Ronald Thornley
| Ronald Roscoe Thornely | |
|---|---|
| Born |
10 June 1889 Cambridge, England |
| Died | 21 August 1984 (aged 95) |
| Buried | Putney Vale Cemetery, London |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1914–1919 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit |
Royal Naval Armoured Car Division No. 8 (Naval) Squadron RNAS |
| Battles/wars | World War I • Gallipoli Campaign • Western Front |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross |
Captain Ronald Roscoe Thornely DSC (10 July 1889 – 21 August 1984) was an English World War I flying ace. He was credited with nine aerial victories while flying for the Royal Naval Air Service.
Thornely was born in Merton Hall, Cambridge, England, the son of Thomas Thornely (1855–1949), a historian, poet and Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and his wife Mabel Martha Thornely.
Thornely was commissioned as a temporary sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 12 December 1914. He served in the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division during the Gallipoli Campaign. In May 1916, he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service, being confirmed as a flight sub-lieutenant on 5 May, and granted Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 3290 after soloing a Maurice Farman biplane at the Royal Naval Air Station, Chingford, on 29 July 1916.
He joined No. 8 Squadron RNAS in March 1917, gaining his first aerial victory on 4 June, and then two more before being promoted to flight lieutenant on 30 June. Two more victories followed in July, three in August, and his ninth and last on 11 September.
His award of the Distinguished Service Cross was gazetted on 30 October 1917. His citation read:
Thornley was promoted to the temporary rank of captain on 7 May 1918.
Thornely received a mention in dispatches "for distinguished service in war areas" on 1 January 1919, and was transferred to the unemployed list of the Royal Air Force on 1 March 1919.
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