by Susan Flantzer

• 2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham
• Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie
• Timeline: October 1, 1918 – October 31, 1918
• A Note About German Titles
• October 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham

Embed from Getty Images
Royal Air Force planes in a “100” formation over Buckingham Palace celebrating the centenary of the Royal Air Force on July 10, 2018

As I gather my thoughts in July 2018 to write about a member of the Royal Air Force, I recall that earlier in the month the centenary of the Royal Air Force was celebrated in London with a service at Westminster Abbey, a parade down the Mall, and a fly-past over Buckingham Palace of 100 historic planes, all attended by members of the British royal family.

2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham, a pilot in the 209th Squadron of the Royal Air Force, was the youngest of the ten children of John Bingham, 5th Baron Clanmorris and Matilda Catherine Maude Ward.

Richard had nine older siblings:

• Arthur Bingham, 6th Baron Clanmorris (1879 – 1960), married Mowbray Leila Cloete, had one son
• Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable John Bingham (1880 – 1978), married Vera Mary Darbyshire, had two daughters
• Rear-Admiral The Honorable Edward Bingham (1881 – 1939), married Vera Patterson, had one son and one daughter, divorced in 1937
• The Honorable Harriette Bingham (1882 – 1917), married Sir Herbert Lightfoot Eason, had one daughter
• The Honorable Emily Bingham (1884 – 1957), married Herbert Dixon, 1st Baron Glentoran, had four daughters and one son
• The Honorable Hugh Bingham (1885 – 1946), married Dorothea Minnie Sinclair, had two sons and one daughter
• The Honorable Henry Bingham (1887 – 1902), died at age 14
• The Honorable Eleanor Bingham (1892 – 1972), married Major Harold Murray Fleming, had children
• Squadron Leader Hon. George Bingham (1894 – 1972), married Barbara Melvill de la Ferté

All of Richard’s five surviving brothers also fought in World War I. His brother Edward, who was in the Royal Navy and was in command of a destroyer division, was awarded the Victoria Cross for naval bravery in the 1916 Battle of Jutland. When his ship sunk, Edward was picked up by a German destroyer and remained a prisoner of war until the end of the war. He later attained the rank of Rear-Admiral and was Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V. Richard’s brother George was taken a prisoner of war by the Germans in May 1915 and later also served in World War II.

Richard was on March 8, 1896, at the family home, Bangor Castle in Bangor, Northern Ireland. He was educated at Cheltenham College in Cheltenham, Gloucester, England and joined the Royal Air Force in 1917. On October 8, 1918, near Bourlon in northern France, 22-year-old Richard was flying a Sopwith Camel during an air battle and collided with another Sopwith Camel flown by Captain Dudley Allen. Both men were killed and were buried with 88 other fallen men at the Triangle Cemetery in Inchy-En-Artois, France.

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Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie

Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie was born in Dundee, Scotland on October 30, 1876, the youngest of the ten children of Charles Thomson Ritchie, 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee and Margaret Ower. The 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee was a businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament from 1874 until 1905 when he was created a peer. He served as Home Secretary from 1900 to 1902 and as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1902 to 1903.

Harold had seven older sisters and two older brothers:

• The Honorable Jane Gregor Ritchie (1859 – 1933), married Thomas Barclay Cockerton
• The Honorable Elizabeth Wilhelmina Ritchie (1860 – 1950), married Sir Mervyn Edmund Macartney
• William Ritchie (1862 – 1879), died at age 17
• The Honorable Margaret Ower Ritchie (1864 – 1944), married George James Young
• Charles Ritchie, 2nd Baron Ritchie of Dundee (1866 – 1948), married Sarah Ruth Jennings, had four sons and one daughter
• The Honorable Anne Wilmot Ritchie (1869 – 1948), married Mark Lemon Romer, Baron Romer, had two sons
• The Honorable Mary Emily Ritchie (1870 – 1956), married Francis Xavier Joseph Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen, had three daughters and one son
• The Honorable Maud Ritchie (1872 – 1958), unmarried
• The Honorable Eleanor Ritchie (1874 – 1955), unmarried

Harold was educated at Bradfield College in Bradfield, Berkshire, England and then he attended Winchester College in Winchester, Hampshire, England. While Harold was at Winchester College he was a House Prefect and was on the rowing team.

On January 29, 1907, Harold married Ella Priestley, daughter of Robert Chambers Priestley. The couple had four children:

• Major Ian Charles Ritchie (1908 – 1982), married (1) Ann Dundas Whigham, had one son and one daughter, divorced 1946 (2) Pamela Eveleen Elizabeth Vickers
• Jean Ritchie (1910 – ?), married Captain John Buller Edward Hall
• William Nigel Ritchie (1914 – 1996), married Sibylla Baronin von Hirschberg, had one daughter and two sons
• Pamela Helen Ritchie (1915 – ?), married Major James Dunbar Whatman

In October 1914, Harold joined the 11th Battalion Scottish Rifles and went to France in September 1915. In November 1915, Harold was ordered to Salonica, Greece where he served with distinction and received the Distinguished Service Order.  He was twice wounded twice in September 1918 was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order for gallantry in the field.

Harold returned to France in June 1918 and served with the 1st Battalion of the Cameronians, eventually becoming the commander of the battalion. In October 1918, he was transferred to the command of the 1st Battalion Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment. On October 22, 1918, the battalion moved into position in preparation for an attack near Le Cateau, France. Harold was wounded by machine gun fire when he was on a reconnoitering mission on October 23, 1918, and died on October 28, 1918, two days before his 42nd birthday. He was buried at the Awoingt British Cemetery in Cambrai, France.

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Timeline: October 1, 1918 – October 31, 1918

• September 29 – October 26: Pursuit to Haritan in the Middle East
• October 3: Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria abdicates and his son accedes to the throne as Tsar Boris III
• October 3 – 27: Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge northeast of Reims, in Champagne, France
• October 8 – 10: Second Battle of Cambrai in Cambrai, France, a phase of the Battle of the Hindenburg Line
• October 14 – 17: Battle of Montfaucon in the Grand Est region, France, intermediate phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
• October 14 – 19: Battle of Courtrai in Belgium, closing phase of the Hundred Days Offensive
• October 15: Battle of Mont-D’Origny in France, a phase of the Hundred Days Offensive
• October 17 – 26: Battle of the Selle in France, closing phase of the Hundred Days Offensive
• October 20: Germany suspends submarine warfare
• October 20: Battle of Lys and Escaut in France, a phase of the Hundred Days Offensive
• October 20: Battle of Serre in France, a phase of the Hundred Days Offensive
• October 23 – 30: Battle of Sharqat in present-day Iraq
• October 24 – November 4: Battle of Vittorio Veneto in Italy, Austro-Hungarian army is routed
• October 24 – 28: Second Battle of Monte Grappa in Italy, beginning phase of Vittorio Veneto
• October 25: Battle of Aleppo in present-day Syria
• October 29: State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs proclaimed
• October 30: The Ottoman Empire signs the Armistice of Mudros

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire. The constituent states retained their own governments but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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October 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website. If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Richard Gerald Ava Bingham (see above)

• son of John George Barry Bingham, 5th Baron Clanmorris and Matilda Catherine Maude Ward
• born March 8, 1896 at Bangor Castle in Bangor, Northern Ireland
• 2nd Lieutenant in the 209th Squadron, Royal Air Force
• killed in action October 10, 1918, age 22
• buried at Triangle Cemetery in Inchy-En-Artois, France
• http://www.thepeerage.com/p22458.htm#i224575

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Prince Heinrich XLIV Reuss

• son of Prince Heinrich LXXIV Reuss and Eleonore, Gräfin zu Stolberg-Wernigerode
• born January 30, 1894 in Gross Krauche, Saxony, Germany
• his brother Prince Heinrich XLVI Reuss was killed in action at La Bassée, Belgium on October 20, 1914, age 18
• died of wounds received in action October 29, 1918 at Laon, France, age 24
• http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00070873&tree=LEO

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Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable Harold Ritchie (see above)

• son of Charles Thomson Ritchie, 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee and Margaret Ower
• born October 30, 1876
• married 1907 Ella Priestley, had two sons and two daughters
• Lieutenant-Colonel in the 1st Battalion of the Cameronians
• died from wounds received in action October 28, 1918 at Le Cateau, France, age 41
• buried at the Awoingt British Cemetery in Cambrai, France.
• http://www.thepeerage.com/p68216.htm#i682157

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