A RETIRED Dartmoor Prison officer was honoured by friends from across the Atlantic at a special presentation at St Michael and All Angels Church in Princetown on Saturday.

Former principal officer and prison historian Ron Joy was delighted to meet representatives of the US Daughters of 1812 who had flown over from the USA especially to honour him for his association with their organisation for more than 30 years.

Ron, 79, who lives in Grenville Road, Tavistock, has been liaising with the US Daughters of 1812 since 1978 and has hosted many visits from their members to St Michael's and its American Cemetery.

He is now stepping down from his roles as official historian to Dartmoor Prison, liaising with the Daughters and the Preservation of St Michael's and the Churches' Conservation Trust.

Connie Grund, national chairman of the Preservation of St Michael's Church, Princetown, and Charlotte Slinkard, honorary president of the Daughters, were among a group from the USA to visit.

The Daughters, a large, national organisation with branches in many of the states, honoured Ron with their first ever 'Spirit of 1812' award.

Ron, who is married to Winnie and has two children and two grandchildren, told the Times: 'It is a great honour for me. I have enjoyed my work immensely, it's the best thing I have done. Who would have thought a Tavistock boy like me would be honoured in this way?'

The war between Great Britain and the recently independent United States of America in 1812 flared up mainly over Britain's impeding the USA trading with its then enemy, the French, and the 'press ganging' of America citizens into the Royal Navy.

The war lasted until 1815 and American prisoners of war, some of whom are ancestors to the US Daughters of 1812 of today, were incarcerated at Dartmoor Prison.

While they were there the prisoners built St Michael's Church, Princetown and streets in the village — 271 American prisoners are buried in the church's cemetery.

The Daughters, throughout the years, have been generous to Dartmoor Prison, St Michael's and Princetown itself — in 1910 they presented the memorial stained glass window to the church, in 1928 a memorial arch to the American cemetery and in 1930 the Door of Unity to the Prysten chapel.

Since then they have given many thousands of dollars to St Michael's.

Ron was appointed as Dartmoor Prison's historian in 1978 by the Home Office and is a founder member of the prison's museum. He is the the author of 'Dartmoor Prison' — volumes one and two.

He has compiled a microfiche of the 6,553 American prisoners held at Dartmoor and helped many descendents looking for information.

One grateful recipient, John Puffa, whose namesake, a seaman aged 20, was held at Dartmoor after being captured off Halifax, Nova Scotia, in July 1813, wrote to John: 'My deepest gratitude to you for your efforts on my behalf. When in the US please look me up and we'll drink a pint to celebrate!'

Ron has twice been to the USA and given talks to the prisoners' descendants.

His role liasing with the Daughters will be taken over by Brian Dingle, the curator of Dartmoor Prison Museum.

If anyone would like information on the American prisoners held at Dartmoor they can contact Ron on [email protected]">[email protected]