BORN – Whittington
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / Whittington War Memorial
JOB – Porter
UNIT – 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
RANK – Private 15348
THEATRE – Somme / Waterlot Farm. Guillemont. 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. 17 September 1916.
DIED – KIA 17 September 1916. Aged 20.
BURIED – Serre Road Cemetery No. 2. (CWGC)
Robert Thomas Jones was born at Whittington in 1892. He was the sixth and youngest child of Robert and Mary Jones, his siblings were Mary, Thomas, Jane, Margaret and Sarah. In 1901 the family were living at Daywell, Hengoed. His father worked on the railway as a signalman. Robert too would work for the railway but as a porter and his brother, Thomas, worked as a clerk for the same company. By the time of the war Robert had left the railway and was working for ‘Mr Davies of Henlle’ – it is not known what his job was. In 1903 his father died and sometime after he and his mother went to live at Tyn y Wern, Hengoed. His mother would move again and by the time of the war was living at The Fields, Hindford, Whittington.
Robert enlisted at Oswestry on 9 November 1914. His regimental service number, and other evidence (below) points to him being posted to 9 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. He went over to France on 8 August 1915 and was posted to 6 Bn KSLI, likely joining up with the battalion in camp in Outtersteene. Robert was KIA on 17 September 1916 during an enemy attack in the front line near to Les Boeufs during the Somme Offensive. He was buried on the battlefield about 100 metres from CWGC Guards Cemetery towards Les Boeufs on the right of the road. In September 1930 he was found and re-interred at Serre Road Military Cemetery No. 2. At first he was unidentified and listed as ‘unknown’. He was eventually identified by his uniform and insignia as well as letters found on his body – 1 addressed to ‘Bert’ and from ???Gray, Withington (sic – Whittington) and the other from an address in Hindford, most likely his mother. Also found was his spoon, stamped upon it was ‘9SH 15348’ – his number and previous unit – 9 Bn ‘Shropshires’. David is also commemorated on Whittington War Memorial.
In Robert’s obituary it is recorded that he and his (2) brothers all enlisted on the same day – one had been invalided from the front for the second time and was in hospital at Liverpool. The other received his discharge after serving 15 months. No record can be found of a third brother.
Killed same day and action Private 12329 Harry Beaton, 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. KIA 17 September 1916, Thiepval Memorial (unknown)
Acknowledgements.
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