MAJOR, THE HON.R.N.D.RYDER

Location address: North wall of the Chancel in All Saints Church, Church Lane, Sandon, Staffordshire, ST18 0DB

Details on cross:

IN (on top of shaft)

LOVING (LH top brace)

MEMORY (RH top brace)

OF (on top of shaft)

MAJOR, THE HON.R.N.D.RYDER (on cross beam)

8th  (K.R.I.) (LH bottom brace)

HUSSARS  (RH bottom brace)

KILLED (in italics on base of shaft)

IN  (ditto)

ACTION  (ditto)

NOV 30  (ditto)

1917  (ditto)

Text type: hand painted and small alloy GRU tag at top reads 18

Cross dimensions

Shaft Height: 1050mm

Cross beam width: 620mm

Width of wood: 80mm

Thickness or depth:  35mm

Other information

Mounting to wall:

Hanging from mirror plate on top of shaft screwed and plugged to wall

Detailing:

Evidence of use in field: staining at base of shaft and signs of rotting wood

Surface insertion depth: 280mm

Finish: stained wood probably originally varnished of which little remains

Condition: woodwork appears to be sound.

Notes and observations 

Major the Hon. Robert Nathaniel Dudley Ryder born 7th December 1882, the youngest son of Henry 4th Earl of Harrowby and Susan Juliana Maria Dent Countess of Harrowby.  He was born in South Kensington, London but Sandon Hall close to the church has been the seat of the Earls of Harrowby since 1776.  Major Ryder went direct from Harrow to join the 4th North Staffordshire Militia in the South African War and received his Commission in the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars in 1900.  He was killed instantaneously by a sniper while holding up an enemy attack just after the Germans had broken through at Gouzeaucourt on 30th November 1917 age 34.  He is buried in Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery Extension.

Survey and Photographs courtesy of Richard Roberts

Date of survey: 13/08/17