Ronald Scott Sugden (25 May 1896 – 26 March 1971) was an English first-class cricketer and Royal Air Force officer. Sugden initially served in the Royal Navy during the First World War, transferring in 1916 to the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

. With the merger of the Royal Naval Air Service into the newly formed Royal Air Force in April 1918, he was transferred to the newly founded service. He won the Air Force Cross in the latter stages of the war, and later played first-class cricket for the Royal Air Force cricket team. He served during the Second World War and following his retirement he served as the

High Sheriff of Glamorgan This page is a list of High Sheriffs of Glamorgan. Sheriffs of Glamorgan served under and were answerable to the independent Lords of Glamorgan until that lordship was merged into the crown. This is in contrast to sheriffs of the English shires wh ...

in 1957.

Life and military career

Sugden served in the Royal Navy during the First World War, holding the rank of

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in September 1916. By December 1916, he was serving in the

as a

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

. Holding the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

by December 1918, Sugden was awarded the Air Force Cross in the

1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Jan ...

. He was demobilised in September 1920, at which point he was serving with the Royal Air Force as a

. He was restored to service in July 1921. He later made his debut in first-class cricket for the Royal Air Force cricket team against the Royal Navy at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

in 1929. He made a second first-class appearance in 1930 against the Army at The Oval. He held the rank of wing commander prior to the start of the Second World War, during which he was promoted to the rank of

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

in March 1940. He was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

in January 1945. He was made a CBE in the

1945 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1945, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 14 June 1945 for the United Kingdom and British Empire.United Kingdom and British Empire: The recipients of honours are displayed here as th ...

. He retired from active service in June 1946, retaining the rank of group captain. He was nominated for the ceremonial role of

in 1955, though ultimately it went to Charles Reginald Wheeler. He was again nominated in November 1955, but was again unsuccessful. He was successfully nominated in November 1956, serving as High Sheriff of Glamorgan for 1957. He died in March 1971 at Dinas Powys, Glamorgan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sugden, Ronald 1896 births 1971 deaths People from Aintree Royal Navy officers Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) English cricketers Royal Air Force cricketers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire High Sheriffs of Glamorgan Military personnel from Liverpool