Fatal Collapse on Celebration Outing (picture)

June 1966

South Yorkshire Times June 18, 1966

Fatal Collapse on Celebration Outing

Img_1660 walker

While climbing in the Late District last Thursday, during a few days holiday trip to celebrate his sons success in the 11+ examination, Mr Ralph Jaques, a Conisbrough schoolteacher and well known as a Scoutmaster at Mexborough, collapse and died after telling his son that he had a pain in his chest.

Mr Jaques, of 33 Minneymoor Lane, Conisbrough, leaves a widow and another child, daughter Stella, aged 19. In the family caravan, he had taken his wife to Filey at Whitsuntide. Then, when news was received all the success of his son Robert, in the 11+ examination he decided to take the boy to their favourite haunts in the Lake District for a few days of boating and fishing while the schools were still on holiday.

3 Miles

They parked the caravan near Ambleside and on Thursday afternoon, they were 3 miles out on a mountain walk when Mr Jaques collapsed.

Robert ran the 3 miles back to the main road to notify the police and alert a rescue team, whom he then led back to the spot where his father had fallen. It was later established that death was caused by heart failure due to natural causes.

The body was returned to Conisbrough on Tuesday, and for the cremation at Doncaster on Wednesday, Mrs Jaques, who was formally Miss Connie Harrison, of Conisbrough, made arrangements for the service to be conducted by the Rev Harold Lee, now vicar of Campsall, who was formally Ralph’s Scoutmaster, and who married them over 20 years ago.

Mr Jaques was the only son of Mr and Mrs W Jaques of 54, Cemetery Road, Mexborough and an old boy of Mexborough Grammar School will stop

War Service

He joined the Scout Movement as a Cup with the fourth Mexborough group at Doll Cliff Road, and subsequently became his Scout and Rover. He volunteered for Army Service at the outbreak of the War, and was in France before Christmas 1939.

He was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, and was at Chester for a time before he could get home. On the morning of the day when he returned to his parents at Cemetery Road, they had received an official notification from the War Office, stating that their son was “Missing, presumed killed.”

Subsequently Ralph served in Sicily, Egypt and Italy with the “Desert Rats” in the Royal Engineers.

Upon his return, he became Scoutmaster of his former troop and later organised several reunion gatherings.

After being trained as a teacher, he taught at several schools in the Doncaster Borough, until two years ago when he joined the staff at Conisbrough Morley Place junior school.

His son has attended a Sheffield Junior School and had chosen to attend Swinton Comprehensive School upon passing the examination.