[1] His grandfather, William Gidney, was killed at the Siege of Lucknow in 1857 but his family decided to stay in India.
[2] He was born in Igatpuri in India on 9 June 1873[3] the son of John Gidney, an Irish engine driver for the GIPR, and his Indian wife Margaret David.
He remained at Oxford as a Research Fellow, lecturing in ophthalmology,[3] and his surgical skill in this field gained a great reputation.
He was Mentioned in Dispatches by his senior officer for his actions, also being promoted from lieutenant to captain in the same year.
The Gidney House of The Frank Anthony Public School, Delhi and Bangalore is named after him.