Rev. Ronald Cooling (1903-1977). Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Martham.
Rev. Cooling was born on 26th September 1903 in Hull, Yorkshire. His parents were George & Alice Cooling and he grew up at 5 St Georges Avenue, St Georges Road, Hull.
He remained a bachelor all his life. In 1939 he was lodging at 55 Britannia Road, Norwich where he was a Clerk in Holy Orders. In 1955 he was the Registrar of the Church Commissioners for England and as such signed the agreement to sell glebe land in School Road, Martham, that had been allotments, for house building.
He was the vicar at St Mary’s from 1968 until 1976 and local people have fond memories of a small man who could hardly see over his car steering wheel. He was also an accomplished model engineer and had a well stocked workshop complete with lathe upstairs in the Vicarage. He made model trains of which he had at least three, two of which he built himself from scratch and he had a railway line for the trains to go up and down the Vicarage garden.
Ronald died on 15th April 1977 whilst living at 3 Ranworth Drive, Ormesby St Margaret and was cremated at Gorleston Crematorium where his ashes were scattered. He was 73.
Sources: Appointment information courtesy of the: Clergy of the Church of England Database at https://theclergydatabase.org.uk