Ronald Alfred Harper was born at Manildra, New South Wales on 20 January 1920 to Alfred and Gladys Marion Harper.

Harper enlisted in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force on 3 July 1940. He joined the 2/29th Australian Infantry Battalion on 30 November 1941 and served with this unit in Malaya until February of 1942.

On 15 February 1942 he became a prisoner of war of the Japanese after the fall of Singapore, initially at Changi Camp where he was a part of the incident at Selarang Barracks. Harper left Changi 5 May 1943 as a part of H Force to work on the Burma-Thailand Railway.

Ronald Alfred Harper, aged 23, died in Thailand of illness on 28 June 1943. He is buried at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand.
Harper had a brother, Fred (NX6721 Frederick Arthur Harper), who also served in the Second World War.