Pte 32479 Richard Jones

Richard Jones was born in about 1879 in Smethwick, near Birmingham, the son of Richard Price Jones. It has not been possible to trace his mother, or his early life, but a birth registration suggests her maiden name may have been Davis.
 

At some point the family moved to Liverpool. His father was a publican.

The 1891 Census shows the family living at 7 Vane St, Kensington, Liverpool. His father Richard is a widower aged 51, and is employed as a manager of refreshments and was born in Liverpool, He has four children at the time of the Census being taken; John 14 is an office boy, Richard  is aged 12, Frank aged 10 and Katherine aged 8 are all at school. His siblings were all born Birmingham.

On the 1901 Census Richard is boarding with the Peers family at 38 Longfellow St, Bootle. The head Robert H. Peers is aged 34, born 1867 and employed as a tram conductor and was born in Liverpool. His wife Sarah also aged 34 and born in Liverpool, has no occupation listed. They have one son Harold aged 6, born 1895 in Liverpool. Richard is aged 22, and employed as a tram conductor. 

On 4th May 1903, when he was 24 years old, Richard married Ethel Grace Gabriel, aged 20, in St. Leonard’s Church, Bootle.  He gave his occupation as tram guard and his address as 6 Hornby Boulevard, Litherland.

Their daughter Ethel Grace was born on 23rd February 1907, followed by a son, Norman, on 07th November 1909. Another daughter, Elsie Verdun, was born on 15th May 1917.

 

His father appears to have died in 1905, aged 66, occupation publican, residence 28 Moss Grove, Toxteth Park. 

 

In 1911 Richard and his family are living at 13 Ruthven Road, Litherland. He is 32, employed as a school attendance officer for the Lancashire Education Committee.  Ethel, born in Sydney, Australia, is 27, daughter Ethel is 4, and Norman is 1.  

 

Richard enlisted in Liverpool as Private 22436, 20th (Pals) Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he served for 33 months, enlisting in late 1914.

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 07^th November 1915.

He was later transferred to the 7th Loyal North Lancs Regiment, with regimental number 32479, and subsequently to the 10th Battalion of the Loyal North Lancs.

 

Richard was declared Missing on 22nd March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive, and his death later assumed to have occurred on 23rd March 1918.

 

Soldiers’ Effects notes that he died as a POW, but a search of the International Red Cross records shows the following:

JONES, Richard

Pte No. 32479 "C" Coy Entrenching Battalion, Royal Field Artillery, late Loyal North Lancashire Regiment B.E.F., missing 23.3.18 France.

Rep: Mrs E.G.Jones (Wife) 11 Penrhyn Avenue, Litherland.

Found dead with stomach wounds on battlefied. Identification disc handed in from Sanitary Company 23.3.18 

If Richard was buried after being found as described on the IRC notes, his grave was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated amongst the names of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment on the Arras Memorial at Bay 7.

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Trenchard, Marshal of the Royal Air Force on the 31 July 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 15 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until July).

 

A notation on his pension card dated 20th January 1919 states “Now pres. dead”

 

His children were 11, 8, and 1 year old when Richard was killed.  

Ethel received his Army effects and a War Gratuity of £15-10s and was awarded a pension of £1-9s-7d from November 1918 for herself and three children.  

She married Francis B. Williams in 1920 and later emigrated to Canada. The pension card shows Ethel Grace Williams, c/o Mr. Gabriel, 11 Regent Avenue,  West Mount, Notre Dame de Grace, Montreal.

 

Ethel, again widowed, died in 1960 in Smiths Falls, Ontario.  His daughter Ethel married and settled in Otter Lake, Quebec. His son Norman settled in Montreal, and his youngest daughter Elsie lived in Smiths Falls.

 

Sadly, Richard had not been identified on any memorial.

 

We currently have no further information on Richard Jones. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.

Garateful thanks are extended to Norm Jones in Canada the grandson of Richard, for permission to use the wonderful photograph of Richard and his family now on this site.