BORN – Chirk
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / Selattyn(WM)
JOB – Carpenter
UNIT – 94 Field Coy Royal Engineers
RANK – Lance Corporal 48543
THEATRE – Ypres / Third Ypres / Ypres Town. 94 Field Coy Royal Engineers. 3 May 1917
DIED – KIA 3 May 1917. Aged 38
BURIED – Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery. (CWGC)
John Jones was born at Chirk in 1879. In 1890 the family were living at 1 Pant Glas near Oswestry. His father, also John, was employed as a farm engine driver and labourer on Brogyntyn Estate. His mother was Mary Elizabeth Jones, she worked as a domestic laundress. There would be 7 children with 4 surviving into adulthood. He was the eldest with sister Mary and brother William. John worked as a carpenter and joiner. In September 1902 he married Edith Annie Alldrit at Oswestry. They would have a child, John Hector, born in April 1903. Edith died in July 1903. He returned to live with his parents at 1 Pant Glas with his young son. The grand parents would look after the child whilst John was at war and would become the child’s guardians after John’s death.
John enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Shrewsbury in September 1914 following his peace time trade and serving as a carpenter and joiner for 94 Field Coy. His military record shows he liked a drink and, during training, he was disciplined 3 times for drunkenness. He went over to France on 20 July 1915; about a year later he was promoted to unpaid Lance. His unit, 94 RE Field Coy assigned to 19 (Western) Division, had seen action at Loos and during the Somme Offensive. In May 1917 they were billeted at Ypres. They were involved in what their war diary reports as ‘the usual work’ of going up to the front line at night to construct and repair trenches and fortifications. The work was part of a continuing effort to prepare the British lines for the offensives planned later in the summer, Third Ypres. John was killed when their billets were heavily shelled on 3 May. He was buried at Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery. His C/O, Major GAP Brown, wrote of him, ‘I and all officers feel his loss very deeply – he had served with his company since its arrival in France. He was a man of sterling worth; he never shewed any sense of fear and always bore the hardships of this terrible war most cheerfully.‘ John is also commemorated on Selattyn War Memorial.
His younger brother William Henry Jones also served as Private 11687 1 Bn KSLI, he survived the war.
Acknowledgements.
Article/image – Llangollen Advertiser
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