James Henry Aloysius Ryan (15 September 1892 – 25 September 1915) was an English soldier and cricketer who played for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1914. Ryan served as an officer in the British Army and was killed in action on the Western Front during World War I.
Early life Born at Roade in Northamptonshire, Ryan was educated at Downside School,Jeater D (2020) County Cricket: Sundry Extras (second edition), p. 143. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 21 December 2020.) where he was considered a "good athlete", captaining the cricket XI and playing in school the association football and field hockey teams,McCrery N (2015) Final Wicket: Test and First Class Cricketers Killed in the Great War. Pen and Sword. (Available online at Google Books. Retrieved 5 November 2025) and at Wimbledon College.War Record Biographies, Wimbledon College. Retrieved 5 November 2025. His father, Walter Ryan, was a surgeon who had played cricket for Northants in the 1880s and 90s before the team had first-class status.Radd A 'Roses in bloom cut down...', Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
Military career After leaving school, Ryan attended Royal Military College SandhurstJames Ryan, CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 November 2025. before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st battalion King's Liverpool Regiment in February 1912.Hart's Annual Army List for 1913, p. 316. London: John Murray. (Available online at National Library of Scotland, Retrieved 9 November 2025.) He served initially at Fermoy Barracks in County Cork,Hart's Annual Army List for 1913, p. 315. London: John Murray. (Available online at National Library of Scotland, Retrieved 9 November 2025.) before returning to England where the battalion was stationed at Aldershot.Hart's Annual Army List for 1914, p. 315. London: John Murray. (Available online at National Library of Scotland, Retrieved 9 November 2025.) He was promoted to lieutenant at the beginning of August 1914, soon after the start of World War I.The Quarterly Army List for the quarter ending 30 June 1915, p. 1367a. London: JJ Keliher. ( Available online at National Library of Scotland, Retrieved 9 November 2025.)
Ryan's battalion embarked for France later in August, and he served on the Western Front throughout 1914 and 1915. He was awarded the Military Cross in January 1915 and was mentioned in dispatches in February after being promoted to captain. He was killed in action leading his men in an attack on Hill 70 at Loos-en-Gohelle in September 1915, aged 23. He is buried at Cambrin Military Cemetery.London Gazette 18 February 1915.Jones M (2014) Cricketers who died in World War 1 — Part 5 of 5, CricketCountry, 10 August 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2025.James Henry Aloysius Ryan, Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
Cricket career Ryan appeared in nine first-class matches as a right-arm bowler who Wisden described as "very useful".Captain James HA Ryan, Obituaries in 1915, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1916. (Available online at CricInfo. Retrieved 5 November 2025. He made his senior debut for Northants in 1911, and in his nine matches scored 119 runs with a highest score of 41, and took four wickets with a best performance of two for 51. As well as eight matches for Northants, Ryan played once for Ireland whilst serving there in 1912 against the touring South Africans. He played cricket, football, and hockey whilst in the Army, including cricket for Sandhurst and Aldershot Command.
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