After an education at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Tidy rose to the rank of lieutenant of the 8th King's Regiment. Serving at Meerut, India in the 1880s, he once observed Robert Baden-Powell, the adjutant of the 13th Hussars, to be an excellent mimic and a leadership example. Tidy left the military as it was indicated he 'found the financial pace too hot, and abandoned the profession of Blood, after a while'. Close friend Scottish-Australian poet and bush balladeer Will H. Ogilvie on the other hand indicated it was because Tidy 'could not ride!'
Australia
From military life, Tidy went to sea, arriving in Australia and took up jackarooing. It was at Maaoupe station, near Penola, South Australia, and later at Nelungaloo station, near Parkes, New South Wales, that he served as tutor to the children of the station managers and owners. Tidy met his life-long friend Ogilvie at Maaoupe, and together with Ogilvie, they formed a friendship with Harry 'Breaker' Morant at Nelungaloo. He would later write Morant's obituary following the Second Anglo-Boer War court-marshal. Trout fishing was one interest of Tidy, and likely contributed to his penning of two later books.
Journalism
Tidy moved from station life to editor of Parkes' Western Champion newspaper. He was a contributor to The Bulletin, and also wrote under the pen name 'Mousquetaire'. More than once, Ogilvie and Morant would be up late with Tidy helping produce the Monday edition of the Champion.
Religious minister
Finishing with Condobolin's newspaper, the Argus, following in the calling of his grandfather, in January 1898 Tidy became a catechist with the Church of England in the Nymagee district. Tidy administered with noted scholastic sermons both in Australia and England, whilst also temporarily converting to the Catholic Church.
1911 – Received into the Catholic Church, at Saint Stanislaus' College, Bathurst, before going to the Saint Columbus College, Springwood. After travelling to Rome, identifying it was going to take five years to qualify as a priest, and being 54-years-of-age, Tidy reviewed his situation;
Tidy died on 30 April 1953, Pontesbury, Shropshire, aged 91, as the last surviving son of his parents. He is buried in nearby Saint Lucia churchyard, Upton Magna.
Works
Poems
Some of Tidy's known poems include:
'Tennyson's life'. More than once Tidy made reference to the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
'Fair girls and horses', a response to close friend Ogilvie's just-released 'Fair girls and horses' inaugural anthology.
'A bush ballad'.
'Mafeking'.
'Four friends', referring to fellow Australian poets Gordon, Ogilvie, Lawson, and Paterson. The poem was published under Tidy's pen name 'Mousquetaire' in The Bulletin, 14 June 1902.
'Across the black soil plains'. The poem was based on George Washington Lambert's painting 'Across the black soil plains' of a horse team dragging a laden wool-waggon. His words have been compared to but not as powerful as Ogilvie's 'How the Fire Queen crossed the swamp'. The poem was published under Tidy's pen name 'Mousquetaire' in The Bulletin, 30 October 1902.
'Horace in Australia'.
'From an old inhabitant', relating to the Forbes District.
'A rhyme of good advice', a response to Ogilvie's new anthology Galloping shoes.
Books
Surtees on fishing, 63 pages, limited edition of 500 copies, published by Constable & Co. Limited, London. Relates to sports writer Robert Smith Surtees.
A little about Leech, a monograph on sporting artist and caricaturist John Leech.
Contributions
Prefatory note to the first illustrated version of Cardinal Newman's The Dream of Gerontius.
