Ronald Sowdon was born in Warwickshire on 22 May 1900, the son of Henry Lucy Sowdon and Catherine Edith Sowdon (née Etches). He joined the Royal Navy in 1913 and served in the Battlecruiser HMAS AUSTRALIA from July 1917 until July 1918.

After time in the Destroyer HMS WESSEX, he joined submarines in April 1921 and was appointed to K6 in May 1922, Sowden then served as First Lieutenant of H47 (January 1923), followed by L11 (November 1925).

He successfully completed his Commanding Officers’ Qualifying Course in October 1926 and took command of HMS H32 in February 1927. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in April 1928. After time in the Battleship HMS MALAYA, he was loaned to the RAN from May 1931 to May 1933.

In July 1939, he was appointed as First Lieutenant of the destroyer HMS DUNEDIN. In June 1941 he was the boarding officer in charge of capturing the German ship LOTHRINGEN, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches. On 24 November 1941, DUNEDIN was torpedoed by U-124 and sank about 900 miles west of Freetown. Sowdon did not survive.

He was the husband of Edith Monica Sowdon (née Symonds). He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval War Memorial Panel No. 45 Column No. 1