Ronald Scott Sugden (25 May 1896 – 26 March 1971) was an English first-class cricketer and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

officer. He initially served in the

Royal Navy during the First World War The Royal Navy had three main tasks at the beginning of the war: to bring the British Expeditionary Force to France and ensure its supplies and reinforcements; to establish and maintain a blockade against Germany; and to ensure the security of ...

, 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 (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

. With the merger of the Royal Naval Air Service into the newly formed

in April 1918, Sugden was transferred into the newly founded service. He won the Air Force Cross in the latter stages of the war, and later played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

for the

Royal Air Force cricket team The Royal Air Force cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Royal Air Force. The team played 11 first-class matches: nine between 1922 and 1932, mostly against other branches of the Services, and another two in 1945 and 1946. Thei ...

. He served during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and, following his retirement, 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 w ...

in 1957.

Life and military career

Sugden served in the

, holding the rank of sub-lieutenant in September 1916. By December 1916, he was serving in the

as a flight lieutenant. Holding the rank of

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

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 Janu ...

. He was demobilised in September 1920, at which point he was serving with the

as a flight lieutenant. He was restored to service in July 1921. He later made his debut in

for the

against the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

at Chatham in 1929. He made a second first-class appearance in 1930 against the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

The Oval The Oval, currently named for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club sinc ...

. He held the rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

prior to the start of the

, during which he was promoted to the rank of

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

in March 1940. He was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...

in January 1945. He was made a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1945 Birthday Honours. 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 Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton Cricketers from Merseyside Royal Navy captains Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force group captains 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 20th-century English sportsmen