Col. Ronald Anderson Bryden D.S.O., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.

  Notes:

1891 Census (age 8) living with parents and sister at No.9 Christ Church Road, Hampstead, London.

1901 census (age 18) living with his uncle Christopher St.John Wright as Medical Student.

London Gazette, 5th Sept 1905; Royal Army Medical Corp; The undermentioned gentlemen to be Lieutenants; on Probation; dated 31st July 1905; list includes Ronald Anderson Bryden.

London Gazette, 16th Feb 1906; RAMC; The undermentioned lieutenants are confirmed in that rank; list includes Ronald A Bryden.

London Gazette, 12 Feb 1909; Army Medical Service; The undermentioned Lieutenants to be Captains, dated 31 Jan 1909; Ronald A Bryden

From Wendy; was in Tempe, South Africa for 1911 census and there are loads of pics taken there.

Possibly/probably his wife is Doris (daughter of E.J.Smith of Beverley) if so she died 13th Jan 1921 - got this from Bryden/Cowper family tree in H.A.Bryden's book - but hard to read who she was married to - but was one of Olivia and Charles' siblings who was born in 1883 and served in the military and had a second name of Anderson, so most likely it is Ronald .... in fact I'm going to assume it is and enter it - later found his marriage in Beverley (Doris' father "of Beverley") which clinched it really.

London Gazette; 13 October 1916; The undermentioned Majors to be temp. Lt-Cols whilst in command of field ambulances; Ronald A Bryden 9th Sept 1915.

Presm. got his DSO somewhere in this date range, but cannot find in London Gazette.

London Gazette; 31 Dec 1918; To be Brevet Lt-Col; Maj.(T/Lt-Col) R.A.Bryden, DSO, RAMC.

London Gazette; 25 Nov 1919; Army Medical Service; Maj. and Bt.Lt.-Col Ronald A Bryden, D.S.O., relinquishes the temp. rank of Lt-Col. ceasing to comd. a Med.Unit 19th Apr 1919.

1921; Ann St John Wright biog "Grannie, Auntie Kate and I stayed for the summer at Tunbridge Wells, having sub-let the house. Grannie's sister-in-law, Julia, lived in Tunbridge Wells, with her husband (Henry) Anderson Bryden, who had shot wild life in Africa and who also often went to Norway. Anderson and Julia had son Ronald and a daughter, Olive (actually Olivia). Olive was unmarried, and an artist. She and Kate had been at school at Eastbourne together. Ronald was a medical doctor.......... Ronald Anderson had two children, Jean and John. Their mother died when John was born (wrong; John born Apr 1920, she died Jan 1921). I used to play with them on the green at Tunbridge Wells, on the rocks, and the Toad Rock. There are photos of this and others taken at Tunbridge Wells this summer when I was four. "

From the Howell Wright letters we know that in 1937 he was;
Col. R.A.Bryden D.S.O., Royal Army Medical Corps, Tunbridge Wells
But home address (his reply Dec 37) was 1 Eden Road, Tunbridge Wells.
June '38 he is at ;2 Grove Ave, Tunbridge Wells. (Although later in same month Howard Wright sends a letter to Hill Cottage - see below).
1947 (Yale file) his address was Hill Cottage, 3 Netheravon Road, Salisbury, Wilts.

Can't find death record - Wendy found eventually.

Decorations and rank backed up by http://www.thepeerage.com/p19218.htm#i192176

Obit from BMJ July 29th 1961; "Colonel R.A. Bryden died suddenly at Salisbury on June 19th. He was 78 years of age.
Ronald Anderson Bryden was the son of Mr.H.A.Bryden, an author who wrote many books about South Africa, and who, as a young man, was a famous athlete and represented England at Rugby football, and took part, in 1875, in the fastest amateur mile on record, coming in second to the winner, whose time was 4 mins 24.5 secs. From King's School, Canterbury, Ronald Bryden went on to Study medicine at St.Mary's Hospital and qualified in 1905. Passing into the R.A.M.C. in the same year, he served for some years in South Africa. During the first world war he served in France with the 3rd and 17th Divisions, being three times mentioned in dispatches and winning the D.S.O. in 1917. Later he saw further active service with the Waziristan Force in India.
Colonel Bryden is survived by a son and a daughter.
Mr Allan Finn writes; I was at the King's School, Canterbury, with Bryden and he followed me to St.Mary's Hospital. In France in the first world war I was posted to a field ambulance which he commanded near Arras. These meetings were quite fortuitous; at school I did not know that he was going in for medicine, and certainly did not expect to meet him in France in a world war. Bryden was an excellent commander of a F.A. and a very brave man. I should know, for we were at Passchendele together. He was quiet and painstaking and never drew any attention to himself, so that I always thought that when others were noticed he was passed over. I feel that I should like to pay this small tribute to him, which others in the unit, if alive, would corroborate".

Ronald married Doris Mary Smith, daughter of E.J. Smith and Unknown, Q1 1913 in Beverley, East Riding. (Doris Mary Smith died on 11 Jan 1921 in Cambridge House, Filey.)