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Jones-R-W-Cpl-80 (redirected from Jones R W Cpl 80)

Page history last edited by Lenore Frost 1 year, 3 months ago

Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918

 

The young recruit: Reginald Walter Jones, aged 22, 1914, courtesy of the North

Essendon Methodist Church.

 

Jones R W     Cpl    80    Reginald Walter               14 Inf Bn    22    Electrician    Single    Meth       

Address:    Essendon, Shaftesbury St, 16 "Carnarvon"

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

Enlisted:    28 Sep 1914       

Embarked:     A38 Ulysses 22 Dec 1914   

Prior service:  6th Australian Infantry Regiment

Awards:  Military Medal, Military Cross.

 

Relatives on Active Service:

Jones L R Driver 141 brother KIA

Jones R L Col Sgt 79 brother KIA

 

Salome Jones, NOK

Salome Thwaites (1859- 1938) married Arthur Jones (b1858- 1910) in 1889. They had five children between 1890- 1897 and lived at Carnarvon 16 Shaftesbury St, Essendon. Arthur was an Inspector with the Metropolitan Board of Works but by 1906 had the first of several bouts of dementia leading to admissions to Royal Park and Kew Asylum where he died in 1910. Salome Jones was President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union Essendon Branch, 1907-11.

Courtesy of Marilyn Kenny

 

EGYPT

 

       14th Battalion Transport Waggons passing through Cairo, circa 1915.

 

This photo was taken in Cairo about 3 minutes after I bought the Camera.  In fact I had just come out of the shop, with Ray when looking up we saw the Transport Waggons of the 14th Batn passing, laden with the first lot of our stuff which is going on ahead of us.  It was taken just near the center of the City. 

 

Photo by Reg Jones, courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

In a letter to his brother at Essendon, Corporal Reg. W. Jones, of the 14th Battalion, writing from Heliopolis on  10/3/l5, says:-

 

"This afternoon we arrived back after short 24 miles tramp across the Desert in a temperature which in Australia would be  considered decidedly hot; besides which the sand and stone is  heated so that one would think there was a fire below. Then again the wind is right off the interior,  which is now heating up to some extent, and I guess if you went in for a swim, clothes and all, you would be dry again in less than 5 minutes. The British generals here say that we are now fit for service anywhere, and indeed we are just about to be put to the test. There is one little thing of which those in authority are afraid, and that is that, when once we are launched on the attack, there will be no holding us back. I was speaking to one of the "Tommies", and he remarked upon the spirit shown by the  Australians. He was down at the "scrap" on the Canal, and he says that an Australian came up  to a group of them, holding a large piece of shell in his hand, which had just ripped a big lump out of his shoulder and said, as though it were a joke; "Look what those beggars have done," Another thing they comment upon is the way the Australians stick together; they reckon we are all one, and to do a thing to one is to do it to All. As soon as we had had a wash the mail was delivered. Of course we forgot at once that we were tired, and I can tall you we were glad to get your letters and the newspapers, because we get hardly any news here.

"I speculated in a snapshot arrangement last Monday and took a few photos, out  Mena way.  One is Llew, on one of his "ragtime ponies" another is the 14th Battalion transport proceeding through Cairo [see above]. Then, again,  there are a couple of views of the Sphinx, with Ray and  Llew mounted on a couple of "old age pensioners".

 

Llew on the "ragtime pony".

 

Ray and Llew mounted on a couple of "old age pensioners".

 

"11/3/15/  Another day has gone - the worst I have ever known. We did not have a heavy day's work, as we only marched about 6 miles, and did three hours' shooting at the Abassieh rifle range; but the day at 9 am was as hot as any day I have previously known, and the dust was blown up by a gale of hot wind, and so thick was it that one could not see one's hand in front of one at times, and the sand was driven against one's face as if it were being lashed.

 

"In spite of the day, I did fair shooting, getting the possible for the first five shots, the target representing the head and shoulders of a man, 200 yards away. I placed three out of the next occasions I could not see for dust. In the course of our training, we frequently go out along the Canal road, passing some of the towers and buildings which Napoleon erected when he was here. They are, of course, rather old looking now, but nevertheless stand as marks of the great advance across Egypt, of one of the greatest generals who has ever lived We often do our skirmishes in the vicinity of one or other of these towers,  which are excellently placed for defensive purposes, and we have bivouaced for the night amongst the hills which surround them.  (The descriptions of a mimic night attack is here given,  but is too long for publication.)

 

Essendon Gazette 17 Jun 1915

 

 

Dorothy Mabel Jones, Reg's sister to whom he wrote the following letter from Heliopolis.

Courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

        

 

 

 

Reg Jones to his sister Dorothy from Heliopolis 13 March 1915 - transcript of above

The Cairo Young Men's Christian Association
with the
British and Colonial Forces in Egypt


Heliopolis
Egypt
13/3/1915


Dear Dorothy,

I received the two letters which you sent, the last one from Anglesea, & was glad to hear that you were having a good time.  We of course have seen much that is interesting since we left Australia, not the least being the sights we have seen here, nevertheless I can assure you that, interesting though it may be, it is at the same time accompanied by some of the hardest work which one could do.

Imagine marching across a dry, burning desert day after day, for distances ranging from 8 miles, on some days to over 25 on others at the same time carrying about 60 lbs of equipment, & never seeing a rain cloud in the sky, although we see clouds of dust & sands.  What is worse, have to swallow a good proportion of it, & get our eyes filled at the same time.

We have now been here for over 6 weeks, & during the whole of this time we have seen hardly a cloud, & now you can feel every day getting hotter. 


In reference to our work here I have described various incidents in connection therewith, in the letters I have sent home, so you will have a good idea of what we are doing; of course we have a constant change, one day it is a march of about 20 miles, to attack a position in the afternoon, then there are night marches, night attacks, nights on which we march out, & take up defensive positions, when we become the defenders, then at times we have the artillery firing over us while we advance to the attack, we at the same time using ball ammunition, which gives the show a very real appearance.

There is the sharp crack of the 18 pounder field pieces, followed by a hissing sound, as the shell rushes through the air, then a big cloud of smoke & flame, & the shell bursts into a thousand pieces, to be scattered among the enemy, then again there is the deep boom of the heavier guns, &* roaring through the air, a much louder report & still more damage when it explodes, then again, you can imagine the sound of thousands of rifles being discharged when you are right in firing line, then again a rattle like heavy hail falling on an iron roof, which means that a machine gun is in action.

Perhaps, as is sometimes the case, when we are being attacked by a supp[osed] force, above all the rest of the din there is a terrific explosion which shakes the earth  & sends up the dust like smoke from a bush fire, this means that a land mine has been exploded and would probably mean in actual war that hundreds, perhaps thousands have been killed.

Of course, the position on which the fire is directed, are held by targets, & when we come near enough [to] them, the artillery has to cease operation in that quarter, so that they do not hit us, then we advance as close as possible, then charge with the bayonet.

 

Letter courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

Postcard from Thebes sent home by Reg Jones.

 

Postcard from Reg Jones, transcription of above.

PS
We are having a jolly time here, despite the rough work, so you will see by our letter; we are all three in the best of health & spirits though we have much to see and interest us, we shall not be sorry to be back in dear old Victoria;  I can assure there is no place like it, the other places are interesting & some very pretty but they are not home & to my mind Melbourne is the nicest city it is possible to see.  Hope you are well & that it will not be long ere we see you again.

The Turks here have lost over 1000 men killed & about 5000 wounded & prisoners.

 

Photo by Reg Jones, courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

 

GALLIPOLI

 

Salome Elizabeth Jones, nee Thwaites, Reg's mother, to

whom he wrote the following letter from Gallipoli.

Courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

Letter from Reg to his mother from Gallipoli, 19 May 1915.

 

 

Letter from Reg to his mother from Gallipoli, 19 May 1915. Transcript of above.

19/5/1915

Dear Mother

You will of course have heard of our doings here & I need hardly say that our first real experience of war was pretty severe we having to lie out on the ground open to rifle, machine guns, firing & shrapnel for the first couple of days till we could dig ourselves in.

I have had some marvellous escapes at one time & another & as Ray can verify, though I did not take unnecessary risks yet I have done my full share in all that has been doing both in the firing line & out.

Everything went well for about 3 weeks, though I had been troubled with a slightly sprained ankle & sundry boils, when on Monday morning 17th May I had been firing continuously for about an hour and meeting with success when along came a dum dum bullet & gave me a clip on the left shoulder, but again by the intervention of Providence I was lucky because had the bullets struck a little deeper I should probably have been minus an arm, as it is a few weeks will see me as fit as ever.  

Up to the time I was knocked I had been able to account for 20 Turks in the three weeks.  Just before I got hit a chap (Sgt Mahony*) who had been firing alongside me had just ducked down as a bullet ripped a sand bag where his head had been also sundry other bullets had been zip zaping on the banks all round us, after this he changed his position where I kept on and got plugged about four minutes after.

I went down to the Doctor to get the wound dressed & while there word came down that this same chap had been killed having been shot through the head.

When firing you have to keep your eyes about you because the enemy trenches extend from about 20 yards in front of us back as far as it is possible to see so that one has to watch the whole lot if one is to successfully keep the enemy under cover & of course as soon as you see a head you must be ready to fire or they will get the drop on you, once this happens it is you who must be wary.

It is marvellous the way you get used to the sound of the bullets wizzing past, and also to the shrapnel exploding on all sides; one hardly takes any notice of either until he stops one or the other, then the chaps as a rule display great fortitude & endurance which does the Australians credit.

Of course as to the fighting qualities they are unsurpassed though they are inclined to be reckless, but then the Turks get the worst of the bargain as testified by a glance in front of our trenches.

I have explained in previous letters the difficulties & also the beauties of the place especially at this time of the year, one can almost imagine it as an Australian spring.

Ray was alright when I left & Llew is still with his horses at Alexandria for reasons before mentioned.
Your affec. son
Reg

 

*Lance Sergeant James Anthony Mahoney, 14 Inf Bn, was killed in action on 17 May 1915. He was aged 28, a labourer from Hawthorn.

 

 

Corporal R. W. Jones, of Essendon, has been promoted to sergeant, and news has been received that he has been wounded for the second time. The first time necessitated eight weeks in Lemnos Hospital; and he is now in Malta, being taken there on 22nd August. Sgt. R. L. Jones (brother) is reported ill in hospital at Malta.


WITH THE COLOURS. (1915, September 9). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 5 Edition: Morning.. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74590028

 

Essendon Gazette, 7 October  1915, 

 

In his last letter home, Sergeant Reg. W. Jones tells of the great work performed by his battalion (the 14th) on the day of landing; also relates how the late Corporal Bowen (one of his Essendon mates) fell. After acknowledgments, etc., he goes on to say:-"You want to know if I still have my camera. I have not, because, at the first landing we just had to drop everything except our absolute necessities, such as rifle, bayonet, ammunition, water and food. The other things which were in our packs were cast off, and we had then to indulge in a rather long sprint with fixed bayonets, up "Shrapnel Gully," some times between hills which rose up on either side so steeply that only one at a time could pass, and even then through mud nearly up to our knees. We arrived at the top of "Quinn's Post" just in time to repulse a heavy attack by the Turks, who had been attacking frequently all the morning, so that our troops defending this part had become so thinned, that at most only one man for about every eight or ten yards could be mustered; even then these chaps had just made a final counter charge against the Turks who had fled. But on our chaps retiring through inferiority in numbers, the Turks were advancing again, after having been heavily reinforced, and we were just in time to give them "sox." The relief to these poor chaps was great, so great that some just lay down and sobbed; they had almost given up hope, yet had not conceded one foot of ground. Even with our company as reinforcements, we were outnumbered greatly; but we continued to hold on till Thursday afternoon, 29th April (four days), when we were relieved by the 15th and 16th Battalions. These first few days were the worst, on account of our not being able to entrench, because of the enemy's repeated attacks, and the heavy shrapnel rifle and machine gun fire to which we were exposed; so heavy was this that at one time I was surrounded by our poor chaps, scarcely one of whom was not wounded, and many had breathed their last. It was here that Viv. Garner,  Jim Bowen, Gus Greenham, Dave Wren, and many others went down, the latter three, with many others, were killed, as you will know. It was for hanging on to this position with just one company that our Major Rankine received his D.S.O. Of course, after the first few days, we settled. down and gave the Turks a little back with compound interest, and we are now, at time of writing, expecting to give them "sox" again. It seems that they have been reinforced by the addition of 100,000 troops, and we are anticipating a great effort on their part to drive us from our position, but I think they will get rather a big surprise when they make the attack, which will, I think, be the last great offensive move on the part of the enemy. (This refers to the fighting which began early in August.) I was able to get discharged from hospital a little earlier than I at first thought, as the hospital staff was changed, and the new doctor allowed me to leave the day after he took over.  I left on the afternoon of the 10th July, at about 5 p.m., and arrived off the peninsula at about 2 a.m. the following morning, was transferred to a lighter and taken ashore, arriving there just before dawn. I then noticed, coming down the hills towards the shore, a body of troops, and being unable to see them clearly, enquired who they were, and learned they were the 14th Battalion, who were about to leave for a short spell of a few days, so I immediately joined my company and re-embarked. We put off to a small island in the vicinity of the peninsula, on which we spent four days, after which we returned, and I am at present installed in Ray's (his brother's) dug out, alone, as Ray left yesterday for Malta, he being a little run down after the long spell (13 weeks) in the firing line."

 

KILLED. (1915, October 7). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 5 Edition: Morning.. Retrieved January 16, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74590291

 

 

EGYPT

 

Lieutenant R. W. Jones, of Shaftesbury street, Essendon, has steadily risen from the time he enlisted in October, 1914, as a private to the rank of lieutenant, which he has recently gained. His record is as follows:-He enlisted in October, 1914 as a private; in December of that year he received his corporal's stripes. On June 1st, 1915, after 5 weeks of active service on Gallipoli, he was promoted to sergeant. He saw six days of the severest fighting, from August 6th to 12th (Lone Pine and Suvla Bay battles), when he received his second wound. Returning to Anzac in November, he was placed in charge of the bomb throwers, which position he held till the evacuation. When the troops returned to Egypt he received recognition for his services by being advanced to the rank of Company Sergeant-Major. After a rest, the Battalion proceeded to the east of the Canal, and began training strenuously for the next field of battle. 

 

Here he was made Regimental Sergeant-Major, which position he has held for the last couple of months. Now word has been received that the young soldier has obtained a commission.

 

R.A.M.C. and V.A.D. (1916, June 15). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 5 Edition: Morning.. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74593208

 

 

ENGLAND

 

Letter from Reg Jones to brother Arthur from No 3 General Hospital,

Wandsworth, 8 July 1916

 

 

 

 

Letter from Reg Jones to brother Arthur from No 3 General Hospital,

Wandsworth, 8 July 1916, transcription of above

Letter 1
3rd London General Hospital
Wandworth July 8th 1916

Dear Arthur,

The last time I wrote home, I was at that time billeted in France just near the firing line, & as I mentioned, had just returned from a Sniping School, at which I had put in 6 days, during which time i had an excellent holiday & came in contact with officers from Canada New Zealand United Kingdom as well as Australia & a jolly nice lot of chaps they were.

Though I cannot give you the names of the places yet I can tell you of our surroundings; we left the place where we had been billeted at about midday on the 17th June & went by bus to a place about 10 miles distant.


I think in previous letters I have endeavoured to give some idea of the beauties of the country here so will not reiterate; but after winding & traversing in among the hills for some time I saw we were heading for a very large hill, in fact the highest in this part of the Country; on the top of this hill was a large monastry, which is now used as a hospital.

After a little while we arrived at the top of this hill & found that the Sniping School was situated there; the Mess & living room being near the Monastry on top of the hill (it is about 900 ft high) while the rifle ranges were a little bit away.

You can imagine after the dull monotony of the W'town [Williamstown] ranges what it must be to shoot across valleys, the ranges being placed in hop gardens, Vineyards etc while below between you and the targets is a pretty little stream.

The Targets are about half way up the opposite hill & are framed in beautiful green crops, enclosed by hedge; on our side we have the lower or nearer range in the centre of a hop garden;  the next in the middle of a vineyard & so on, till the last is right on top of the hill & from it you get a magnificent view.

We are, as I said in the highest point around & we look to the North & can see right out to the sea at Dunkirk then right down the line till just about East we see a few miles away all that is left of Ypres & the Cloth Hall, further down to Armentieres till the view is lost in the mist; then in the rear is a beautiful panorama of the country out to Calais & Boulogne a truly magnificent sight.

At night we are treated to a great fireworks display, the guns can be seen firing & the shells bursting right along the line;  it is hard to realise this sight without seeing it, I say this because I remember how little I realised at one time what a bombardment was like.

You have seen the lightening flashing up & down the sky here there & everywhere with amazing swiftness, well this is somewhat similar, except that, of course from our distance the individual flashes are not nearly so bright but the effect is the same;  the background is pitch black & there are these lights shooting about everywhere.

We are about 10 miles from the nearest point of the firing line so that the noise of individual guns is not noticeable, except in the case of the heavy pieces, the smaller guns giving out a loud continuous rumble like thunder.

We enough of this I must soon close;  we put in six days ie till the 23rd June & then I returned to rejoin the Battn which had meanwhile shifted nearer to the firing line.

I had no sooner arrived than I was informed that I was to take my platoon out to the trenches on the following day June 24th, this I did having written a letter home just previously to going out.

On arrival at the trenches we were greeted with the sound & sight of a heavy bombardment which continued from thense onward with more or less intensity up till the time I was hit, however more of this later.

I have decided to Number my letters & they will more or less be a continuous narrative, though may be addressed to either yourself mother or Dorothy.

The wound is progressing favourably & I will be alright again soon.

Your,.

Reg

 

FRANCE

 

         "Four of the Boys"  August 1916

Officers of the 14th Battalion, Paris, August 1916.  Left to right: Lt George McKay Williamson;

Lt Harold Boyd Wanliss, DSO (seated left); Lt Reginald Walter (Reg) Jones, MM; Lt Joseph (Joe)

Mackay (seated right).  Courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

The back of the above postcard, with signatures of the four officers.  The back of the card

shows that the photo was taken in Paris.   Reg sent it to his brother Arthur.

 

Letter from Reg Jones in France to brother Arthur Sept 11th 1916

 

 

Letter from Reg Jones to brother Arthur, Sep 11th 1916, transcription of above.

Sept 11th 1916
France

Dear Arthur,

I am not yet with the Battn but am at present @ our Base; I cannot say precisely when I will be going up as they do not let you go when you want to, but when they think it fit to send you, but however i think I ought soon to rejoin.  In the meantime I have not received any letters since those written in April so you can guess I don't know much home news, however it will possibly be the more acceptible when I receive it.

Now about this military stunt, things seem to be going fairly well, though I think some people think "the great push" is rather slow, so it is, but its sure & its no good breaking through if those who break through are cut off as has happened previously.  One may say look at Russia, undoubtedly she is doing marvellously well, but the reason her movements are so rapid & sweeping is this, in the first place she has unlimited resources in men, & so have we in comparison with the Central Powers, but there is this big difference that where as, on the West the line is continuous & like one huge fortress, difficult to break through at any point, the Eastern front is not so, there are gaps in it, then again on the West the Germans have a concentration of about 8000 men to the mile or nearly 5 men to the yard while on the East they have only 2000 men to the mile or a little over one to the yard.

Now it amounts to this the Russians can get as large, or a larger concentration of men than we can (but not of guns) yet they are not opposed by the same concentration of Huns;  this was at one time counterbalanced by the lack of co-ordination of the Allies, enabling Germany to shift troops too and fro but now the Huns dare not shift troops from the West because they can at present hardly hold the Allies.

Now the present scheme works this way  Germany's hands are full everywhere, she is on the defensive entirely, though even yet she may be able to make a small offensive demonstration somewhere, now that Hindenburg is boss of the board, but it would do nothing except to temporarily hearten the German people & help use up the Hun reserves which is just what we are after.

The pressure is great but it is going to be greater & gradually by increasing in strength will weaken the Hun resistance everywhere by using up their reserves, till finally the pressure all round is so intense that somewhere the line snaps, & being hopelessly engaged everywhere it will mean a rapid move back from the point where the break takes place. which will mean a rapid retreat of the whole line to a new & shorter line in rear & this is just the beginning of the end.

This Somme stunt is big, the biggest in the world's history & though we have not got a great number of prisoners or captured a great deal of ground, yet we are outfighting an equal concentration of the German's best troops & moving forward thereby lessening his morale.  It is essentially a push, a bending of the line, gradually blasting them back from position to position, the fighting is consequently fierce & little quarter given.

Now in reference to the artillery, it is possible they may show Somme pictures in Australia, I saw them in England, some people cried out against them being shown, but they were mild & can give no conception of the real fighting, if the pictures I saw, there was shown for a couple of seconds a real bit artillery fire but that was the only time any concentrated fire was show, yet that concentration continues one  part after another continuously, till the ground is churned up to dust, such is modern artillery fire.

I said we were not breaking but bending the line on the Somme, well that is quite a large stunt but there will be others on this front as big or bigger & unless the Huns can meet it quick & effectively they are going to jump back in a hurry;  that is how things stand, one must not say we have got so much ground or that if we have taken so long to do apparently ......

 

Arthur Samuel George Jones, Reg's eldest brother to whom he wrote

the letter above.  Courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reg Jones.

 

 

SUPPLEMENT TO THE EDINBURGH GAZETTE, AUGUST 2T, 1917,   p 1813

Military Cross

 

Capt. Reginald Walter Jones, Infy.  For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. At great personal risk he crossed the open under heavy machine-gun fire and reconnoitred a farm which consisted of a mass of concrete gun emplacements, afterwards returning and organising a bombing party with which he captured and consolidated the position. He  also captured three enemy guns and a large quantity of ammunition. This operation  resulted in an advance of 800 yards into hostile territory, and he displayed the greatest  tactical skill and judgment throughout.

 

The Argus 25 September 1917

 

HONOURS:—JONES, Captain Reginald Walter,  14th Battalion,  of Essendon, awarded Military Cross. Near Messines, after crossing 800 yards of ground which was being swept by bursts of machine-gun fire, and by snipers, and returning over the same area, he organised a small bombing party, led them forward, and established a position.  From there, by means of machine-gun fire he  dislodged several snipers, and seized three enemy 77 M M guns, two of which were intact, and a large quantity of ammunition. His operation resulted in an  advance of about 800 yards into hostile territory.  He already has the Military Medal for services on Gallipoli.

 

 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1651630

 

 

 

CAPT. R. W. JONES, M.C.

 

MILITARY CROSS WON
Defying death and German machine guns and snipers, Captain Reginald
Walter Jones, of the 14th Battalion achieved what he set out to do at
Messines, and has been awarded the Military Cross. This is the second
honor he has won, he having [gained] the Military Medal on Gallipoli.
Captain Jones is a son of Mrs S Jones, Shaftesbury street, Essendon.
On the afternoon of June 12 Captain Jones went out alone to
reconnoitre Gapaard Farm. He [had to] cross over 500 yards of ground [which] was being swept by machine-gun [fire] and snipers from the left flank.


Regardless of the great danger, advanced to the farm, which con...
of a mass of concrete gun emplacements well wired. He thoroughly
examined the ruins and then returned across the open ground. At once [he] organised a small bombing party, [taking] it forward, and established a position in the farm.


From there, by means of machine-gun fire, he dislodged several snipers [from] the trees in front and seized three [enemy] guns, two of which were intact, [and] a large quantity of ammunition. .... seeing his party well consolidated [in] its advanced post he returned al[one to] his headquarters in the green [line and] sent bank a most complete and ... report on the country occupied. [The]
operation resulted, in an advance [of] about 800 yards into hostile [terrritory].


He also considerably improved and organised his main line, though ....
24 hours In occupation. Throughout the whole of the [opera]tion Captain Jones displayed [the] greatest tactical skill and judgement.

 

MILITARY CROSS WON (1917, October 8). The Herald

(Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 4.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242479811

 

BELGIUM

 

14 Battalion Officers taken in March 1918 in Belgium. Reg is in the front row, 6th in from the right of the photograph.

Photo courtesy of Reg's granddaughter, Brenda Noonan.

 

ENGLAND

 

 

During one of his periods of convalescence in England, Reg met the young Voluntary

Aid Detachment (VAD) Kathleen Norma Kenney.    Kathleen appears to be showing

off her engagement ring in this photo, presumably taken in 1917.

 

 

Kathleen sent this photo to her sister in Canada, writing on the back of it "Photo of Kitty and

Reg taken outside the Palace after he had been decorated by King George in 1918... Captain Reginald Walter Jones".  Reg and Kitty had married on 31 December 1917, and the presentation of his medal was on 16 January 1918.  Photo courtesy of Reg's granddaughter, Brenda Noonan.

 

 

 

MARRIAGES.

JONES-KENNEY.--On the 31st December, 1917, at St. Nicholas', Rochester, England, by the Vicar, Rev. W. J. Gray, Major Reginald Walter, M.C., second son of the late Mr. Arthur and Mrs. S. E. Jones, of "Carnarvon," Shaftesbury street, Essendon, to Kathleen Eleanor, third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kenney, of Rochester, Kent, England. Celebrated quietly.

 

Family Notices. (1918, March 21). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 2 Edition: Morning.. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74605443

 

 

Captain Reg Jones in England, 1918.  Courtesy of Brenda Noonan.

 

Captain Reginald Walter Jones, of Essendon (14th Battalion), who is the holder of Military Medal for services at Gallipoli, has been mentioned in despatches for conspicuous bravery displayed in France. He went out alone to reconnoitre a certain farm and had to cross over 800 yards of ground, which was being swept by bursts of machine gun fire and snipers. Regardless of the great danger, he advanced to the farm, which consisted of a mass of concrete gun emplacements well wired, knowing that he night at any moment have met with certain death. He thoroughly examined the ruins and then returned across the open ground. At once he organised a small bombing party, led them forward an[d] established a position in the farm. From there, by means of gun fire, he dislodged several snipers from the trees in front and seized three enemy 77-in. guns, two of which were intact and a large quantity of ammunition. After seeing his party well consolidated in their advanced post he returned alone to his headquarters in the green line and sent back a most complete and lucid report on the country occupied. This operation resulted in an advance of about 800 yards into hostile territory. He also most considerably improved and re-organised the main line, though only 24 hours in occupation. Throughout the whole operation Capt. Jones displayed the greatest tactical skill and judgment, "and," said the commanding officer, "I cannot too highly recommend him."

 

OUR SOLDIERS. (1918, April 4). The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter (Moonee Ponds, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 3 Edition: Morning. Retrieved June 8, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74605559

 

WELCOMING "Y" LIST
CAPT. R.W. JONES, M.C., M.M., AMONG THE MEDAL WINNERS
STRONG POSTS ARRANGED

 
Officers and men In List Y are assured of a warm welcome when
they disembark at 10.30 a.m. to morrow, and are swept by motor
cars along the processional route to the city and Victoria Barracks.

Captain G. J. C. Dyett, organising secretary of the State Recruiting
Committee, and the members of the Committee have made excellent

arrangements for the reception.  Strong posts will be established at
Port Melbourne, where the Domain Camp Band will play; at the Post Office,
Bourke and Elizabeth streets; the Town Hall, Commercial Travellers'
Club. Returned Soldiers' Association Rooms, St Paul's Cathedral, and the
Flinders street Railway Station. At each place bands and choirs will give
musical welcomes to the returning troops, who include Captain Reginald
W. Jones, M.C., M.M.. and other recipients of honors.....

 

Capt. Reginald W. Jones. M.C., M.M.
14th Btn. This officer, who has had a particularly gallant career, was born at St.
Kilda in 1891, and was an electrician by occupation. Prior to going to the front he
lived at Essendon. He enlisted as a private in October, 1914, and went through
the Gallipoli campaign, where he gained the Military Medal as a corporal. He subsequently went to France, and secured his commission on April 6, 1916, his lieutenancy four months later, and his captaincy on March 15, 1917. He won the Military Cross at Gapaard Farm, near Messines, where, after crossing 800 yards of ground which was being swept by bursts of machine-gun fire and by snipers, he returned over the same area, organised a small bombing party and led them forward under a hail of fire, and established the position. Then, by means of machine-gun fire, he dislodged several snipers from the trees which they were occupying, captured three 77 m.m. Ger
man guns, two of which were intact, and a quantity of ammunition. His operation resulted in an advance of about 800 yards into hostile territory. He also considerably improved and re-organised his main line, although only 24 hours in occupation. He was in most of the important battles in France in which the Australians took part, and has been wounded five times, the last occasion being at Passchendaele Ridge, in October of last year. For a time he was with the 4th Training Btn. in England. He had two brothers with him in the 14th Btn., one of whom, Sgt. Raymond Jones, was killed in action at Bullecourt on April 11, 1917, after 2 1/2 years' service in Galllpoli, at Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, and Bapaume, the other, Pte. Llewellyn R. Jones, being still on active service in France. Capt. Jones is a son of Mrs Salome Elizabeth and the late Arthur Jones, of Carnarvon, 10 Shaftesbury street, Essendon.

 

WELCOMING "Y" LIST (1918, May 29). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved April 11, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242522328

 

ESSENDON

 

Kathleen and Reg Jones in Essendon, 1919. Courtesy of Brenda Noonan.

 

MELBOURNE

 

The 1920 photograph is of Reg at Victoria Barracks in 1918, after his time in New Guinea. He was a Provost Marshall, and was based at Victoria Barracks during 1919-1920.  Courtesy of Brenda Noonan, granddaughter of Reginald Jones.

 

 

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

 

EARLY DAYS ON THE PENINSULA. 1915—May 1 to May 18.

During the early days on the Peninsula Turkish snipers, by their daring and skill, had caused serious losses in our ranks. Sniping had never formed part of the battalion training, but it was taken in hand seriously by some of the more daring spirits about a week after the landing. The brigade assault of May 2 to 3, though unsuccessful, disturbed the Turkish positions and caused the enemy to send reinforcements to that locality. This enabled our men to do some excellent shooting, and gradually they wore the Turkish snipers down C S.M. Quirk, L.-Sgt Mahoney and Cpls Lewis, Howard, Reg. Jones and others took an active part m this work On May 17 Jones was severely wounded on the left shoulder by a sniper who was lying in wait in the scrub close to our lines.  p 39

 

MISCELLANEOUS DUTIES. 1915—August 9 to August 13

During this spell, Corporal Reg Jones (whose aggressive spirit was always active) formed a sniping position known as the "shooting gallery," capable of holding four men, from which a great deal of very effective shooting was done, and much damage  inflicted on the enemy. The Turks across the Dere were carrying bushes to erect a screen behind which to dig, and provided many good targets. Corporal Lewis and others were specially active here The Turks, however, located the post on August 12 (through the presence of some staff officers who had made use of it temporarily as an observation post), and Jones was wounded that same afternoon in such a way as to prevent him from effectively sniping again. His intelligence and courage already stamped him as one of the very finest soldiers the A.I F ever possessed. He had done yeoman sniping work for the Battalion, and personally accounted for upwards of fifty Turks since his arrival on the Peninsula. p 66

 

EGYPT. THE BIRTH OF THE FOURTH DIVISION. 1916—January 1 to May 31

The permanent loss of so many veterans was a great blow to the battalion, but the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th reinforcements joined with many new officers, including Lieuts W R Wadsworth and B T Smith, and 2nd-Lieuts J Mackay, M R Walker, A. T. Harvey, H. B. Wanliss, C R. T Cole, and H S. Dobbie. Some well-deserved promotions to commissioned rank took place, including C.S.M.'s  B. Roderick and Albert Jacka, V.C, and Sgts. A.  Williamson, R W Jones, M M ; N. Wilson, R D. Julian, A R. Dean, and J S Rogers. p 95

 

INITIAL DAYS IN FRANCE.

On June 29 the rearguard which had been left at Marseilles rejoined the battalion. On the same date Lieut Reg. Jones (who with two other ranks had just  returned from a sniping school) was appointed battalion sniping and scout officer, and immediately commenced the organisation of the sniping section. Unfortunately it was short lived, for that same evening Jones was detailed to take out a party to protect the right flank of a 6th Brigade raiding  party,  operating on the left of the battalion sector  Jones was severely wounded during the raid, but characteristically refused to have his wounds attended to until he had written out his report. One member of his party was overlooked, and lay for two days in No Man's Land. p110

 

PREPARATION AND TRAINING. 1917.—February 8 to April 8.

Some well-deserved promotions among commissioned ranks took place during March, probably the three finest subalterns the battalion ever had being appointed captains, viz., the adjutant, Lieut. Harold Wanliss, D.S.O. (on Captains. the 6th), and Lieuts. Reg. Jones, M.M., and Albert Jacka, V.C., M.C. (on the 13th). p 186

 

MESSINES. 1917—May 30 to June 26.

Jones's work on the right was equally good He crossed nearly 800 yards swept by machine-gun and snipers' fire, and examined the rums of Gapaard farm, knowing that it meant almost certain death if the farm should happen to be tenanted by a hidden enemy. He then returned to his company, and led forward a small party which occupied the farm, shot down several snipers from the trees in front, and seized three enemy field guns and a large quantity of ammunition Jones also established a line of outposts and improved and re-organised his main line Jones' and Jacka's activities resulted in an advance of the Battalion nearly half a mile into hostile territory, the work of these two intrepid and able officers being typical of Australian commissioned officers' work at its very best.

pp 221-222

 

PLOEGSTEERT AND GAPAARD. 1917—June 27 to August 31

The first fortnight in August witnessed some changes among the Battalion officers Capt Reg. Jones ("Jones of the 14th") was promoted to be Assistant Brigade Major of the 12th Brigade takes a place in the very front of the 14th Battalion officers.  An Original, he enlisted as a private, but his ability soon brought him to the front. A deadly rifle shot, he did much effective sniping on the PeninsulaHe had been wounded several times, but it never altered his outlook on life. He was noted for his daring in a Brigade of brave men, but his daring was always controlled by intelligence. Much scouting and reconnaissance work must be placed to his credit during his long and honourable career with the Battalion.  pp 230-231

 

 

 

THE LAST WAR WINTER. 1917-1918—November 16 to February 28.

General Headquarters was anticipating a German attack on a big scale. On the 25th Capt. Reg. Jones rejoined the unit. The return of that experienced and intrepid veteran was welcomed by all ranks. p 262

 

HEBUTERNE. 1918—March 1 to April 24

On the 15th Major H A. Crowther, D S O , assumed command of the Battalion, Major Johnston, D.S O., taking over the duties of senior major. On the same date Capt. Reg Jones finally evacuated the 14th for return to Australia. It would be difficult to estimate the value of his services to the Battalion. The 14th, like every unit, had its share of incompetents, but there passed through its ranks three or four officers unsurpassed by any in the A.I F. Reg Jones was one of them. p 264

 

 

 

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR GALLANT PADRE, 1944

At St George's Presbyterian Church, East St Kilda, last night, when a memorial service was conducted in honour of Padre Gillison, who was killed while assisting wounded on Gallipoli, the large congregation included many members of the 14th Battalion, and representatives of St Kilda and Prahran councils. The speaker was Captain R. W. Jones, who said that Padre Gillison's life was a fine example of Christian faith and all that it stood for, and his death, like that of Christ on Calvary, was a sacrifice showing that "greater love than this hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friends".

 

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR GALLANT PADRE. (1944, August 21). The Argus, p. 2.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11357439

 

Jones gave evidence in a Coroner's enquiry into a shooting at Victoria Barracks while Jones was officer in charge of the guard there.   AFFRAY AT BARRACKS. (1919, August 22). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 8. Retrieved January 12, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4702497

 

 

Mentioned in Correspondence:

Jones R L Col Sgt 79  Letter to mother from Heliopolis 17/3/1915

Barton F S Pte 932 letter to father published in Essendon Gazette 21 Sep 1916

Jones R L Col Sgt 79 report published in Essendon Gazette 24 May 1917

 

Mentioned in this publication:

Sparkies at War, 1914-1918, by Ken Purdham, pp  6, 7, 17, 20, 21, 25, 27 (pic), 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 43, 44, 53, 54, 56, 62, 71, 73, 80, 108 (pic), 113, 118 (pic), 123.

 

 War Service Commemorated, 

Essendon Town Hall F-L,  

North Essendon Methodi st Church

Essendon State School (Jones W)

Essendon Gazette Roll of Honour With the Colours (Capt)

Regimental Register

Welcome Home 7 Nov 1918

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

 

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