Skip to content ↓

View entry

Back to search results

Name: JOLLEY, Norman Rhodes

image of individualimage of individual

Nee: son of Thomas Henry Jolley

Birth Date: 16.12.1895 Aden

Death Date: 28.5.1978 London

First Date: 1898

Last Date: 1935

Profession: Joined EA Posts & Telegraph prior to WW1 as a Junior Inspector. Rejoined P&T as an Inspector after WW1. Responsible for laying many of telegraph lines around Kenya, up to Nyeri, Thomson's Falls and Eldoret

Area: Box 49, Nairobi, retired to England 1935

Married: In Nairobi 1919 Elinor Christina Tate-Smith (separated 1935 and mar. George William Thomason 1898-1968, see her entry under Thomason) b. 24 Aug 1900 Micklegate, York, d. 11 Feb 1974 Barberton, S. Africa (dau of Robert and Amelia Tate-Smith)

Children: Ronald Bevan (8 Feb1920 Nairobi-29 Apr 2012 Pietermaritzburg); Winifred Christina (Newett) (27 Mar 1921 Nakuru); Ruth Sylvia (Kenny) (29 July 1923 Mombasa); Denys Norman (11 Mar 1926 Nairobi-3 Mar 2004 Pfungen, Switzerland); Gweneth (Drury) (15 Jan 1930 Peacehaven-21 Mar 2009 Pietermaritzburg); David Alexander (13 Aug 1931 Kampala-6 Apr 1982 Tzanzeen, S. Africa)

Book Reference: Gillett, EAWL, KAD, Red 25, Red 22, Globe, Dominion, R. Jolley, Red Book 1912

War Service: Called up 1916 and served as a sapper in British and German EA.

School: Railway and European School, Nairobi

General Information:

Norman played tennis for the Railway Sports Club, was also well known as a billiard and snooker man. Source: Ronald Bevan Jolley.
KAD 1922 - 2nd Class Telegraph Inspector, Telegraph Dept.
The Globe Trotter - 6/3/07 - Railway School prizegiving - " … Special prizes were awarded to the following -  Prize for general improvement - N. Jolley
Dominion - Public Works Department - Posts and Telegraphs Dept. - Telegraph Inspector - 1930
R.B. Jolley - "When Norman and the 6 children moved to the UK in 1935, Chrissie Jolley, who was now on her own, lived with her mother Amelia Tate-Smith in the 6th Ave Parklands house. On the return of son Ronald in August 1936 and a year later the other 5 children, so they were all accommodated in this house. But during the period the children were in the UK Chrissie met up with an ex boy friend, George Thomason, so he had also moved into 6th Ave. Parklands. Chrissie and George were both working at International Harvester, Chrissie in the accounts section, George in the workshop in the Industrial area. Though at the outbreak of 1939 war, George Thomason joined the Heavy Repair shop of the Army Service Corps. As a civilian employer [sic], and stayed till the end of hostilities. Chrissie also left IHC and moved to a better paid job with the Coffee Curing Factory just across the road."
Red Book 1912 - N.R. Jolley - Nairobi
Considine - European School Nairobi - Norman Jolley - b. 16/12/1895 - 20/1/1904
Gazette - 6/2/1924 - Voters Register - Mombasa - Norman Rhodes Jolley, Sub-Telegraph Engineer, Mombasa and Elinor Christina Jolley, Married woman, Mombasa

Back to search results