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Jones-R-L-Col-Sgt-79

Page history last edited by Lenore Frost 8 years, 7 months ago

Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918

 

Sergeant Raymond Leslie Jones.  Australian War Memorial Collection.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10843.007/

 

Jones R L    Col Sgt    79    Raymond Leslie               14 Inf Bn    21    Salesman    Single    Meth       

Address:    Essendon, Shaftesbury St, 16   

Next of Kin:    Jones, S, Mrs, mother, 16 Shaftesbury St, Essendon   

Enlisted:    28 Sep 1914      

Embarked:     A38 Ulysses 22 Dec 1914

Prior service:    49th Inf Bn

 

Relatives on Active Service:

Jones L R Driver 141 brother, Killed in Action

Jones R W Cpl 80 brother

 

Date of Death:  11/04/1917

CWGC: "Son of Arthur and Salome Elizabeth Jones, of 16, Shaftesbury St., Essendon, Victoria. Born at St. Kilda, Victoria".

VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL

 

 

Sergeant Raymond L. Jones, of the 14th Battalion, writing from Heliopolis, on the 17/3/15, to his mother, at Shaftesbury street, Essendon, after acknowledgements, etc, goes on to say:-

 

"You  would be  surprised to hear the rumours which go about amongst the different regiments, who watch one another's movements closely, to see who is the next to leave. Today, we packed up the whole camp, and the other battalions thought we were going. This was only a trial to test the organisation for  embarkation. The order for which we may get any day. Last Thursday, after the  previous night's training, we got a holiday, so Reg (his brother) and I took a trip to the Citadel. We arrived there at about 1 p.m., and going through, first saw the Ghurka and Indian wounded in hospital. They show great interest in all  Australians, and are always very glad to see us. We took a photo of them, also one of the Australian Motor Ambulance Corps, who were bringing them in. Next, we went, up on the battlements and saw the guns, which are mounted and have a commanding view of all Cairo. From here, they blow up the City in no time. Then we were shown Napoleon's watch tower which contains a clock brought over by that General,  when he and his armies were here. The greatest thing of interest was the Citadel Mosque, which is worth going hundreds of miles to see.

 

 

Postcard of Cairo and the Citadel, sent to Ada Thomson by

'Harry', 1 Nov 1915.  Courtesy of Dorothy Berry.

 

Before  entering, we had to put on slippers. The interior is of wonderful architecture, the walls, pillars and dome being of alabaster stone brought from the Pyramids.  There is a tomb constructed of gold and silver worth £45,000, and which is only opened once a year. Under the great dome there are 2000 electric lights, the globes and shades being made of pure white crystal. The carpets on the marble floors were made of priceless material by the slaves of olden times. I wish I could give you the real pen picture of this magnificent place, but words can't describe it. Outside is a courtyard with a fountain in the centre, where the Mohametans wash their feet and hands before entering the Mosque. Next to that is a well 100ft deep, which contains all the holy water from the Nile.  At the entrance of the courtyard stands Napoleon's watch tower, previously mentioned, while at the rear, and on a higher mountain is Napoleon`s barracks, surrounded by blockhouses about 300 yards out. lt is in ruins now, and one can see the holes  from shell in the walls. To-morrow, we are going out to Mena to see Llew  (another brother) and the other Essendon boys. [See photo below, taken at Mena.] We get plenty of the home papers now, and although a month old we read them with the greatest interest. l have not seen any papers here to compare with our Melbourne journals.

 

To-day we had a great review and inspection by the General commanding the second chargers, also French, Egyptian and other notabilities of very high rank, numbering in all about 40 of the chiefs of the nations mentioned. The cinema chap was flying about in his motor, getting the best views he could. Then at 11  am, after the inspection, the march past began. The Australian Light Horse led, and they swept past in great style, every horse looking its best. They passed by in squadrons in two lines of about 50 abreast, keeping a perfect line. We wondered if ever the horse would end, as the New Zealand Light Horse followed the Australian. Next came their first line and reserve ammunition column, which was very big.  Following the Light Horse came the Artillery. with their howitzers and other field pieces; then the ammunition column of the Artillery, which was the greatest of all. Coming on behind were the Engineers, with every appliance for  modern warfare, their pontoon boats on lorries, together with telephone equipment, etc., their ammunition column in the rear. We began to wonder if ever we would start. Then came the N.Z. Infantry Brigades, who marched perfectly in company column, 140 men abreast, making 280 per company in two lines. Their lines seemed never ending; company after company, battalion after battalion, brigade after brigade, and always the cumbersome, but very necessary ammunition columns in the rear of each battalion. After waiting hours, our turn came, the 13th N.S.W. leading, with the 14th Victoria next, and following in order, the 15th and 16th Queenslanders, South Australians, Tasmanians and Westralians. Behind them again came the ambulance waggons and Army Medical Corps. There were 16 different bands at the saluting base, each playing their own regiment past. The review has been very highly spoken of, and the report will be forwarded to England. I must now close. as it is well on to "Tattoo Roll Call."

 

Essendon Gazette, 3 Jun 1915.

 

Ray and Llew on camels at the Sphinx, the photograph taken by their brother Reg Jones. 

Photo courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

The back of the photo above.

This photo shows as you will see the Sphinx and the two pyramids which appear small because they are 1/2 mile away.  Ray & Llew are mounted on Camels at the base of the Sphinx  & I purposely had them close to the Sphinx so that you would get some idea of its size;  you will note the length of body which is now worn with age then again beneath the sand on which they are standing extent the paws for a distance of 50 ft.

 

 

THE ALLIED FLEETS.

A WONDERFUL SIGHT.

Sergeant Raymond L Jones, of Essendon, one of three brothers at the front, writes the following letter to his mother. 

 

"You will be much surprised to learn where we have been staying during the past fortnight . As you know by my last letter, written in Egypt, we were just about to leave there for the Dardanelles, and I thought we would have been right in the thick of it by now, but here we have been anchored in Lemnos Harbour, not more than four hours' sail from the Dardanelles.  Well, to begin with, we picked every  thing in camp at Heliopolis on Sunday, April 11, and, after a very busy day, we had an early tea, then 'fell in,' with full marching order on, at half past 6 p m, on  the parade ground. Punctually at half past 7pm we started our  march to Zeitoun  station where we were to entrain for Alexandria.  What a proud moment! We  knew we were going off for the firing line, and the men were as cheery as children  going for a holiday. The band played as it had never played before. Every man  threw out his chest, and up went his head, as we passed through Heliopolis on our way to the station, such a tremendous 'send off' we had, women and nippers giving us chocolates, fruit, flowers, &c, as we passed through, and the cheering was tremendous. It made us a little proud of Australia, our homeland.   There were also three other battalions which gave us a rousing cheer as we passed along, these were the 13th, 15th, and 16th Australian Infantry, who were also coming later in the night. 

 

"When we had got clear of the town, and things had become quieter, we wondered if ever we should have the luck of seeing it all again. Our train left at half past 10 p m and, being a chilly night, we stayed inside the whole journey,  arriving at Alexandria at half past 4 am. We detrained, and right opposite was our ship. By 10 am we were all on board. The half battalion we left came on in a train behind us.

"We were supposed to leave immediately, but, owing to a later order, we had to put more rations on board, this being done at night and at half past 8 next morning (April 13) we sailed for - where we did not know, all we were told was we had a rough time to go through somewhere against the Turks. We steered north by west, passing through the Archipelago Islands and on the 15th we sighted land ahead, and, as we were steering for the centre, we 'tumbled' that we were to go there.

"SURPRISE OF OUR LIVES"

"Coming nearer, we saw great hills, and a battleship outside; our engines stopped, and out came a destroyer to show us the way in. When we got inside we had the surprise of our lives, to find there were ships anchored, and from the outside we could not see one. This island proved to be Lemnos, at the entrance almost to the Dardanelles. Included there are war ships inside, among them the following - Queen Elizabeth, Agamemnon,  Triumph, the Russian ship Askold,  French war boats and a number of destroyers torpedo boats, submarines, mine  sweepers, &c.       

 

England has the most battle ships, she has the latest and second class. It is a wonderful sight to see such a gathering of ships. There are troopships, besides  the  warships, each troopship carrying soldiers on board from all parts, Indian,  French, British, Australian, New Zealand, and other units. You have no idea what a wonderful sight it is with searchlights playing at night and aeroplanes water  planes sea planes, gas balloons hovering overhead all day. Just as I am writing now one is flying right close to our ship. Submarines and destroyers, too, are flitting about, all the time, on the look out for hostile craft both by sea and air.  These warships have not long ago come back from the Dardanelles, and some of them show it, too. The H.M.S. Agamemnon has one funnel knocked about terribly while others show signs of action but not anything serious. Since we arrived here we practice disembarking in the small boats off the ships.

IN MARCHING ORDER

"In full marching order we have to scramble over the side and down a rope ladder to the boats below. The harbour is full of these small boats, rowing up and down all day, to give them all a turn at the oars. We are to make our landing on Gallipoli Peninsula by these boats when the time comes under the cover of fire  from our warships. We have all had ball ammunition issued ready for going ashore. The funniest thing is, each man has a bundle of wood on his back, which we are to take with us. Our water bottle, too, has to last us three days when once we leave the ship. The weight we carry is very big, as we have a complete change of underclothing, shaving kit, towel, cardigan jacket, and overcoat in the pack on our backs, ammunition in our pouches, two iron rations in our haversacks, a water bottle full, a waterproof sheet, and the bundle of firewood strapped on the pack. We are just like pack horses, but we are used to carrying such weights now. Thanks to the way the equipment is made the weight is evenly balanced on the body. The firewood is the latest, and our chaps say they are carting their fire, so they won't get cold feet when they, see the Turks. There was a tragedy with some British troops as they were on their way here. An Austrian torpedo boat chased  them. The troops were ordered to the boats, and in the excitement a boatload went overboard and were drowned (50 of them). Three torpedoes were fired, but all missed. The torpedo boat is now here. She was captured by a British light cruiser shortly after.

 

"We are about to leave here now for the Dardanelles and we have had a letter from Lord Kitchener, which said, 'we were now about to go into one of the greatest battles of all history, the result of which would go down in history to Australia and New Zealand's glory. It will be a tremendous battle, but there will be no going back when once we make a start. He praised the Australian and New Zealand troops for work done while in Egypt and also told us there would be great blood shed, but we must be ready to meet this. Our victory will be one of the greatest in history. Well, I hope we shall all come out of it safe and sound, but you will have to wait a long time for any more news. Remember we will do our best whatever happens, to uphold good old Australia's name.

 

"April 25 - We are just about to land The Allies' warships are here, covering our landing. There are troopships here and most of our men are landed. The noise is something terrible. The big guns are booming from the warships, and we can see them getting hit from here. The rifle fire is incessant, and the machine guns are  making a terrific noise. It's wonderful looking from here, but everybody is cheerful and all want to be ashore now. At 10 o'clock tonight we will all be landed, and under fire.

 

The Argus Thursday 10 June 1915, page 5.

 

History of the 14th Battalion, AIF, by Newton Wanliss, 1929

THE BAPTISM OF BLOOD.  1915—April 25 to April 30

There were some marvellous escapes; Sgt. Raymond Jones (No. 1 Platoon) had his haversack shot to pieces on his back but escaped unhurt.  p2.

 

Essendon Gazette 19 August 1915

 

Driver H. J. Drayson, of Ascot Vale, and Sergt. R. L. Jones, of Essendon, are reported to be ill.

 

MISSING.
JONES Sgt. Raymond L. Mother, Mrs. Jones, of Shaftesbury avenue, Essendon, notified.
The Argus, Thursday 24 May 1917
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1620082

 

Mrs. Jones, of 16 Shaftesbury street, Essendon, has been informed that her son Sergeant R. Jones, has been missing since 11th April. He left Victoria for the front in December, 1914, and was all through the Gallipoli campaign. He afterwards [saw] duty in Egypt and France, going through  the Somme battles. He was wounded several times, and was for some time in English hospitals. Another son, Lieutenant R. W. Jones, who is now instruction officer at Codford camp, England, has [been] wounded four times. Yet another [son] Driver L. R. Jones, was wounded [at] Pozieres, and has been in an English Hospital ever since.

 

ROLL OF HONOUR. (1917, May 24). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 2 Edition: Morning. Retrieved May 12, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74602649

 

Mentioned in correspondence:

Jones R W Cpl 80 letter to brother in Essendon dated 10/3/1915

Jones-R-W-Cpl-80 letter to mother 19 May 1915

Jones R W Cpl 80  letter home published in the Essendon Gazette of 7 Oct 1915

Ross M B Pte 5204 letter home published in the Essendon Gazette 21 Sep 1916

 

Mentioned in this publication:

Lost Relations: fortunes of my family in Australia's Golden Age, by Graeme Davison, p 186. Allen and Unwin: digital format, 2015. p 187.

History of the 14th Battalion, AIF, The: by Newton Wanliss, 1929. p376.

 

War Service Commemorated

Essendon Town Hall F-L

Essendon State School

North Essendon Methodist Church

UAOD Elliott Lodge*

Essendon Gazette Roll of Honour killed

Regimental Register

 

In Memoriam

 

JONES -in loving remembrance of my dear son,

and our beloved brother Sergeant Raymond  

Leslie Jones, who was killed in action at Bulle-  

court on April 11 1917.  

A noble and affectionate son, whose loss can  

never be replaced. He shirked not his duty in

his country's hour of need, and he now sleeps  

on the field of honour with Australia's glorious  

dead.  

-(Inserted by his sorrowing mother, brother,

and sister ) 

The Argus 11 April 1918

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1651787

 

JONES-In loving memory of our beloved third

son and brother Sergeant Raymond Leslie Jones

killed in action at Bullecourt on 11th April, 1917

also our loved youngest son and brother, 

Corporal Llewellyn Rowland Jones (M M ),

killed in action on 18th September 1918. Both

Anzacs: Egypt, Gallipoli, France.

"Peace, perfect peace".    

-(Mother, sister, brothers )

The Argus 11 April 1919

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1456065

 

JONES.-In loving memory of our beloved third

son and brother, Sergeant Raymond Leslie Jones,

killed in action at Bullecourt on April 11, 1917;

also our beloved fourth son and brother. Cor-

poral Llewelyn Rowland Jones (M.M.), killed in

action near St. Quentin, on September l8, 1918;

brothers of Captain R. W. Jones (M.C., M.M.),

14th Battalion; also Arthur and Dorothy.

"Forever with the Lord."

-(Inserted by loving mother. Essendon.)

The Argus 10 April 1920

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1690383

 

No further years checked.

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