Sgt. Ronald Jolly. DFM. Royal Air Force, 144 Squadron. (d.13th June 1940)
Sergeant Ronald Jolly DFM ,was awireless operator/ air gunner, 144 Sqdn., Royal Air Force who died aged 23 on 13th of June 1940.
He was the son of William Herbert Jolly and Emily Jolly, husband of
Doris Mary Jolly, Remembered with honour.
At his funeral, Emily Jolly, nee Biltcliffe, said that her son was not in the coffin because it was so light for the pallbearers to carry. She was right. Ron's greatest fear was colliding with barrage balloon cables, that is what occurred on return from a night mission. The aircraft caught fire and crashed, and the only way to recognise the bodies was by dental records.
Ron left behind a new wife, Doris May, nee Cocks, expecting their first child.
Records about Ron are scarce:
A newspaper marriage notice: The marriage took place at All Saints' Parish Church, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Ronald, younger son of Mr & Mrs W H Jolly of The Old Quarry, Houndhill Lane, Purston, Yorkshire, to Doris May, only daughter of Mr & Mrs F Cocks of 28 Arthur Road, Gainsborough.
It reported "Police Families United". The bridegroom, who is a well known Purston young man, is at present on active service with the RAF as a leading aircraftman wireless operator and gunner. Both the bride's father and the bridegroom's father were retired police sergeants, and on the outbreak of war resumed their service. Mrs Violet Jolly (sister-in-law of the bridegroom) was the matron of honour and the best man was Mr J I Jolly (brother of the bridegroom). Mr Jolly had been in the RAF for 4 1/2 years.
"Purston Man Arrested After Parachuting", reported a Yorkshire newspaper: "Corporal Ronald Jolly, in the RAF for nearly 5 years, a wireless operator and air gunner, met with an unusual adventure on the Franco-Belgian frontier in recent days. He was of a crew of 3 in a bomber which after completing its task, was caught by enemy fire. The crew parachuted out and as the pilot descended in a wood he was promptly held up by a French soldier with a revolver. Cpl Jolly fell through a greenhouse, but suffered only minor injuries. They were taken to the headquarters of the French army unit, but were immediately released when their plight was understood. Cpl Jolly, who was educated at The Academy, Wakefield, was a server for a number of years at the Purston Parish Church, and was formerly employed in the fruit department of the Pontefract Industrial Co-operative Society. He has won a number of Army trophies for swimming. His father was for over 7 years in charge of the Purston section of the West Riding Constabulary, and his mother is a voluntary worker at the First-Aid post in Featherstone.
"So Few", the 'immortal record of the Royal Air Force' by Donald Masters wrote in a chapter titled "Happy Landings" In a bomber flying in circles having lost rudder control, and to all intents and purposes was unmanageable, among heroics by others, Cpl Ronald Jolly, the wireless operator turned his gun from time to time on the searchlights and had the satisfaction of shooting one out. He worked calmly at the wireless, to obtain fixes to enable the navigator to give his pilot his course. The erratic aircraft was under 1000 feet and the order was given to bale out. "Cpl Jolly was getting a fix from Le Bourget and did not receive the order as he was not on the intercommunication system. When he got through to the captain again he heard his voice saying "have you jumped?" Quickly destroying the aircraft papers and leaving the transmitter key switched on, Cpl Jolly baled out at low altitude, and while floating down to safety, he saw the bomber fall out of control and burst into flames. Cpl Jolly landed on a steep slope, which happened to be the roof of as house, down which he slid. The lines of the parachute were entangled somewhere above and as he tried to make his way forward he felt something give and break with every step he took. Floundering along in the dark he could not understand where he was or what was happening and at length came to the conclusion that he was walking on ice. Not until he fell a few feet did he realise that he had walked the whole length of a greenhouse!" He walked into the village where he was thought to be, and shouted at as a "Boche" and the villages bolted for their lives. Three of the crew eventually met as prisoners, later identified and released "to be lavishly entertained with wine, when it was food they needed. They will not soon forget the French General kissing them on both cheeks as he bade them adieu before they drove off in a British staff car" and the next day were returned to base.
When His Majesty the King was decorating the 3 men for their coolness and courage at their base somewhere in England, he listened keenly to the descriptions of what had happened, and Cpl Jolly's account of how he stumbled along the roof of a greenhouse in the dark, thinking it was ice breaking under his feet, was so funny that the King could not help laughing. "Too bad to laugh at them after what they have been through," he said, and continued chuckling as he moved on.
On 13th of June 1940 he and his crew were flying Handley Page Hampden Mk1, P4345, at 0235 the aircraft hit a barrage balloon cable over the Marriages Flour Mill, Felixstowe. The cable cut off one wing and the aircraft crashed into the mill killing all 4 crew. They are buried together at St Chad's churchyard, Harpswell, Lincolnshire.
One person on the ground, Mr D Grayling, was also killed.
The internet "Traces of World War 2 - RAF No. 144 Squadron" relates to the flying of Handley Page Hampden bombers from Hemswell, Lincolnshire, attacking German positions on the coast. 0n 12/13 June 1940 "Cpl Jolly, promoted to Sergeant and awarded the DFM was destined to be killed on operations". Wikipedia details the Handley Page HP.52 Hampden and its inadequacies.
Ron's grave is at Harpswell (St Chad) Churchyard, Lincolnshire, commemorated in perpetuity by the Commonwealth Was Graves Commission. His name is recorded in the Remembrance Book at Lincoln Cathedral.
Jim Jolly
