by Elliot Taylor
IN our fast-moving world, where it is all too easy to take our everyday freedom for granted, we rarely pause to reflect on our country’s extraordinary military history.
It is this point exactly, which made my recent meeting with Ron Pulling at Ryefields Retirement Village so truly special.
As he prepares to celebrate his 98th birthday this Friday, Ron looks back on his military life as some of the “best years of his life,” believing the standards it taught him will stay with him forever. Those standards were evident from the second he opened the door to greet me: a warm smile, a firm handshake, and a smart white shirt accompanied by a red and blue tie.
After sitting down, Ron immediately set out that it isn’t just his own time in the forces that he looks back on fondly, as he also takes huge pride in a family military tradition which spans six different monarchs.
This began with Ron’s father, who joined the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1906 and served for twenty years across France, Jamaica, and India. Then, born in 1928 was Ron, who after being evacuated to Yorkshire during German air attacks in 1941, started working life down the pit for nine months aged just 14. After four years of this, Ron later signed up to join the armed forces when he turned eighteen. This tradition has crossed generations, with his daughter serving four years in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, his two sons serving a combined time of 15 years in the services, and his eldest grandson serving in Northern Ireland, Serbia, Cyprus, and eventually joining the King’s Helicopter Squadron.
In terms of Ron’s journey however, it all started in Dorchester, where after his initial training, he was posted to the Royal Army Pay Corps. Although responsible for managing soldiers’ records and pay, whilst here, Ron was fully trained as an infantryman, making him ready to take up arms whenever required. Over a distinguished twenty-four-year military career, Ron rose right to the highest non-commissioned rank of Warrant Officer Class 1, something of which only an estimated 2% of soldiers manage to achieve.
Among Ron’s proudest moments was receiving the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, presented to him by Queen Elizabeth thre Queen’s Mother, as you can see in the picture. His service took him across the globe to Malta, Singapore, Germany, and North Africa. In particular, Ron fondly recalls his three and a half years in North Africa during the 1960s as being something considerably special, actually accompanied by his late wife, whom he met while serving in Slough. This proved to be a lasting relationship with the couple spending nearly seventy-five years of marriage together.
Since the pair moved to Warrington in 2009, Ron has become a cherished member of the local community, finding a spiritual home at Elmwood Avenue United Reformed Church. He’s also extremely grateful for all the support he has been provided, praising the likes of the Council’s Welfare Department and the Blind Veterans Association, sent Ron a marvellous piece of kit which has aided him in enjoying his Radio Times magazine.
Ron remains significantly proud of his British history and lives with zero regrets. Something which really resonated from our conversation was Ron’s worldly wisdom on how to live well. This included some simple yet timeless principles for life: never get dragged into pointless arguments, take things calmly, treat everyone with kindness, and smile often, a common fact he enjoys to remember being that “it takes five muscles to smile and seven to frown”.
The whole conversation really was awe-inspiring and a true privilege to be a part of. Wishing him all the very best as he celebrates yet another remarkable achievement: Happy 98th Birthday, Ron!
