Background
Ranking was born at Holborn, London, the son of Doctor R. M. Ranking.
Ranking was born at Holborn, London, the son of Doctor R. M. Ranking.
He was educated at Cheltenham College where he was cox of the Cheltenham boat and at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
In 1931 he was cox of the winning Cambridge boat in the Boat Race. He coxed the winning Cambridge boat in the Boat Race again in 1932. They were subsequently chosen to represent Great Britain at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where they came fourth in the eights.
Ranking took his Bachelor of Arts in the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1932 and completed his medical training at Street Thomas"s Hospital.
He qualified by taking the London Conjoint diploma in 1936 and in the following year he obtained the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery In 1938 was admitted a Membership of the Royal College of Physicians. After qualifying, he held a number of house appointments at Saint Thomas"s Hospital, and was also house-physician at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children.
During the Second World War Ranking served in the Royal Army Medical Corps, with the rank of temporary major. In 1948 Ranking became a consultant in general medicine at the Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells and retained the post until his death.
His expertise and skill was often publicly acknowledged.
In 1946 Ranking married Mission Patricia McLeod.
He maintained his interest in rowing and was a member of the Leander Club till his death.
