Ronald was born in Bradford, England in 1899 and came to Canada in 1927. He served with the British Imperial Army in the West York regiment during World War I. At some point he married, had three sons and was widowed. In 1942 he married Mildred Dougan and in 1948 they moved to Lake Cowichan, British Columbia, Canada. He was employed as a logger until his retirement in 1963.

Ronald wrote a book titled "On To Ottawa" during the depression years. The book dealt with unemployment, the fights for jobs during the depression and the conditions in the relief camps.

Ronald died on May 1, 1974