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1896 Oct 10. Born Prestwich, Lancs
1901 census at 49, Cleveland Road, North Manchester
1914 Jan 16 A diary entry in C.H.Harpers diary for the Gold Coast records that "Ballantine was in his third tour as DC Akwapim "
1914 Dec 24. Lands in France
1915 Oct 20. Wessex Divisional Engineers. The undermentioned Privates, from the Inns of Court Officers Training Corps, to be Second Lieutenants. Richard Waverley Head Ballantine.
1915 Sep 23. Commissioned into RE.
1917 May 4. Royal Engineers. 2nd Lt. R. W. H. Ballantine is seconded for duty with the Indian Army.
1917 Jul 1. 2nd Lt. R. W H. Ballantine to be Lt ,
1918 Aug 27. 1/81st Pioneers. Lieut, (actg. Capt.) R. W. H. Ballantine, attd., on ceasing to be actg. Capt. (addtl.), retains his actg. rank while comdg. a Coy.
1918 Jun 7. 8lst Pioneers. Lieut. R. W. H. Ballantine, attd., to be actg Capt. (additional). 7th June 1918.
1919 Jun 14. 81st Pioneers. Lt. (actg. Capt.) R. W. H. Ballantine (since relinquished) attd., relinquishes the actg. rank of Capt. on ceasing to comd. a Coy.
1919 Dec 1. The King has approved the relinquishment by the undermentioned officers of their probationary appointments to the Ind. Army, with effect from the dates specified: — Richard Waverly Head Ballantine.
1919 Oct/Dec. Married Brentford, Middlesex to Olive N Law
1919 Dec 17. He and his wife were booked on a ship, SS Scandinavian, for Canada but their names are crossed off the manifest.
1920 Jul 10 Leaves UK with his wife on SS Caronia for New York. His profession is "cableman"
1920 Jul 17 Arrives Canada from UK. His intention is to settle
1920 Oct 6. He and his wife arrive back in UK on SS Saturnia. They travel 2nd Class.
1920 Nov 1. Joined ADRIC with service no 935. He served with H Coy
1921 Mar 9 Promoted Intelligence Officer of H Coy
21 Apr 9. DI1 JA MacKinnon, DI3 WH Ballantine, S/L Surtees, T/C CVH Harrison were at the shooting of Driscoll. Surtees was wounded by shotgun pellets. 3 Crossley tenders went to inspect a temporary bridge that intelligence had led them to believe would be destroyed by the IRA. They found a group of men in the act of trying to destroy it. The group split and ran, and the Auxiliaries opened fire. Daniel Driscoll was hit and later died of the wounds
1921 Apr 15. Major J A MacKinnon commanding officer of H coy in Tralee. Shot while off duty and playing golf in Tralee with DI.3 R W H Ballantine (ADRIC no 935). The IRA knew that he played golf here regularly, and had kept watch on the golf course for about 2 weeks before their chance came. The hit squad was a sniper with a rifle, James Cornelius Healy a veteran of WW1, and three men with shotguns, Johnny Riordan, Tommy Barrett and Jack Mason. Healy hid in a tree overlooking the third green and waited till Mackinnon was perfectly still as he shaped to hit the ball. Healy shot MacKinnon twice in the head. The others opened up with shotguns, and all the IRA men were able to escape in the resulting confusion. The Auxiliaries went on a series of reprisals, which in turn led to IRA killings.
The full inquest is available. Ballantine's testimony at it was
1921 May 21. Reverts to T/Cadet. The register shows that his resignation was accepted on Medical Grounds on this date then deleted. He reverted to T/Cadet instead. A probable explanation is the stress of seeing McKinnon's murder
1921 May 20. Posted to Depot
1921 May 20 to 22 Aug 1921 Leave without Pay & Allowances
1921 Oct 1. Posted to N Coy. Promoted again to Intelligence Officer
1921 Nov 18 Relinquishes his commission
1922 Jan 19 Discharged at demobilisation of ADRIC
1924 Sep 5. Royal Corps of Signals. Capt. Richard Waverley Head Ballantine, late Wessex Div. R.E., to be Capt., 5th Sept. 1924, with seniority 29th Jan. 1924
1924 Nigeria Blue , he is an Assistant Commissioner of Police in South Province of Nigeria
1930 Mar 3. Arrives in UK from Nigeria "Commissioner in police" UK address in Sun Lane, Harpenden, Herts.
1931 Sep 27. Arrives in UK from Nigeria. He is a "police" and is travelling alone.
1933 Sep 17. Arrives in UK from Nigeria. He is a "civil servant" and is travelling alone.
1939 Jun 8. Gazetted The King has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the Celebration of His Majesty's Birthday, to approve the award of the Colonial Police Medal to the officers of Colonial Police whose names appear below:— Captain Richard Waverley Head Ballantyne (sic), Assistant Commissioner of Police, Nigeria.
1944 May 21 – 1948 Aug 18. Commissioner of Gold Coast Constabulary R W H Ballantine C.B.E
1946 Apr 13. His only son marries
1946 Jun 28. The King has been graciously pleased to sanction the following Promotions in, and Appointments to, the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem: —as Brother - Captain Richard Waverley Head Ballantine.
1946 Oct 20. Royal Corps of Signals. Capt. R. W. H. Ballantine (60870) having attained the age limit of liability to recall, relinquishes his commn., retaining the rank of Capt.
1947 Dec 31. To be Ordinary Commanders of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent, Order:— Captain Richard Waverley Head Ballantine, Colonial Police Service, Commissioner of Police, Gold Coast.
1948 Feb 28. During the independence campaign, the Ghanaian ex-servicemen set out on a march to Christiansborg Castle to present a petition to the Governor, Sir Gerald Creasy. At the Christiansborg Crossroads, Imray, a European police officer, shot at and killed some of them. Two died on spot and five in hospital, many injured. At Castle Road, Police Commissioner Ballantine was unable disperse the angry crowd, and appealed to one of the march organisers to disperse the crowd. Imray admitted that he fired shots and Ballantine stated it was necessary open fire or the Ex-Servicemen would proceed to Government House and attacked the Governor. The government on the surface said they accepted that the shooting was necessary to restore order, but soon Ballantine was forced out.
1948 Aug 18. He steps down as Police Commissioner in the Gold Coast. The shootings in February are believed to have led to his replacement.
1952 Feb 1. Capt. Richard Waverley Head Ballantine, C.B.E. (60870) (late R. Sigs.), to be 2nd Lt.,
1952 Feb 1. The undermentioned 2nd Lts. to be Capts. R. W. H. Ballantine. C.B.E. (60870),
1956 May 11. Capt. R. W. H. Ballantine, C.B.E. (60870), relinquishes his commn., retaining the rank of Capt
1965 Aug 1. Dies London age 68
