Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Warrant Officer Ronald Ernest Dolby (Service No: 414212) enlisted in the RAAF at No 3 Recruiting Centre Brisbane on 17 August 1941 as an Aircraftman II, and was a Leading Aircraftman when he embarked from Sydney for England via Canada on 28 March 1942. In Canada, LAC Dolby was attached to No 5 Manning Depot Lachine in Quebec, No 5 Air Observer School (AOS) at RCAF Station in Winnipeg and No 1 'Y' Depot in Halifax. Promoted to Sergeant on 11 September 1942 - mustered as Air Navigator - he was attached to No 10 Observers Advanced Flying Unit in Dumfries, Scotland before promotion to Flight Sergeant and attachment to No 466 Squadron in 1943. On 8 May 1943, Flight Sergeant Dolby was Navigator on Wellington X Aircraft HE530 on bombing operations on Dortmond. The aircraft was shot down, and Flight Sergeant Dolby parachuted to land in the vicinity of  Nieuwleusen where, he reported later (NAA) 'farmers did all possible to assist my return to England. However Germans were performing mass executions ratio 1:20 for every airman helped' (PoW Questionnaire 1945/1946). On 11 March 1944 he was promoted to Warrant Officer, and was held in a number of PoW Camps, including Stalag Luft I through V (PoW No: 1125). WO Dolby described the PoW evacuation from Stulag VI (Heydekrug) in July 1944, and Chief Hauptman Picard 'giving the German troops inspirational advice, saying we had murdered their wives, mothers etc at Hamburg, Koln etc and now was their chance to eke out retribution, wholesale beating up, stabbing etc ensued resulting in many injuries' (NAA). WO Dolby was part of the PoW march from Stalag IV as the Russians advanced, to Stalag 357 at Fallingbostel in January 1945. Following his retrieval, WO Dolby was hospitalised at RAF Hospital Cosford, England on 24 April 1945, and disembarked in Sydney on 9 September 1945. WO Dolby was attached to 466 Squadron at Discharge on 4 January 1946. His father Ernest and siblings Neville and Wesley also served in WWII.

Ronald was born in Brisbane, QLD in 1914, the eldest of six children of Ernest Robert Bowen Dolby (b1892 in Brisbane, QLD) and Charlotte Elizabeth Churton (b1892 in Sandgate, Brisbane, QLD). Ernest (a Carter) and Charlotte married in 1914 in Brisbane, where they settled and raised their family and Ernest worked as a Carter. The family was living in Manly by 1940 and Ernest worked as a Waiter, Salesman and Storeman.

Ronald worked in Brisbane in the 1930s as an Industry Clerk (Department of Labour), Shipping Clerk (Ford Motors), Senior Clerk (Reston & Hornsby Engineers), and was working as an Accounts Clerk with Dunlop Rubber Coy and had commenced studies at the University of QLD when he enlisted in the RAAF in 1941. Ronald studied at Trinity College of Music in London, and applied to study post-liberation at the London School of Economics and Political Science - stating in his application 'I do not consider that my country is indebted to me for the small service that has been rendered - such service has been gladly and faithfully attempted' (NAA 1945: Stalag Luft IV Germany). Ronald returned to Manly and worked as a General Clerk and District Representative with Dunlop Rubber Coy, and was People's Warden at St Paul's Church of England, Wynnum and Secretary of the Wynnum and Manly Lawn Tennis Assn. Ronald died in 2005.