Lindsay Tasman Ride
Encyclopedia
Sir Lindsay Tasman Ride CBE
, Hon RAM
(Chinese:
賴廉士) (10 October 1898 – 17 October 1977), was an Australian physiologist and soldier who became the 5th Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong.
, Victoria
. He was the fifth child of Australian-born parents William Ride and Eliza Mary (née Best). His father was a pioneering Presbyterian missionary
and his mother the daughter of a stonemason.
before being awarded a scholarship to Scotch College
, Melbourne. There, he excelled in sport and won a senior government scholarship. On 14 February 1917, Ride enlisted in the AIF
. Early in 1918, he joined the 38th Battalion on the Western Front
. He was twice wounded, once seriously. Subsequently on 24 April 1919, he was 'invalided out' of the army.
. There he took an active interest in sport by participating in rifle shooting, athletics, rowing, cricket and football. He was the president of the Students' Representative Council from 1921 to 1922. Ride was elected Victorian Rhodes scholar
for 1922. At New College, Oxford
, 'Blue' Ride as he was known, became captain of boats and steward of the junior common-room. With only mediocre academic results, authorities were nevertheless impressed to the point that they rated him 'a good Rhodes Scholar' and a 'first rate fellow'.
and qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons
, as well as a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
tradition, Ride married Canadian Mary Margaret Louise Fenety at St Columba's Church, Chelsea, London
.
, England
. Ride was commissioned in the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps and was appointed a justice of the peace
. He was a keen rower and played for the Hong Kong Cricket Club. Ride became an elder in the Union Church. Possessing the voice of a baritone, he helped to found the Hong Kong Singers in 1934.
into the British colony. In 1941, Ride commanded the Hong Kong Field Ambulance. He became a prisoner in Sham Shui Po military Camp by the Japanese after Hong Kong fell on Christmas Day, 1941. On 9 January 1942, with the help of Hong Kong guerilla forces, he managed to escape to unoccupied Chungking, a feat for which he was appointed O.B.E. in 1942. While a colonel in the Indian Army, Ride formed and commanded the British Army Aid Group
, headquartered in Kweilin
, Kwangsi
. This MI9
unit provided help, medical and otherwise, to POW escapees from Hong Kong while gathering intelligence. Due to his outstanding leadership after escaping, 'The Smiling Tiger' as he was nicknamed, was elevated to C.B.E. in 1944. From 1948 to 1962, Ride served as colonel commandant of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force.
.
He was the author of 'A Monumental Survey' of the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, Hon RAM
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
(Chinese:
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
賴廉士) (10 October 1898 – 17 October 1977), was an Australian physiologist and soldier who became the 5th Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong.
Early life
Ride was born in NewsteadNewstead, Victoria
Newstead is a town in Victoria, Australia, situated along the Loddon River. It is in the Shire of Mount Alexander local government area. At the 2006 census, Newstead had a population of 487...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. He was the fifth child of Australian-born parents William Ride and Eliza Mary (née Best). His father was a pioneering Presbyterian missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and his mother the daughter of a stonemason.
Education and WWI
Ride attended three state schools in the countryVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
before being awarded a scholarship to Scotch College
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, Melbourne. There, he excelled in sport and won a senior government scholarship. On 14 February 1917, Ride enlisted in the AIF
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
. Early in 1918, he joined the 38th Battalion on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. He was twice wounded, once seriously. Subsequently on 24 April 1919, he was 'invalided out' of the army.
Medical Studies
Ride enrolled in medicine at the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. There he took an active interest in sport by participating in rifle shooting, athletics, rowing, cricket and football. He was the president of the Students' Representative Council from 1921 to 1922. Ride was elected Victorian Rhodes scholar
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
for 1922. At New College, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, 'Blue' Ride as he was known, became captain of boats and steward of the junior common-room. With only mediocre academic results, authorities were nevertheless impressed to the point that they rated him 'a good Rhodes Scholar' and a 'first rate fellow'.
Becoming a surgeon
He worked at Guy's HospitalGuy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
and qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
, as well as a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
Marriage
On 30 June 1925, in Church of ScotlandChurch of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
tradition, Ride married Canadian Mary Margaret Louise Fenety at St Columba's Church, Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
.
A Life Associated with Hong Kong
Perhaps because of his natural ability for medical research, he was appointed professor of physiology at the University of Hong Kong on 21 October 1928. There, 'Doc' Ride as he was known, investigated in the blood groups of the peoples of the Pacific. In 1938, he wrote the book "Genetics and the Clinician", published in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Ride was commissioned in the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps and was appointed a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. He was a keen rower and played for the Hong Kong Cricket Club. Ride became an elder in the Union Church. Possessing the voice of a baritone, he helped to found the Hong Kong Singers in 1934.
WWII and the Battle of Hong Kong
Ride sent his wife and children to Australia in 1938 in anticipation of a Japanese invasionBattle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:...
into the British colony. In 1941, Ride commanded the Hong Kong Field Ambulance. He became a prisoner in Sham Shui Po military Camp by the Japanese after Hong Kong fell on Christmas Day, 1941. On 9 January 1942, with the help of Hong Kong guerilla forces, he managed to escape to unoccupied Chungking, a feat for which he was appointed O.B.E. in 1942. While a colonel in the Indian Army, Ride formed and commanded the British Army Aid Group
British Army Aid Group
The British Army Aid Group was a para-military organisation for British and allied forces in Southern China during the Second World War. The BAAG was officially classified in the British Army's order of battle as a MI9 unit that was responsible for assisting prisoners of war to escape from the...
, headquartered in Kweilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...
, Kwangsi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
. This MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
unit provided help, medical and otherwise, to POW escapees from Hong Kong while gathering intelligence. Due to his outstanding leadership after escaping, 'The Smiling Tiger' as he was nicknamed, was elevated to C.B.E. in 1944. From 1948 to 1962, Ride served as colonel commandant of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force.
Life as Vice Chancellor
Ride was appointed vice-chancellor to a dilapidated, post-war University of Hong Kong in April 1949. 22 new buildings were erected and student numbers increased threefold in as little as 15 years after his appointment. He had been described as decisive, genial and authoritarian all at the same time. Ride enjoyed unwavering support among older staff but his tendencies to act like a father figure didn't endear him to those who were more recently appointed in later years.Education
- Honorary doctorates in LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
from the universities of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, MelbourneUniversity of MelbourneThe University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and Hong Kong
Singing
- Honorary member of the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, London (1962) - President and conductor of the Hong Kong Singers
- He was chairman of the Hong Kong Music Society.
Others
In 1967, Ride was a member of the 1967 commission of inquiry into the Kowloon riotsHong Kong 1966 riots
The Hong Kong 1966 Riots was a series of disturbances that took place over three nights on the streets of Kowloon, Hong Kong in the spring of 1966...
.
He was the author of 'A Monumental Survey' of the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau
The Old Protestant Cemetery , located close to the Casa Garden, was established by the British East India Company in 1821 in Macau in response to a lack of burial sites for Protestants in the Roman Catholic Portuguese colony....
.