCOs were more or less a collection of reinforcements. We needed more time; I bought a few more days, that was all.

Ritchie led the Black Watch for the next eight months as casualties mounted from the Battle of Scheldt and the drive into the Low Countries. In mid-March 1945, he was replaced by second-in-command Major Eric Motzfeldt. Brigadier Megill forced his removal which was termed compassionate leave to England.

He resumed his career with Sun Life after the war, becoming general counsel for the company and Queen’s Counsel in the 1960s. He died on 23 May 1983 in Toronto.