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Gunner Richard Francis Jones

Description

TitleGunner Richard Francis JonesSummaryA soldier in World War One. DescriptionRichard was born 17 February 1885 at Glenroy, son of Richard and Rebecca (nee Bennison) Jones. Before enlisting he was a farm hand for Mr L. A. Phillips at Windwhistle. He was 5ft 10in tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. He also had two moles, one on his calf and the other on his chest.

He enlisted 18 October 1915 and was assigned to the 9th Reinforcements Canterbury Mounted Rifles, C Squadron but was later reassigned to the Field Artillery. He embarked with them on 8 January 1916, on board the Maunganui and disembarked in Suez on 12 February 1916. After a time in Egypt he embarked for France on board the Haverford arriving on 16th April in Marseilles. The Arras Offensive on the Western Front began on the 9 April running through to the 16 June 1917. The Allied objectives were to draw German troops away from the ground chosen for the French attack and to take the German-held high ground that dominated the plain of Douai. Richard suffered a gun-shot wound to the head which penetrated the cranium as well as a simple fracture of his right tibia on 14 April. He was taken to the 2nd Australian clearing station but died the next day, aged 32, at Steenwerck. He was buried at Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck. In New Zealand he is remembered on the Glenroy War Memorial.

Steenwerck village remained untouched for much of the First World War, but on 10 April 1918 it was captured by the Germans and remained in their possession until the beginning of October. Trois-Arbres passed into German hands a day later than Steenwerck, after a rearguard defence by the 34th Division. The site for Trois Arbres Cemetery was chosen for the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station in July 1916, and Plot 1 and the earlier rows of Plot II, were made and used by that hospital until April 1918. A few further burials were made in the cemetery after the German withdrawal at the end of 1918 and after the Armistice, graves were brought into it from the battlefields of Steenwerck, Nieppe, Bailleul and Neuve-Eglise. There are now 1,704 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 435 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to ten casualties known or believed to be buried among them. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.First NameRichard FrancisLast NameJonesFamilySingleSon of Richard and Rebecca (nee Bennison) JonesDate of Birth17 February 1885Place of BirthGlenroyDate of Death15 April 1917Place of DeathFranceCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death32

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CollectionSoldiers of Selwyn World War OnePlaceGlenroy Last edited by: Sarah Davy

ImageTrois Arbres CemeteryWar Memorial Glenroy/WindwhistleMore InformationAuckland War Memorial Cenotaph

Military Service

Memorial or CemeteryTrois Arbres CemeteryGlenroy War Memorial Occupation before EnlistingFarm HandRegiment or ServiceNew Zealand Field ArtilleryEnlistment Details18th October 1915Service Number7/2054 Rank Last HeldGunnerEmbarkation8th January 1916TransportMaunganuiCountryNew Zealand

Attribution

Researched ByL. M. Seaton

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Gunner Richard Francis Jones