Sidney William Ruttenau was born in 1882 Chorlton. His father, William Ruttenau, owned W. Ruttenau & Co, a leather merchant and manufacturer at the Good Hope Mill in Ashton-under-Lyne. In 1901 he was living with his mother, Helen Ruttenau, father and sister, Amy Helene, and three servants in Withington. He was educated at Manchester University and while there was a cadet in the Officer Training Corps. The business flourished and by 1911 Sidney had joined his father as a partner working there and lived with his parents and five servants in a large house in Fallowfield.
Shortly after the outbreak of war he was appointed as a Second Lieutenant in the 9th Battalion Manchester Regiment (Territorial Force), along with 10 others, on October 12, 1914. He joined the 2/9th in training at Southport before moving with them to Haywards Heath and Pease Pottage. 2/Lt. Sydney William Ruttenau was one of the 5 Officers (and 222 men) who traveled to Gallipoli in July 1915, joining the Battalion at Cape Helles on July 23rd.
Assigned as a platoon commander in C Company, he fought in the Battle of Krithia Vineyard and emerged unscathed despite being grazed by bullets twice. Already unwell, on August 20th he was sent sick to hospital in Alexandria and 45 days later was evacuated to the UK. He rejoined the Battalion in Egypt in March 1916 and on June 1st was promoted to Lieutenant.
He sailed with the Battalion to France, arriving March 11, 1917 and on March 27 attended a 5-day course of instruction. He left for leave in the UK on April 19th returning 13 days later. On May 24 he left to attend a two week school of instruction on Lewis Guns at Etaples and on July 29 left to attend a Musketry course. He enjoyed another two weeks of home leave in January 1918 and upon his return immediately attended another course of instruction. He was posted to the 1/6th Battalion Manachester Regiment on February 16, 1918 and was struck off the strength of the Battalion.
After the war, in October 1919 he changed his name by deed poll to Sidney William Radnor and in January 1924 dissolved W. Ruttenau & Co with his father and an outside partner, perhaps due to the ill health of his father who died the following year. He continued to work as a leather manufacturer and traveled extensively for business.
Lt. Sidney William Radnor died in Didsbury on November 13, 1949. He was 67 years old.