Arnold Ridley
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Arnold Ridley OBE |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
William Arnold Ridley 7 January 1896 Walcot, Bath, Somerset, England |
| Died | 12 March 1984 (aged 88) Hillingdon, London, England |
| Cause of death | Fall |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright |
| Years active | 1923–84 |
| Spouse(s) | Althea Parker (m. 1945) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Daisy Ridley (grandniece) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | |
William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, first notable as the author of the play The Ghost Train and later in life for portraying the elderly Private Godfrey in the British sitcom Dad's Army (1968–1977).
William Arnold Ridley was born in Walcot, Bath, Somerset, England, the son of Rosa Caroline Morrish (1870-1956) and William Robert Ridley (1871-1931). His father was a gymnastics instructor and ran a boot and shoe shop. He attended the Clarendon School and the Bath City Secondary School where he was a keen sportsman. A graduate of the University of Bristol, he studied at the Education Department, and played Hamlet in a student production. Ridley undertook teaching practice at an Elementary School in Bristol.
Ridley was a student teacher and had made his theatrical debut in Prunella at the Theatre Royal, Bristol, when he volunteered for British Army service in August 1914, upon the outbreak of the First World War. He was rejected due to a toe injury, but in 1915 was able to enlist as a private in the Somerset Light Infantry. He saw active service in the war, sustaining several serious injuries: his left hand was left virtually useless by injuries sustained on the Somme; his legs were riddled with shrapnel; he was bayonetted in the groin; and the legacy of a blow to the head by a German soldier's rifle butt left him prone to blackouts. He was medically discharged from the army with the rank of captain.
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