George Riddoch was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on August 19, 1924, the second son of Andrew Riddoch and Georgina (nee Harrison) Riddoch. Both parents, Andrew and Georgina, were born in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Riddoch family arrived in Canada on May 31, 1925, when George was less than one year old. They arrived from Glasgow, Scotland aboard the passenger ship Letitia, landing at a port in Quebec. Father Andrew listed his occupation as a farmer, and the family moved to 187 Cobden Street, Sarnia. Besides George, the Riddoch family consisted of four brothers–who at wartime were John, Gilbert Harrison (born 1931), and Robert all residing in Sarnia and Andrew (born 1899) in Simcoe–along with two sisters: Elsie (became Mrs. Chalmers) of Sarnia and Jessie, who became a Corporal with the RCAF in Toronto. George received his education in the Sarnia schools and prior to enlisting, worked at Kirk’s Service Station on the corner of Russell and Wellington Streets.
Single at the time, George enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on August 16, 1943 in London, Ontario, just days before his 19th birthday. He would graduate as a Sergeant-Air Gunner at Mont Joli, Quebec on February 24, 1944. Nine months after enlisting, he would go overseas in May 1944, as a member of RCAF #1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, attaining the rank of Sergeant-Air Gunner. Only five months after arriving overseas, on October 22, 1944, George Riddoch was part of a crew aboard a Halifax Mark V Bomber (LL505) that was on a night navigation exercise from Topcliffe in Yorkshire, England. The bomber ran into thick cloud, lost its bearings and crashed into a hillside of Carris Hill, burning and disintegrating on impact near Haverigg, Cumberland, England. Carris Hill was near RAF Station Millom, Cumberland, Scotland.
In late October 1944, parents Andrew and Georgina Riddoch in Sarnia would receive a telegram from the casualty officer at Ottawa informing them that their son, Sergeant George Riddoch, had been killed on active service on October 22. No other details were given. Parents Andrew and Georgina presumed that their son was killed in an accident. In a letter which they had received the previous week from their son, George told them of flying in a Halifax bomber and intimated that he had not completed his training.
In early November of 1944, parents Andrew and Georgina Riddoch in Sarnia would receive the particulars of the flying accident in Britain which cost the life of their son George. In a letter written by Air Vice Marshall J.A. Sully, he confirmed, with regret, that the Sarnia boy had been killed on active service. He revealed that George Riddoch was a member of the crew in an R.C.A.F. plane which crashed into a hillside near Millon, Cumberland county, England, during flying operations. The R.C.A.F. Officer stated,
I realize that this news has been a great shock to you and I offer you my deepest sympathy. May the same spirit which prompted your son to offer his life give you courage. You may be assured that any further information received will be communicated to you immediately.
In the same week they received the above letter from Marshall Sully, the Riddoch parents also received a letter from their son George, dated October 20, and posted the next day, only 24 hours before he flew on the fatal mission. In it, George referred to mail from home, and spoke of plans for Christmas and difficulties he was experiencing in finding suitable presents for his relatives. He closed with the observation that it was about ten minutes to 10 p.m. and time for him to be heading for bed and a final line, “Oh, I lead a good life now. So-long for now.”
George Riddoch would later be officially listed as, Killed in flying accident, overseas (England). Perishing with George Riddoch, also killed were F/O.s R.N. Whitley and J.A. Johnston; P/O. F.A. Bell; Sgt.s C.G. Whittingstall, H.E. Pyche, and D.F. Titt; and one of the crew, not Canadian. A permanent memorial to the crew is set up at the crash site, where eight crew members died. George Riddoch’s funeral was held on October 28, 1944 at the R.A.F. Regional Cemetery in Cheshire, England. At the same time, a private service was held at the home of his parents on Cobden Street, Sarnia, for relatives and close friends. Rev. James Milroy of Rogers Memorial Presbyterian Church, Toronto and the Rev. Charles E. Ficher of Corunna conducted the service. George Riddoch’s citations include: Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, War Medal 1939-1945. Twenty year-old George Riddoch is buried in Chester (Blacon) Cemetery, Cheshire, United Kingdom, Section A, Grave 1028.
SOURCES: A, B, C, D, E, F, J, L, M, N, 2C, 2D