Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

Second Lieutenant F W Jones received his commission in November 1915 and was promoted to Lieutenant in October 1916. He was seriously wounded in November 1916 whilst assisting a soldier who had lost his unit. He died from his wounds, aged 24, on 28 December 1916.

Royal College of Art: "In August 1914, just a few days after Britain declared war on Germany, he wrote to the College to ask whether it would be open in the autumn. The Registrar, Cyril D. Fitzroy, wrote back assuring him that it would. Nonetheless, Frederick enlisted on 1 September. This would not have surpised the Registrar: Frederick’s letter had included a newspaper cutting about the army’s urgent need for junior officers (unmarried) clearly indicating the direction of his thinking.

By late March 1915 Frederick was serving in France as a private with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Later in the year he was once again hoping for a commission, with his father writing to the College about ‘Fred’s’ nomination requiring a character recommendation from the Principal. A local vicar, however, who had known Frederick for the necessary four-year period provided this instead. Frederick became a Second Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion (Territorial Forces) of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 16 November 1915.

As the Battle of the Somme entered its last month, just over a year later, Frederick returned from a spell of home leave, perhaps celebrating his recent promotion to lieutenant. He was only four days into an attachment to the 1/7th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshires in trenches near Becourt, when he suffered serious shrapnel wounds to his neck and thigh on 26 November. Evacuated back to Britain for specialist treatment at the Empire Hospital in Vincent Square (Westminster) he died on 21 December."

Birmingham Daily Post 23rd December, 1916 - "Lieutenant F.W. JONES (DIED OF WOUNDS)
Lieutenant Frederick Wigan Jones, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, died on Thursday at the Empire Hospital, Westminster, from wounds received in action on November 25. He was the only child of Mr. and Mrs W.T. Jones, “Sandowne,” Stechford and was 24 years of age."

Birmingham Daily Post 29th December, 1916 - "FUNERAL OF AN OFFICER OF THE WARWICKS. The funeral took place at Yardley Cemetery, with semi-military honours, yesterday afternoon, of Lieutenant Frederick Wigan Jones, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, only child of Mr & Mrs W.T. Jones, of Stechford, who died on the 21st inst. At the Empire Hospital, Westminster, of wounds received in action on November 25. The deceased officer who was 24 years of age, was studying at the Royal College of Art, South Kensington, when war broke out. He enlisted into the Warwicks, and after eight months at the front was granted a commission. He had been back in the firing line from his leave only a month when he was wounded in the neck and thigh by shrapnel. Writing to his parents his commanding officer says “A more thorough, conscientious, painstaking and capable officer no commanding officer could desire. He always gained the highest commendation for successful work and trained his men with great skill and efficiency."

Birmingham Daily Mail29th December, 1916 - "The funeral took place at Yardley Cemetery, with semi-military honours, yesterday afternoon, of Lieutenant Frederick Wigan Jones, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, only child of Mr & Mrs W.T. Jones, of Stechford, who died on the 21st inst. At the Empire Hospital, Westminster, of wounds received in action on November 25."

Masonic :

At the time of his initiation in 1915, he was a Lieutenant. Contribution record of the lodge at the United Grand Lodge of England shows that he "Died 21.12.16."

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley