Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Ralph Bignell Ainsworth, (20 September 1875 – 27 January 1952)Who's Who on line accessed 11 November 2015
/ref> was a British physician, surgeon, and

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer. From 1930 to 1935, he was

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the

Royal Army Medical College The Royal Army Medical College (RAMC) was located on a site south of the Tate Gallery (now known as Tate Britain) on Millbank, in Westminster, London, overlooking the River Thames. The college moved from the site in 1999 and the buildings are no ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served as Director of Medical Services of the Joint War Organization (formed by the

British Red Cross Society The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with mor ...

and the Order of St John).

Military career

Ainsworth began his military career in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. On 26 February 1900, he was appointed a surgeon in the Navy Medical Service. In 1902, he transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps,

, where he was appointed

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

''on probation'' on 1 September 1902.

Honours and decorations

On 1 January 1916, Ainsworth was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) "for distinguished service in the Field". In January 1919, he was awarded the Médaille des Epidémies (en Vermeil) by the President of the French Republic "for distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign". In the 1923

King's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...

, Ainsworth was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In June 1934, he was appointed an Officer of the

Venerable Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British British monarchy ...

(OStJ). In the 1935 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in recognition of his service as

of the

. In December 1941, he was promoted to Commander of the Venerable Order of St John (CStJ). In the 1946

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

, Ainsworth was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

(Kt) in recognition of his role as Director of Medical Services of the Joint War Organization. On 12 March 1946, he was knighted by King George VI during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. On 23 December 1946, he was promoted to Knight of the Venerable Order of St John (KStJ).

Personal life

He married Florence, only daughter of the late Imre Kiralf of Washington Square, New York, and they had two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ainsworth, Ralph 1875 births 1952 deaths 20th-century British medical doctors British surgeons Royal Army Medical Corps officers Knights of the Order of St John Knights Bachelor Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Navy Medical Service officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath British Army major generals British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century surgeons