Sergeant William Ruthven

(1893 - 1970)

Sergeant William Ruthven was born in 1893 in Collingwood and became a mechanical engineer. He was also occupied in the timber industry when he enlisted in the First A.I.F. on 19 April, 1915. Ruthven was one of only 64 service people from World War 1 awarded the the Victoria Cross (VC) - a military decoration awarded for valour 'in the presence of the enemy'.

Carroll, Brian & Rule, Ian (1985). Preston: an Illustrated History. Preston: City of Preston.

Death index Victoria 1921-1985 : index to deaths in Victoria [CD-ROM]. (1998). Melbourne, Australia: Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Smyth, John. (1977)  Great stories of the Victoria Cross. London : Arthur Barker