Raymond Ruddick  :  A Tribute

The Friends of the Royal London Hospital would like to record their gratitude to the family of Mr. Raymond Ruddick for a most generous donation.

Mr. Ruddick died recently aged 99. He had a very long and happy association with the Hospital and Medical School. His daughters, Carole and Angela, write that Sir Henry Osmond Clarke, who was his Wing Commander when in the RAF, suggested he apply for a course in medical photography and then apply to the London Hospital. Soon after he joined The London his talent for medical photography was obvious and he quickly became chief medical photographer. He then worked closely with all the distinguished members of the London Hospital staff of the day. Elsewhere he received a gold medal for his film on the muscle function of the fingers and he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

After retirement from the hospital, he was appointed to the Medical College. There he worked in the department of forensic medicine with Professor ‘Taffy’ Cameron and Dr Bernard Sims. The department had an international reputation. Taffy was not only a famous pathologist, who performed the post mortem on Rudolf Hess, but also a leading campaigner in the fight against doping in world sport. Bernard is universally regarded as the father of forensic odontology in the UK. Mr. Ruddick travelled with them to record their material. Carole and Angela recall that the secrecy necessary for their high-profile cases sometimes required unorthodox methods, like getting sensitive forensic material through customs in boxes marked ‘Mars Bars’.

Mr. Ruddick pioneered innovative practice including the use of reflective ultraviolet light to show otherwise invisible marks. This technique was employed to reveal important evidence in the Australian ‘Dingo Baby’ case for which he was an expert witness. Raymond was highly regarded by his colleagues and his staff, some of whom kept in contact with him throughout his retirement. Privately he was a conscientious and deep-thinking man, who found solace from the anxieties generated by some of his work in his lifelong passion for the piano. He continued to play from early childhood until two days before he died.

Prof Trevor Beedham - President, Friends of the Royal London Hospital