On Duty.

Reginald Vernon (Taffy) Jones was a native of Wales, born in the small town of Corwen, Merionethshire (now Denbighshire). I am unsure about the reasons for the move to Hampshire, but his interest in the ambulance service appears to have commenced whilst working in the stores department of Fareham Urban District Council, which in those days was co-located on the same site as Fareham Ambulance Station at ‘The Tannery’ in Wallington. It was often said that he spent as much time in the station as he did in the stores, and this eventually resulted in a career change when he became an ambulanceman in c1955-56.
He served at Fareham for a number of years working with his long-term crewmate Ken Baldock, before his promotion to Station Officer at Havant in 1968, when he replaced Tom Parker who moved to the new Central Control at Winchester.
In c1970, upon the retirement of Sam Richards, he returned to Fareham as Area Superintendent and remained in that position until Hampshire’s merger with Portsmouth & Southampton to form the newly created Hampshire Area Health Authority Ambulance Service. Subsequently, with the introduction of the new management structure in 1975, he moved to Portsmouth on his appointment as Divisional Officer (South East Division).
In the closing stages of 1987, further changes in the management structure would see him promoted to Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, with operational responsibility for the newly created Central & Eastern Division. He eventually retired in c1992, having completed 38yrs service.
Hantsam Three-Zero-One, you can RTB, your shift has ended.
‘The Guvnor’ R V Jones RIP