Rifleman R/5810 Arthur Jones, 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. Killed in action, 12 January 1915, aged 33.

Arthur is commemorated on the Abergele War Memorial. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 32 and 33, Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

He was the oldest son of the late Canon Thomas and Fanny Jones, of 14, Rhiw Bank Terrace, Colwyn Bay. Canon Thomas Jones had for many years prior to the war been rector of Abergele. Arthur was born in Ruabon, grew up in Abergele and enlisted in London. His youngest brother, Edgar Wilkinson Jones, was killed in 1917. His other brother, Frank Marsingale Jones was a Captain in the 9th Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was mentioned in dispatches June 1916. Frank died in Bedfordshire in 1957.

Arthur enlisted into the King’s Royal Rifle Corps in London on 13 October 1914. He was not new to the soldiers life, having served in South Africa (the Boer War) for over a year. For this he held the Queen’s South Africa Medal, with five clasps. At the time of his enlistment he was unmarried, 33 years old, 5′ 9″ tall with brown hair and worked as a Clerk. He gave his next of kin as his mother, Fanny, with an address, at that time, of ‘The Vicarage, Abergele‘.

He was at Winchester by 17 October 1914 and was posted to the 6th (Reserve) Battalion of the KRRC that was in training there. Given his experience in South Africa, his training was more of a refresher course and he was swiftly made available for overseas service. This came on 22 November 1914 when he was posted to the 2nd KRRC in France, disembarking there on 23 November 1914. 2nd KRRC had been part of the original BEF and had been involved in battle at Mons, Etreux, the Marne, the Aisne, Chivy and, most recently, the First Battle of Ypres. It was in desperate need of reinforcements.

Arthur was posted as ‘missing believed killed‘ 12 January 1915. His death on that date was accepted for official purposes on 28 March 1916, a move apparently prompted by a letter of enquiry written by Arthur’s mother on 1 March 1916. No further details as to what happened to Arthur on 12 January 1915 are available.