While his obituary listed Singapore as his place of birth, a report of his U.S. citizenship application stated that Corday was born in Lucknow, India.

Shortly thereafter, Corday joined the Royal Marine Corps and then the Scots Guards, for whom he fought in the Second Boer War in South Africa.

[4] In these stories, Grimm portrayed Corday as both a prolific artist and notorious alcoholic who would sell off entire sets of tattoo flash before going on a drinking binge.

The Japanese-influenced style of Corday's designs, known for fine line work and subtle shading integrated with Western elements, was shared by contemporaries like George Burchett.

[4] Ben Corday's abundant flash, much of which he sold to tattooer Percy Waters, is widely circulated and continues to influence tattoo design.