BORN – Oswestry
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / Cambrian Railway / SelattynWM / ChirkWM / Cambrian RailwaysWM
JOB – Gardener/Porter
UNIT – 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
RANK – Private 12260
THEATRE – Somme / Guillemont. 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. 30 August 1916.
DIED – KIA 30 August 1916, Aged 25.
COMMEMORATED – Thiepval Memorial (grave unknown). (CWGC)
William Jones was born in December 1890 at Oswestry. He was the third child of 10 children, of whom 8 survived into adulthood. His father, also William, was a labourer in a skin yard, believed to be the Tannery on Oak Street, Oswestry. He would later work as a labourer at Brogyntyn Home Farm. William’s mother was May or Mary Jones. The family lived at Chapel House on the Racecourse, Oswestry. William started work as an errand boy at Home Farm, along with his father and brother George who was a gardener. William too would become a gardener and worked at Chirk Castle and at Chirk Vicarage. For a time too he was employed as a porter for Cambrian Railways.
William enlisted in August 1914 joining 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, the Oswestry Pals. He went over to France with the battalion on 24 July 1915. He was killed in action on 30 August 1916. Details of his death were included in his obituary – ‘….a shell burst on the spot where he had been in the trench and that his comrades, believing him to have been killed, at great personal risk dug to find some trace of his body; but unfortunately, were unsuccessful in their efforts. A short service was held over the spot where he was presumed to have been buried’. The battalion was operating in the vicinity of Trones Wood making preparations for the forthcoming assaults on Guillemont during the Somme Offensive. There was regular heavy shelling, battalion casualties for 27-31 August were – Officers 2 wounded, ORs 1 KIA and 6 wounded. William’s body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and has no known grave. A memorial service was also held at Selattyn Church. William is also commemorated on war memorials at Selattyn, Chirk and on the Cambrian Railways Memorial.
Another of William’s brothers, David, also served. He enlisted in the Herefordshire Regiment and later transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. In May 1917 he had a case of trench fever and spent time in hospital but recovered and survived the war.
Acknowledgements. Additional Information Ronald Jones, nephew to Private 12260 William Jones.
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