Ronald Tudor Symond MC was born in Liverpool, England in December 1895, the second son of a solicitor Elwy Davies Symond, and died at the age of 51 of a heart attack in London in February 1947. He is notable for his membership of the avant-garde, modernist, literary and artistic circles of the Left Bank of Paris in the 1930s. Early life Symond spent his youth in Sefton Park, Liverpool, and attended Liverpool College, where he was captain of the First Eleven cricket team in July 1913. "Has made a popular and energetic captain. A really good bat, with splendid style, and plenty of scoring strokes. Has bowled well on occasions, and is a brilliant fielder in any position. Should lead the College to great victories next season" This laid the foundation for a lifelong interest in cricket. Military record At the age of 19, in 1915, Symond enlisted and served in the Infantry for three years in Northern France, on the Western Front, during World War I. He attained the rank of Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion of the Liverpool Regiment, and was awarded the Military Cross in April 1918. "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led a bombing attack with the utmost determination, and after a fight lasting for four hours, ejected the enemy from the trenches. He showed great courage and determination." At that time 'a bombing attack' meant an attack using hand grenades. He was then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, which became the Royal Air Force in August 1918, and undertook training in England, returning to France as the war was ending. He resigned his commission in 1921. Symond's elder brother Stuart was seconded to the Machine Gun Corps and his younger brother John to the Tank Corps. Both brothers survived the war but John was wounded after one week at the front and served in Britain until 1921. On 26 February 1940 Ronald Symond enlisted again (in World War II). He was transferred to the Intelligence Corps on 15 July 1940 and attained the rank of Captain. He served until 1945. The Intelligence Corps was formally reconstructed in July 1940, having been disbanded after World War I. Literary critic and translator Ronald Symond resided in both France and England between 1919 and 1939, becoming bilingual, and was a minor figure among the expatriate writers living in Paris in that period. He