Ronald Hugh Paul Larter was born on Saturday the 8th of February 1919 in Colchester the youngest of 14 children, not all of whom survived infancy. His father was Percy Pembroke Larter a bespoke tailor.

During WW2 he joined the Royal Army Service Corp as a driver, was captured and held as a POW for five and a half years in camp STALAG VIIIB at Teschen which is now in Poland. He managed to escape from the prison camp on more than one occasion, but was recaptured. Photographs of the camp can be seen here. Having learnt German in the camp he was for some time at the end of the war a translator with the American Army of Occupation assisting with the release of allied troops from the Nazis.

After the war he took over as head of Marlborough College Liverpool and supervised its move to Hayman’s Green West Derby from its previous location in Marlborough Road Tuebrook. In 1948 he married Enid Roberts, the school secretary and sister of Mr Eliot H Roberts the previous headmaster, and subsequently had four children with her; Richard in 1950, Michael in 1953, Philip in 1955 and Stella in 1959. Enid Larter died in 1991. The school remained in Haymans Green until it closed in the mid 60s although it was badly damaged by fire in 1962.

When Marlborough closed he became headmaster of Galtres Preparatory School in Bebington Wirral, then later head of a school called Barwick where he met and later married June Fildes who was working there as a teacher. They remained together for the rest of his life and had three children together; Ilystia in 1968, Ronald in 1970 and Isobella in 1972. 

In 1977 he took over as proprietor and headmaster of Ellingham Hall School Northumberland and remained so until 1985. After the school closed the building remained unused for some years but has now been re-developed as a luxury hotel and function venue.

After Ellingham June took over Stonely Grange in Cambridgeshire (a private mixed day and boarding school) which she ran with him until 1993 when they retired to Suffolk to be near his son Philip.

After a long illness he died peacefully in  Ipswich on the 4th of March 2005 age 86, with June, ilystia, Ronald, Bella and Philip by his side