We are very sad to report that Ralph Harding, who made a huge contribution to Wiltshire tennis over more than sixty years, died on October 15th at the age of ninety-nine. He will be remembered with great affection by all who knew him and who benefited from all the work he did for county tennis and for the clubs, especially Aldbourne and Devizes, with which he was associated.
Ralph was born in Devizes on September 9, 1926, the youngest of three brothers and two sisters. He grew up on the family farm in Marston and in 1931 was sent to Allhallows school in Honiton. At the age of thirteen, when the war came, he was pulled out of school to help on the farm so he did not finish his education. He was too young to join the army – something he always regretted – but he joined the Home Guard in Chisledon. He bought his first motor bike, an ex-army one.
From school onwards sport, mainly hockey and tennis, played a large part in Ralph’s life. He started playing hockey for Devizes in 1945 and also played in the Wiltshire county team; he was captain of the Devizes team between 1955 and1958. Together with his brothers Percy and John (and the writer of this obituary), he later played hockey for Marlborough. He also played regularly for the Moonrakers, a Wiltshire team which competed in many hockey festivals.
In 1949 he met the love of his life, Pauline Doel, at the Devizes Tennis Club. They married in in 1953 and they moved into his parents’ home in Marston. They had two sons and two daughters. His wife died in 2023, the year in which they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
In 1960 they moved to Liddington Warren Farm, near Swindon, and Ralph continued to farm there until 1991.He was chairman of the Aldbourne tennis club from 1974 to 1988 and the driving force behind its development. He guided the club from when it had two grass courts and a leaky shack to where it is today, with two floodlit courts, a pavilion and about a hundred members.
Ralph moved to Devizes in 1991. He began doing voluntary work at Roundway Mental Hospital and later at the Devizes Community Hospital.
Throughout this period and for the rest of his life Ralph was a dedicated and energetic supporter of tennis at the club and county level. He was chairman of the Swindon and District League Tennis and administrator of the Wiltshire County National League. He received a number of awards for his work in tennis and for his other activities. They included: the Devizes town council service to people award, the People of Wiltshire award, and the LTA Meritorious Service award. In 2006, at the age of 80, he was awarded the 15 years of NHS Voluntary Work Certificate. He intended to retire from voluntary work but was persuaded to carry on with reduced hours.
Ralph retained a lively interest in tennis until the very last months of his life. As Liz Bissett, our county secretary, found when she escorted him to various events, he was always curious about what was going on and keen to talk about how Wiltshire tennis had evolved over the years. We were delighted to see him in Marlborough earlier this year when he attended the celebration tea to mark the centenary of the Wiltshire LTA.
Ralph at the Centenary celebrations
All of us in Wiltshire tennis are immensely grateful to Ralph for all he did for county tennis. We will remember his enthusiasm for the game, his warm personality and his unfailing support for other players.
Geoffrey Owen
President, Wiltshire LTA