Private 514915 Joseph Jones
Died Home on Friday, 1st November 1918, age 20.
Buried in Grave B. "C." 471a at Tipton Cemetery, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
208th Area Employment Corps, Labour Corps, att. 5th Mobile Veterinary Section.
Formerly 41097, 4th Bn. Bedfordshire Regiment.
Son of Mrs Elizabeth Jones, of 21 Upper Church Lane, Summerhill, Tipton, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Tipton, Resident: Unknown.
First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.
Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because his grave was found in Tipton Cemetery.
Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/395350/
Genealogical Data
1901 Census
No trace.
1911 Census
81 Loversall Street, Denaby Main, Rotherham, Yorkshire.
Joseph Jones (40, Coal Miner - Hewer, born Tipton), his wife Elizabeth (44, born Tipton), and their 5 children: Mary Elizabeth (15, Bottle Washer in Glass Works, born Tipton), Joseph (12, born Tipton), Hannah Maria (7, born Denaby Main, Yorkshire), May (3, born Denaby Main, Yorkshire), and Catherine (1, born Denaby Main, Yorkshire).
Also nephew George Henry Jones (17, worker in Iron Foundry, born Tipton).
1921 Census
21 Upper Church Lane, Tipton, Staffs.
Joseph Jones (48, Labourer in Rolling Mills, born Tipton), his wife Elizabeth (49, Home Duties, born Tipton), and their daughter Hannah Marie (17, Labourer in Iron Foundry, born Conisbrough, Yorkshire).
Also Niece Catherine Pardon (21, Driller in Glassworks, born Tipton) and her 2 children: Joseph Pardon (3, born Tipton) and Gladys (7 months, born Tipton), and Niece Amy Pardon (12, School, born Tipton).
Personal Data
Joseph's outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £9/2/2d (9 pounds, 2 shillings and 2 pence); this was paid to his mother Elizabeth in March 1919. His War Gratuity of £7/10/0d (7 pounds and 10 shillings) was paid in December 1919, also to his mother Elizabeth. The combination of his date of death and amount of War Gratuity suggests that Joseph enlisted in approximately March 1917.
Joseph's mother, Mrs Elizabeth Jones, was awarded a Dependant's Pension of 8/0d (8 shillings exactly) per week, effective from 6th May 1919. Her address at this time was 20B Upper Church Lane, Summerhill, Tipton.
Joseph's headstone in Tipton Cemetery has the phrase 'Gone but not forgotten' engraved on it. This was selected by his mother, Mrs E. Jones, whose address was given as 21 Upper Church Lane, Tipton; this was her address at the time of the 1921 census.
Action resulting in his death
Joseph initially served as Private 41097 with the 4th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment, this was one of the battalions in 190th Brigade of the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. As Joseph joined up in March 1917 (Calculation based on his Gratuity Payment of £7/10/0d), it is unlikey that he served abroad before September 1917. We do not know when he transferred to the Labour Corps, but most transfers to the Labour Corps were due to wounds or sickness making further front line service too strenuous.
Joseph was certainly serving with the Labour Corps by June 1918. On 2nd June 1918, he was admitted to No. 14 Field Ambulance with an uncomfortable sounding "rectal abscess". On the same day he was sent to No. 54 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) for further treatment; 54CCS was located at a "brickfield site, west of Aire-sur-la-Lys". His Admittance Record shows that he was 20 years of age, had completed 3 years of service, and had been abroad for 7 months (October/November 1917) - it is more likely that he had 15 months service with 7 months abroad. At that time Joseph was serving with 208 Divisional Employment Company of the Labour Corps, attatched to No.5 Mobile Veterinary Section, most likely as a Horse Driver. No. 5 Mobile Veterinary Section belonged to 5th Division and from the beginiing of May 1918 had been stationed at Boisinghem (today Boeseghem), 3 miles north-east of Aire-sur-la-Lys.
We do not know if the rectal abcess required treatment in the UK, but Joseph died on 1st November 1918 at Connaught Military Hospital, North Camp, Aldershot, Hampshire. The Pension Card for his mother's Dependant's Pension records that he died from influenza. He is buried in Tipton Cemetery.
Newspaper Cuttings
None.