Ronald James Poland

Name on Plaque

Connection with Effingham

He was born in Effingham although his parents were not. The latter had moved to the village by 1914.

Genealogy

He was the fourth of five (known) children born to parents Arthur James Poland and Eliza (née Saunders):

Gladys L. Poland : Kingston 2a 869, 1912 (Q3)
Edward P. Poland : Dorking 2a 327, 1914 (Q4)
Kenneth L. Poland : Dorking 2a 401, 1920 (Q2)
Ronald J. Poland : Dorking 2a 339, 1923 (Q2)
Arthur Poland : Kingston 2a 733, 1927 (Q3)

His parents' backgrounds are described on the page for his older brother Kenneth Leslie Poland.

Ronald served with the Royal Armoured Corps in the War. Owing to illness he was invalided out of active service in 1944 and died in England later that year. His death and funeral were reported in The Surrey Advertiser and County Times (2nd Edition) on September 30th 1944 as follows:

Page 1, Column 1

ON ACTIVE SERVICE
POLAND.–Trooper R.J., Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (R.A.C.), died September 18th, aged 21 years, in Middlesex Hospital, London, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Poland, Effingham. Mr. and Mrs. Poland wish to thank all kind friends for kind sympathy shown in their sad loss, and for the beautiful flowers received.

Page 3, Column 6

EFFINGHAM
DEATH OF TROOPER R. POLAND
BURIED IN HIS NATIVE VILLAGE
The funeral took place at Effingham Parish Church on Friday last week of Trooper Ronald James Poland, Sherwood Rangers Yeomany (R.A.S.C.), the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Poland of 2, Church Street, Effingham, who died in the Middlesex Hospital the previous Monday.

Trooper Poland, who was 21 years of age, had served in His Majesty's Forces for 18 months. He landed in Normandy on D-Day, but was invalided home on account of illness. He underwent an operation in Middlesex Hospital. He spent nine years at Effingham Village School, where his character was exemplary. Later he was employed in the engineering department of a war factory. He was extremely popular in the village and among his associates. His parents have lived in Effingham for over 30 years, and his father served in the R.A.S.C. in the last war. Two sons, John and Philip, are serving in the Forces in this country, and a third, Kenneth, is with the Eighth Army in Italy.

The funeral service was conducted by the Vicar (the Rev. J.W. Reynolds) and the lesson was read by Mr. J. Stewart Adams, headmaster of Effingham School. Trooper Poland is the first serving soldier in the present war to be buried at Effingham.

The family mourners were Mr. and Mrs. Poland (parents), Miss Gladys Poland (sister), Mr. and Mrs. John Poland (brother and sister-in-law), Mr. Philip Poland (brother), Mr. C. Collins (uncle), Mr. T. Collins (cousin), Mrs. Rule and Mrs. P. Poland (aunts), Miss Iris Cherriman (fiancée), and Mr. and Mrs. Cherriman. There were also present Capt. I.A.W. McGowan, M.C., chairman of the local branch of the British Legion, and Messrs. Shrubshaw, C. Carr, Bob Wells attended with the British Legion standard; Mr. Henry Allman, Mrs. Street and Mrs. Eade.

A large number of wreaths included those from the British Legion and staff of Messrs. Gillett and Stephens.

The latter article appears to be in error in giving Ronald's regiment as the R.A.S.C. instead of the R.A.C., and also in describing him as the "youngest" son – the youngest was actually Arthur, nearly 4 years junior to Ronald; Arthur was still with his parents at 2, Church Street several years after the war. Perhaps the writer intended to say that Ronald was the youngest of those sons on active service. The article also refers to a brother "John" for whom no GRO birth reference exists.

Captain McGowan had already lost his own son Andrew Whitworth McGowan the previous year.

Military Records

1. Service Record - not yet available

2. Commonwealth War Graves Commission Record