Ronald (Ronnie) Semley
* 16/5/1928 - †1/10/2002
Former Wartime Boy Soldier - RAOC Warrant Officer (RSM)

27/2/09 - Ronnie Semley (Ronalds son) wrote:

Ronald (Ronnie) Semley was born on May 16 1928 above a baker's shop in Barnsley, South Yorks. His mother Mary died when he was just six months old. His father Horace married again, to Blanche, when he was five. Up to the age of five Ronnie's Auntie Rosie and Uncle Walter helped to raise him. Ronnie was 11 at the outbreak of war in 1939 and by then had gained a scholarship to Barnsley Grammar. He had also gained a younger brother Tony (Anthony) Semley, born the same year. After a successful few years at Barnsley Grammar, Ronnie left and joined the RAOC Junior Leaders in 1943 where he remained for two years, until his 17th birthday on May 16 1945, just 8 days after the end of the War. Although he obviously wasn't called up to fight in the war, he did go on to join the RAOC and was posted to (as I recall) Catterick Garrison and later Leicester.

By 1946/47 he was in Palestine and I recall he told me he was part of the final pullout of Palestine, and he spoke about driving a large 10 tonne truck across the Sinai Desert to Egypt as part of a departing convoy. He also told me he lost a very close friend in fighting at this point, although I don't know the soldier's name. He spent quite a bit of time in Egypt before coming home in the late 40s. All the while he was rising up the ranks and eventually reached the rank of sergeant major. He recalled drilling the singer Matt Munro at one point (I think he was on national service) and having to put him on a charge for getting back late one night!

He met my mum Helen around 1950 when he was posted briefly to Scotland, specifically Glasgow.
I'm not exactly sure of his movements between 1950 and the year he married my mum, 1952, but I think he was posted back to Egypt at some point. I do know that after they were married in March 1952 he was posted to Hong Kong for two years a week after their wedding day. I think my mum could have gone with him, but didn't want to, so they spent their first two years apart, but wrote countless letters, which I have inherited. In 1954, on return from Hong Kong, my dad left the RAOC, and my mum and he lived first in a flat in Tillie Street, Glasgow, and then moved to 5 North View, Westerton, a village on the outskirts of the city, in the late 50s, where my dad lived for the rest of his life, later moving with my mum to 43 Maxwell Avenue in the same village a couple of years after I came along in 1965.
When he first returned from Hong Kong and returned to civvie street he recalled taking a large pay cut to become a clerk at the Scottish Development Department. In fact my mum, who was manageress of a paint and decorating shop at Charing Cross in Glasgow, actually earned more than him for a while, which must have been quite unusual in those days.
My mum gave up her job when she fell pregnant with me and became a housewife. My dad continued to rise up the ranks in civvie street this time, eventually becoming a senior Industrial Estate Manager with the Scottish Development Agency by the time of his retirement in 1987 at age 60.
By this time he had been a widower for some years as my mother had died in 1976 from cancer. In fact he never remarried and was contented with what was a busy and active retirement, enjoying visits to the British Legion; spending time with relatives and huge numbers of hours in his large garden. In the last couple of years of his life my dad was blessed with his first and, as it has turned out, only grandchild, Caitlin Rose, who was born on July 9 2000. He was over the moon and it gave him a new lease of life! He was extremely fit and well right up to the end of his life and only died due to unforeseen complications connected with a aneurism.

Sadly, although considerably younger than my dad, my dad's brother Tony passed away aged 63 just six weeks before my dad.

For many years my dad was a keen photographer and I have literally hundreds of photos of his army days, many with my dad and his army colleagues which may be of interest. I'd be especially interested in identifying some of the photos that haven't got places and names attached, although many do have identifying details. I'd also be interested to hear from people who think they may have been posted to the same places as my dad, and who may possibly have known him.