A Class Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Percy Ball MBE TD BSc FRIC
The Man Ernest Percy Ball was born in Rochester on 19th February 1905 and grew up in Southend, attending Southend High School for boys. In 1921 aged 16 he matriculated as a student into the University of London and graduated four years later with a Batchelor of Science Degree (Honours) in chemistry. Despite his qualifications he found it difficult finding employment in 1920s Britain and for a time was a door to door salesman selling encyclopaedias; this too proved unsuccessful and in 1927 he moved to Valetta in Malta, joining Flores College as a Mathematics Master and becoming a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemists. Returning to the UK, he joined the Army in January 1931 aged 26 as a Sergeant Instructor in the Army Education Corps, service number 7720853. He attended a course of training in methods and principles of teaching at the Army School of Education at Shorncliffe and in October 1931 was posted to the South Wales Borders Depot in Brecon. In January 1935 he was transferred to the Royal Artillery Depot, Woolwich and later the same year appointed Chief Instructor in chemistry and physics at the Technical School Branch, Military College of Science. His work included the instruction of science to candidates in preparation for their Army Entrance Examination for admission into The Royal Military Colleges of Sandhurst and Woolwich. During the late 1930s he was posted to Palestine during the conflict teaching and assisting service families with their general educational needs , for which he was awarded the General
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- Service Medal with clasp ‘Palestine’. He was promoted through the ranks to Warrant Officer Class II and on 25th February 1941 Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the Intelligence Corps, service number 238198, transferring as a War Substantive Lieutenant to the Royal Signals on 18th April 1942. During World War 2 he served in the Western Desert and Greece and was part of the hasty retreat in the face a German advance. Little more is known about his war service except that he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Africa Star with 8th Army clasp, Defence Medal and the 1939-45 War Medal.He was demobbed in September 1945 aged 40 and joined the teaching staff at King’s School, Rochester in Kent, where he taught chemistry and mathematics, becoming head of the science department a short time later. He also joined the Junior Training Corps - a forerunner of the Combined Cadet Force - as its Commanding Officer, re-enlisting into the Army on 15th February 1946 as a substantive War Lieutenant with pay and allowances of a Captain in Command.
At the same time he became the school’s careers master and responsible for all school examinations. In 1948 he was appointed as the master in charge of Saint Ronan’s, a dormitory house for younger boys at King’s School and on 15th February 1951 promoted to Major becoming second master of the school during 1953, a position he held until his retirement. As Commanding Officer of the CCF he was considered an excellent leader, with good command skills, maintaining high standards and attending all the annual summer training camps and some of the arduous adventure training that the unit took part in. On 20th May 1958 aged 53 Major E P Ball was awarded the Efficiency Decoration ‘Territorial’ for 12 years efficient service with the Combined Cadet Force and in the New Years Honour’s List of 1960 was appointed as A Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his services to the local Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Association. On 25th February 1961 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and in 1970 aged 65, 12 years after the TD, was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal for further service with the CCF, the regulations governing the award of the TD having changed and the CFM being specifically instituted for service with the Cadet Forces. He retired from the CCF on 31st August the same year and also from King’s School, where at a party held for him on 10th July he was presented with a silver tea pot, an original piece dating from 1862. Percy continued teaching chemistry at the school part time and lived in the precincts with his wife at Mackean House until 1975 when he became Chapter Clerk at Rochester Cathedral a position he held until his untimely death three years later.
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Percy Ball was a much liked and respected man and in his spare time was a keen gardener with a particular interest in dahlias and roses. He could also knit producing fairisle sweaters with ease! During his time at King’s School he earned the nickname ‘Cappy’ because of an old battered cap he frequently wore. He was married to Eleanor Clarissa and had one daughter Susan. Percy Ball died on 15th July 1978 aged 73 following a short illness, his ashes were buried in the grounds of Rochester Cathedral and a memorial service held in his honour on 11th July 1978.
The Story The set of medals awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Percy Ball MBE TD BSc FRIC are a true ’Ordecomedology’ group as they include an Order a Decoration and some medals and were purchased on 2nd April 1994 from March Medals in Erdington, Birmingham. They were immediately of interest as they contained a pre war campaign medal and two long service awards, the Efficiency Decoration and Cadet Forces Medal, the latter being impressed with the recipient’s rank, name and post-nominal letters, MBE, TD which is quite scarce. They came with minor information including copies of the London Gazette one dated 20th May 1958 confirming the award of the Efficiency Decoration and another dated 1st January 1960 showing the award of the MBE. Within the gazette it mentioned that Ernest Percy Ball was a member of the Combined Cadet Corps at King’s School, Rochester – a good starting point! Enquiries were made with directory enquiries, bearing in mind there was no general internet or e-mail access back in 1994, and it was quickly established that King’s School in Rochester was still in existence. The research began with a telephone call to the School Secretary and as is often the case this opened up and started a research trail that enabled the life of Colonel Ball to be slowly revealed. As it happened the school secretary, Mrs Amer, had known and worked for Percy Ball remembering him very well. She was still in contact with his daughter and exchanged Christmas cards each year. However as is often the case she was initially reluctant to give away too much information over the telephone from a ‘cold caller’. A letter was sent to her explaining the situation and the desire to research Percy Ball in more detail. A few days later a reply was received from Brian Nolan, a teacher at the School who had worked with and admired ‘Percy’. He enclosed a copy of his obituary from a 1978 edition of The Roffensian, the school magazine. From the obituary it was possible to establish a lot about the life of Percy Ball and further letters were written to Mr Nolan and bit by bit it became possible to build up a much more detailed picture of his life, before during and after the war, right up to his death in 1978. As Mr Nolan became relaxed with the research he sent more information including a book on the history of the school which contained pictures of Col Ball. Part of the research revealed that following his retirement Percy Ball had become a Chapter Clerk at Rochester Cathedral, and further communication ensued with Mrs M Taylor the Cathedral’s Secretary who also remembered him well. Eventually in November 2004 Mrs Taylor agreed to forward a letter onto Mrs S Sewall, Col Ball’s daughter. This she did, and although Mrs Sewall never made direct contact her husband made a telephone call six months later in May 1995 and although hesitant did send various black and white copies of photographs, certificates etc of Percy Ball which enabled most of the missing links in his life story to be filled in. It was now possible to put together a comprehensive and pictorial overview on the life of Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Percy Ball. Not only a very interesting and unusual set of medals, but an interesting and unusual life! Yet again the benefits of thorough research pay dividends.
The Story The set of medals awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Percy Ball MBE TD BSc FRIC are a true ’Ordecomedology’ group as they include an Order a Decoration and some medals and were purchased on 2nd April 1994 from March Medals in Erdington, Birmingham. They were immediately of interest as they contained a pre war campaign medal and two long service awards, the Efficiency Decoration and Cadet Forces Medal, the latter being impressed with the recipient’s rank, name and post-nominal letters, MBE, TD which is quite scarce. They came with minor information including copies of the London Gazette one dated 20th May 1958 confirming the award of the Efficiency Decoration and another dated 1st January 1960 showing the award of the MBE. Within the gazette it mentioned that Ernest Percy Ball was a member of the Combined Cadet Corps at King’s School, Rochester – a good starting point! Enquiries were made with directory enquiries, bearing in mind there was no general internet or e-mail access back in 1994, and it was quickly established that King’s School in Rochester was still in existence. The research began with a telephone call to the School Secretary and as is often the case this opened up and started a research trail that enabled the life of Colonel Ball to be slowly revealed. As it happened the school secretary, Mrs Amer, had known and worked for Percy Ball remembering him very well. She was still in contact with his daughter and exchanged Christmas cards each year. However as is often the case she was initially reluctant to give away too much information over the telephone from a ‘cold caller’. A letter was sent to her explaining the situation and the desire to research Percy Ball in more detail. A few days later a reply was received from Brian Nolan, a teacher at the School who had worked with and admired ‘Percy’. He enclosed a copy of his obituary from a 1978 edition of The Roffensian, the school magazine. From the obituary it was possible to establish a lot about the life of Percy Ball and further letters were written to Mr Nolan and bit by bit it became possible to build up a much more detailed picture of his life, before during and after the war, right up to his death in 1978. As Mr Nolan became relaxed with the research he sent more information including a book on the history of the school which contained pictures of Col Ball. Part of the research revealed that following his retirement Percy Ball had become a Chapter Clerk at Rochester Cathedral, and further communication ensued with Mrs M Taylor the Cathedral’s Secretary who also remembered him well. Eventually in November 2004 Mrs Taylor agreed to forward a letter onto Mrs S Sewall, Col Ball’s daughter. This she did, and although Mrs Sewall never made direct contact her husband made a telephone call six months later in May 1995 and although hesitant did send various black and white copies of photographs, certificates etc of Percy Ball which enabled most of the missing links in his life story to be filled in. It was now possible to put together a comprehensive and pictorial overview on the life of Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Percy Ball. Not only a very interesting and unusual set of medals, but an interesting and unusual life! Yet again the benefits of thorough research pay dividends.
King's School Rochester
King's is the oldest choir school and the second oldest school in the world, it is located in the centre of the historic city of Rochester, nestling amidst the tranquil setting of the Cathedral precincts, and in the shadow of a castle which boasts one of the finest Norman keeps in the country. The name of 'King's School' dates from the Reformation, when, in 1541, King Henry VIII reconstituted the Cathedral Foundation after the dissolution of the Monastery; although there has been a school on the Cathedral Foundation since 604 AD. King Henry appointed a Dean and Chapter, a full choral establishment and 'twenty scholars to be taught Grammar', together with a Headmaster and Undermaster of the Cathedral Grammar School. A turning point in the later history of the School occurred in 1842, with the appointment of the Reverend Robert Whiston as Headmaster. At the beginning of his term of office, a new school room was built which still survives as part of Main School. Whiston was a man of strong convictions and his campaign for the rights of King's Scholars led him into conflict with the Dean and Chapter of his day. The whole story formed the plot for Trollope's novel 'The Warden'. A scheme for the administration of the School was made and sealed at the Court of Windsor in 1877 and this, with its amendments, forms the current Instrument of Government of the School; thus the School took its place in the setting of nineteenth century Public Schools. In 1909, the Headmaster of the day was elected to the Headmasters' Conference, at which the School has been represented ever since. The last fifty years have seen the school grow in both size and stature: there are currently over 700 pupils from 3 - 18 years of age on the school roll. The School is part of the Cathedral Foundation. The Bishop is the Patron and the Dean and Chapter form part of the Governing Body.
Medal Details
- Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire: Unnamed as awarded.
- General Service Medal: 7720853 SJT. E.P.BALL. A.E.C.
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Africa Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Efficiency Decoration: 1958
- Cadet Forces Medal: LT-COL. E.P.BALL. M.B.E. T.D. C.C.F.
This page last updated 5 May 16