Alfred Ryder (Royal Navy officer)
China Station Portsmouth Command | |
---|---|
Battles/wars | Crimean War |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Ryder became commanding officer of the frigate
Early career
Born the son of the Rt Rev Henry Ryder, Bishop of Lichfield and Sophia Ryder (née Phillipps), Ryder joined the Royal Navy in May 1833.[1] After passing his exams at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth in July 1839, he was promoted to lieutenant on 2 July 1841 and was appointed to the fifth-rate HMS Belvidera in the Mediterranean Fleet.[2] Promoted to commander on 26 May 1847, he became commanding officer of the steam sloop HMS Vixen on the North America and West Indies Station.[2] In that capacity, he first undertook the role of transporting Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela, the Portuguese ambassador, back home to Lisbon and then delivering the Percy Doyle, the British ambassador to the Republic of Mexico, to Mexico City. In 1948 he led a naval brigade dispatched to Nicaragua to deal with the unlawful detention of two British subjects. He pursued the Nicaraguan commander, a Colonel Salas, for 30 miles up the San Juan River and captured the fort at Serapique.[2]
Promoted to
Ryder went on to be commanding officer of the second-rate
Senior command
Promoted to
Promoted to
Ryder retired in 1882 and became a trustee of the Church of England Purity Society, an organisation founded by
Ryder was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 24 May 1884[11] and was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 29 April 1885.[12] He suffered from depression and died on 30 April 1888 at age 67 after falling into the River Thames at the Vauxhall steamboat pier.[4] The coroner recorded an accidental death although his medical history suggests it may have been suicide.[4] He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church at Hambleden in Buckinghamshire:[13] there is a stained glass window to his memory in St Ann's Church in Portsmouth.[14]
Family
In June 1852 Ryder married Louisa Dawson; they had one son.[15]
See also
- O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). John Murray – via Wikisource. . .
References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24393. Retrieved 30 December 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c Heathcote, p. 223
- ^ a b c d e f Heathcote, p. 224
- ^ a b c d e "Admiral Sir Alfred Ryder KCB". Ryder Archives. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ "No. 22122". The London Gazette. 3 April 1858. p. 1736.
- ^ "No. 23094". The London Gazette. 3 April 1866. p. 2190.
- ^ "No. 23857". The London Gazette. 14 May 1872. p. 2305.
- ^ "No. 24497". The London Gazette. 24 August 1877. p. 4957.
- ^ "No. 25025". The London Gazette. 11 October 1881. p. 5041.
- ^ Prettejohn, p. 228
- ^ "No. 25358". The London Gazette. 24 May 1884. p. 2331.
- ^ "No. 25466". The London Gazette. 1 May 1885. p. 1984.
- ^ "Sir Alfred Phillips Ryder". Find-a-grave. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ "St Ann's Church – Admiral Alfred P Ryder". Memorials in Portsmouth. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ "The late Admiral Phillips Ryder" (PDF). Illustrated London News. 12 May 1888. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
Sources
- Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
- ISBN 0-7190-5406-0.
Further reading
- Ryder, Sir Alfred (1852). A treatise on economy of fuel: showing how it may be attained on board men-of-war steamers. M. Taylor. OL 6599261M.
- Ryder, Sir Alfred (1858). Methods of ascertaining the distance from ships at sea.
- Ryder, Sir Alfred (1863). Heads of enquiry into the state and condition of lighthouses.
- Ryder, Sir Alfred (1888). A Paper on the purity and the Prevention of the Degradation of Women and Children. Church of England Purity Society.
External links
- The Dreadnought Project: Alfred Ryder
- William Loney Career History