Philip Ridgeway

In the short story The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, Philip Ridgeway was an assistant general manager of the London and Scottish Bank. When a million dollars worth of Liberty bonds was stolen while under his charge in transit across the Atlantic to New York, his fiancee Esmée Farquhar asked Poirot to help.

According to Mr Vavasour, a joint general manager of the bank and also his uncle, Philip was a trusted official of the bank. He had no debts or money problems and had managed similar errands in the past.

Portrayals
Philip Ridgeway was played by Oliver Parker in the film adaptation of The Million Dollar Bond Robbery in Series 3 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot. His background was altered to make him a more plausible suspect and risk factor. Esmee, his fiancee approached Poirot for help because she was afraid for him. Although she did not tell Poirot the reason for her worry, Poirot would later figure it out. Philip was a compulsive gambler. He had gotten himself seriously in debt and was being pursued and harassed by loan sharks. Esmee was probably worried that Philip might be tempted to steal the bonds.

When Philip arrived back in England, Poirot had to arrange for him to be arrested in order to get him past loan sharks who were waiting for him at the gangway.

At the end of the episode, Philip told Poirot that he had been promoted to joint general manager of the bank. He had paid off his debts and there wouldn't be any more.