Remembrance Day: Tommy Ricketts

When we think of war heroes, we often imagine experienced soldiers who have spent years preparing for battle. But one of Newfoundland’s greatest war heroes was still a teenager when he performed an act of extraordinary bravery.

His name was Thomas, or Tommy, Ricketts. He was born in Middle Arm, White Bay, on April 15, 1901. He worked as a fisherman when the First World War began. He was described as shy and hardworking.  At just 15, Tommy was just a boy. He wanted to follow his older brother George into the Newfoundland Regiment, but he was too young to enlist. In 1916, at only fifteen, he claimed he was eighteen and joined anyway.

During the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel in July 1916, the regiment suffered tragic losses. The army didn’t question Tommy when he said he was 18. The recruiters may have ignored his age or believed him. Because he couldn’t read or write, he signed his enlistment papers with a simple "X".

Reunited with his brother George, he finally joined the Newfoundland Regiment on the Western Front near Ypres, Belgium, in July 1917. In the months that followed, young Tommy saw action in two battles. In late November, he was wounded in action and was sent to England to recover. Two weeks later, his brother George died by artillery fire on the front lines of France. Because he has no known grave, George’s name is engraved on the bronze plaques at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.

On October 14, 1918, near Ledeghem, Belgium, Tommy and his fellow soldiers came under intense German fire and suffered casualties. Tommy volunteered to move forward with his section commander and one machine gun to try to outflank the enemy. A German gun was firing directly at them. The Newfoundlanders had almost reached their objective when they ran out of ammunition.

Tommy volunteered to go back under heavy machine-gun fire to get more. Thanks to his courage, his platoon successfully captured several machine guns, field guns and German prisoners. Most importantly, Tommy’s actions saved the lives of many of his fellow Newfoundland soldiers that day.

The war ended on 11 November 1918. Tommy was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious British Empire award for gallantry in the face of the enemy. He was only seventeen.

After the war, Tommy returned to Newfoundland, learned to read and write, and continued his education at Memorial University, named to honour heroes like him. He became a respected pharmacist in St. John’s.

Tommy’s story reminds us that courage is about what a person is willing to do for others, even when their own life is in danger. When Tommy Ricketts passed away in February 1967, he was given a state funeral.

This Remembrance Day, as we remember those who served, let us remember Tommy Ricketts, a boy from White Bay whose bravery helped save his comrades' lives.

Lest we forget.