who were part of the, 50th Division , during the Great War , 1914 - 18.
Brigadier General E.P.A. Riddell. D.S.O. G.O.C. 149th Brigade 50th Division Wounded: 27 May 1918 Edward
Pius Arthur Riddell was born in May 1875. He was commissioned 1 into the Northumberland
Fusiliers from the Militia in February, 1900, and transferred to the Rifle Brigade in
June, 1908. He served in the South African War from 1901 to 1902. At the outbreak of the
Great War he was at Sandhurst in command of a Company of Gentlemen Cadets, but in June,
1916, he went to France in command of the 1/1st Cambridgeshire Regiment (T.F.) and it was
whilst commanding this battalion that he was awarded the D.S.O.' for conspicuous gallantry
in action: 'He showed
the greatest skill and foresight in assembling his Btn. and subsequently launching them to
the attack without a casualty, in broad daylight, on ground observed by the enemy. His
personal bravery, energy and example exercised great influence over all ranks.’ In 1917 he was awarded a Bar' to his DSO: 'for
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a battalion in reserve
during an attack. He threw in a counter- attack at a counter-stroke by the enemy and held
on to an eminence of the highest tactical importance throughout the afternoon. His
dispositions not only allowed the brigade to fall back in order before superior numbers,
but materially reduced the enemy's strength as he held off three counterattacks and
inflicted crushing casualties on the enemy. He eventually assumed command and reorganised
two other units of the brigade, and passed four times through a heavy hostile barrage to
his brigade head. quarters to report on the situation. He handled a most difficult
situation with consummate skill, and his utter disregard of danger not only encouraged the
men to further effort but was a magnificent example of courage and determination.' In
October, 1917, he was appointed to command 149th Brigade. He was the second Riddell to
command the brigade; the first, J. F. Riddell (q.v.) was killed in action on 26 April
1915. The brigade diary' for May, 1918, records: ‘Pontavert Sector. 27/5/18. 7.30 am, Enemy reached Brigade H.Q. Brigade H.Q. moved to Chaudardes. General Riddell wounded just outside Beaurepaire Wood.' Brigadier-General Martin (q.v.) of the 151st Brigade was with Riddell when a German shell burst overhead killing Martin and wounding Riddell. The brigade diary contains a letter written to General Riddell in October, 1918, by his Brigade-Major in the 149th Brigade, Captain H. W. Jackson, in which the Captain describes the events after the General had left for treatment and enquires about his health as: 'I knew you had lost an awful lot of blood when we
parted on the bridge near Concevreux.'
Brigadier-General
Riddell wrote 4 his own account of the 27th May events events later in October 1918: 'My Brigade
headquarters were at Centre d'Evreux about 300 yards N.E. of the 151st Brigade
headquarters. I decided to leave my own headquarters and join General Martin with a view
to holding the trenches about our own headquarters as a last ditch. --- "It was all
hands to the pumps." Martin and I with Leathart of the gunners ran towards the 5th
Northumberland Fusiliers. We had only gone a few yards when a shell burst on our left. 1
felt a terrific blow in my face and saw Martin roll over. I went to him. He was quite
dead. I walked on half dazed, with a great hole in my face into which I could put my hand,
but I did not feel much pain. 1 could not have my wound bound up as the bandage would have
prevented me from giving orders.' This
was the third time that Riddell was wounded during the war. He was awarded a second Bar-'
to his D.S.O. : 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during several days of severe fighting in rearguard actions, when he repeatedly organised counter-attacks, and personally led two of them. After the whole of his staff had become casualties and two of his C.O.'s had been hit, his magnificent example, and total disregard of danger had the greatest effect in steadying his command.' After
the war he was made a CMG in 1919, commanded the Northumberland Infantry Brigade, Northern
Command in 1920, and retired from the Army in 1925. Brigadier-General Sir Edward Riddell
was created a KCMG in 1945 and died in August 1957. (from
‘Bloody Red Tabs’ by Frank Davies and Graham Maddocks (Leo Cooper 1995) Pages
184-85 1
L.G. 11/12116. 2 L.G. 2619/17. 3 PRO WO 95/2827. 4 PRO CAB 451114. 5 L.G. 26n118
My thanks go again, to David Blanchard, for providing the text for this web page
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149th Infantry Brigade 
