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Robert Ritchie served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
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![Robert Ritchie]({"id":"277fd171-16f0-4982-99e0-aa06be815c25","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"6467_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":496790,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-02T22:28:14.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-02T22:28:14.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #6467","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie in a helicopter, 1951.","creator":"Memory Project Image #6467 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/6467_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/6467_original.jpg","credit":"Robert Ritchie","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"277fd171-16f0-4982-99e0-aa06be815c25","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":2},"translations":[{"id":"b7e3a7d7-738b-4183-8be5-c55c1465a7eb","media_id":"277fd171-16f0-4982-99e0-aa06be815c25","title":"Memory Project Image #6467","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie in a helicopter, 1951.","creator":"Memory Project Image #6467 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"en","credit":"Robert Ritchie"},{"id":"56422fd3-9872-443b-a678-d3d5c14a06c6","media_id":"277fd171-16f0-4982-99e0-aa06be815c25","title":"Memory Project Image #6467","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Monsieur Robert Ritchie dans un h\u00e9licopt\u00e8re en 1951.","creator":"Memory Project Image #6467 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"fr","credit":"Robert Ritchie"}]} "Memory Project Image #6467")
![Robert Ritchie]({"id":"16f346e5-50a3-4a2e-9d74-b40eeba6ceca","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"13621_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":1889557,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:19.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:19.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #13621","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"A navigation chart used by Robert Ritchie detailing the route of a 1943 bombing sortie (red lines).","creator":"Memory Project Image #13621 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13621_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13621_original.jpg","credit":"Robert Ritchie","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"16f346e5-50a3-4a2e-9d74-b40eeba6ceca","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":3},"translations":[{"id":"392a99a0-e6c4-483b-9ceb-02c147bad8aa","media_id":"16f346e5-50a3-4a2e-9d74-b40eeba6ceca","title":"Memory Project Image #13621","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"A navigation chart used by Robert Ritchie detailing the route of a 1943 bombing sortie (red lines).","creator":"Memory Project Image #13621 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"en","credit":"Robert Ritchie"},{"id":"1f5b1fff-37c8-4f59-8bde-1b7b8b489cfe","media_id":"16f346e5-50a3-4a2e-9d74-b40eeba6ceca","title":"Memory Project Image #13621","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"","creator":"Memory Project Image #13621 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"fr","credit":"Robert Ritchie"}]} "Memory Project Image #13621")
![Robert Ritchie]({"id":"82e9e521-3203-4763-a5dc-20fa90232d76","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"13622_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":153227,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:21.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:21.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #13622","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"From left to right: Robert Ritchie and Flying Officer Arthur Howie, Robert Ritchie's wireless operator.","creator":"Memory Project Image #13622 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13622_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13622_original.jpg","credit":"Robert Ritchie","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"82e9e521-3203-4763-a5dc-20fa90232d76","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":4},"translations":[{"id":"91812e5f-93a7-4fc1-ab1c-4a784659fd6e","media_id":"82e9e521-3203-4763-a5dc-20fa90232d76","title":"Memory Project Image #13622","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"From left to right: Robert Ritchie and Flying Officer Arthur Howie, Robert Ritchie's wireless operator.","creator":"Memory Project Image #13622 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"en","credit":"Robert Ritchie"},{"id":"f0412586-c8dd-4fa7-9bb7-5fa079d0bf00","media_id":"82e9e521-3203-4763-a5dc-20fa90232d76","title":"Memory Project Image #13622","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"","creator":"Memory Project Image #13622 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"fr","credit":"Robert Ritchie"}]} "Memory Project Image #13622")
![Robert Ritchie]({"id":"c4ceffce-7576-4a77-94b5-9951c6a180c1","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"13620_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":287344,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:15.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:15.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #13620","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie and a Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter at the RCMP post at Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island, NWT (now Nunavut), 31 August 1951. Robert Ritchie piloted the helicopter off the icebreaker CCGS CD Howe.","creator":"Memory Project Image #13620 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13620_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13620_original.jpg","credit":"Robert Ritchie","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"c4ceffce-7576-4a77-94b5-9951c6a180c1","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":5},"translations":[{"id":"0ce0df62-2a08-407b-88ad-a031e08ab931","media_id":"c4ceffce-7576-4a77-94b5-9951c6a180c1","title":"Memory Project Image #13620","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie and a Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter at the RCMP post at Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island, NWT (now Nunavut), 31 August 1951. Robert Ritchie piloted the helicopter off the icebreaker CCGS CD Howe.","creator":"Memory Project Image #13620 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"en","credit":"Robert Ritchie"},{"id":"8f4c1c60-00ec-40da-a64f-99647a0536bc","media_id":"c4ceffce-7576-4a77-94b5-9951c6a180c1","title":"Memory Project Image #13620","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"","creator":"Memory Project Image #13620 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"fr","credit":"Robert Ritchie"}]} "Memory Project Image #13620")
![HDI]({"id":"d847b1c9-965c-42e5-8701-ab28b7f19eb7","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"6468_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":508727,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-02T22:28:16.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-02T22:28:16.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #6468","alt":"HDI","caption":"Robert Ritchie, 2010.","creator":"Memory Project Image #6468 - Veteran #3912","source":"HDI","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/6468_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/6468_original.jpg","credit":"HDI","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"d847b1c9-965c-42e5-8701-ab28b7f19eb7","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":6},"translations":[{"id":"aa7298fc-481f-446f-a7ab-6a1a2cb19ee4","media_id":"d847b1c9-965c-42e5-8701-ab28b7f19eb7","title":"Memory Project Image #6468","alt":"HDI","caption":"Robert Ritchie, 2010.","creator":"Memory Project Image #6468 - Veteran #3912","source":"HDI","locale":"en","credit":"HDI"},{"id":"506176ed-802c-47d0-9769-cb8700d7d98d","media_id":"d847b1c9-965c-42e5-8701-ab28b7f19eb7","title":"Memory Project Image #6468","alt":"HDI","caption":"Robert Ritchie en 2010.","creator":"Memory Project Image #6468 - Veteran #3912","source":"HDI","locale":"fr","credit":"HDI"}]} "Memory Project Image #6468"){kind=spacer}
![Robert Ritchie]({"id":"ea0f55f7-6424-4704-af5d-a08ff8b19779","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"13619_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":249319,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:13.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:13.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #13619","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie and his Wellington bomber crew. From left to right: Flying Officer Robert Ritchie (pilot), Flying Officer M. Dean Henderson (navigator), Flying Officer George Liznick (bomb aimer), Flying Officer Arthur Howie (wireless operator), Sergeant Johnnie Brooks (air gunner), Sergeant Walter \"Dusty\" Billard (air gunner), Sergeant WE Jackson (RAF, flight engineer).","creator":"Memory Project Image #13619 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13619_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13619_original.jpg","credit":"Robert Ritchie","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"ea0f55f7-6424-4704-af5d-a08ff8b19779","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":7},"translations":[{"id":"4c947f36-7723-47e8-9bbc-dfd8e7fda57a","media_id":"ea0f55f7-6424-4704-af5d-a08ff8b19779","title":"Memory Project Image #13619","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie and his Wellington bomber crew. From left to right: Flying Officer Robert Ritchie (pilot), Flying Officer M. Dean Henderson (navigator), Flying Officer George Liznick (bomb aimer), Flying Officer Arthur Howie (wireless operator), Sergeant Johnnie Brooks (air gunner), Sergeant Walter \"Dusty\" Billard (air gunner), Sergeant WE Jackson (RAF, flight engineer).","creator":"Memory Project Image #13619 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"en","credit":"Robert Ritchie"},{"id":"152c5dc7-46e5-4b38-95b6-a5c1d4e41b3f","media_id":"ea0f55f7-6424-4704-af5d-a08ff8b19779","title":"Memory Project Image #13619","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"","creator":"Memory Project Image #13619 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"fr","credit":"Robert Ritchie"}]} "Memory Project Image #13619")
![Robert Ritchie]({"id":"efc25b4a-158c-4166-bc59-fbf9593df3cd","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"13623_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":111188,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:23.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T04:20:23.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #13623","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie on training, 1943.","creator":"Memory Project Image #13623 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13623_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/13623_original.jpg","credit":"Robert Ritchie","pivot":{"mediable_id":"61b9f8aa-0c43-411a-9c71-34753a45432c","media_id":"efc25b4a-158c-4166-bc59-fbf9593df3cd","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":8},"translations":[{"id":"728d0b9a-c805-4b1a-85b4-34c4a628e408","media_id":"efc25b4a-158c-4166-bc59-fbf9593df3cd","title":"Memory Project Image #13623","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"Robert Ritchie on training, 1943.","creator":"Memory Project Image #13623 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"en","credit":"Robert Ritchie"},{"id":"1fe25980-8213-42a1-bd74-16281336ebd1","media_id":"efc25b4a-158c-4166-bc59-fbf9593df3cd","title":"Memory Project Image #13623","alt":"Robert Ritchie","caption":"","creator":"Memory Project Image #13623 - Veteran #3912","source":"Robert Ritchie","locale":"fr","credit":"Robert Ritchie"}]} "Memory Project Image #13623")
Transcript
Living in Edmonton, I picked up a paper one day and it had my brother’s picture there. He was buried in England. So at that point, I joined the air force, right at the start; and went all through pilot training and so on. I ended up in England at the same area as my brother had been. And I was flying out of there, flying bomber aircraft. We started our training overseas; and ended up at [No.] 432 Squadron [Royal Canadian Air Force]. Well, of course, I had a navigator and a bomb aimer and a tail gunner, and then a top gunner. There was once I heard a shot in the back of the aircraft. That was the only time that we were hit.
