Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Detail :

Thomas Biddyr Jones, Master, Mercantile Marine.

His name appears in three newspapers at different times in the pre-war period. First he is shown in the Evening Express, a Welsh newspaper, which on the 13th May, 1910 shows an account of rewarded bravery: "BRAVE DEED RE-CALLED - WELSH CAPTAIN REWARDED BY ITALIAN GOVERNMENT. - The presentation has just been made by the Italian Government of a handsome silver medal to Captain T.B. Jones, master of the steamship Rowa, who is now spending a brief holiday at his home in St. Dogmael's, Cardiganshire. The reward was for bravely saving the lives of several shipwrecked Italians in the Mediterranean Sea in February last. The officer on watch observed a sailing craft sinking on the coast of Tunis, and Captain Jones ran his ship close to the shore to rescue the men. It was blowing hard at the time, and there was a heavy sea running. Captain Jones had a boat lowered, and, obtaining volunteers, rowed towards the men, who were in a perilous position. Cries were heard on the water, and after manoeuvring about the boat's crew found a man named Sebastian Califano floating away on a plank. With great difficulty he was got out of the water, and a second boat from the Rowa managed to save three men from the rigging of the sinking ship, Another man was drowned, and his body could be clearly seen lying on a rock below the surface. A boat belonging to the Italians having been righted, the three men found in the rigging put ashore, but the man seen floating away on a plank decided to remain on the Rowa, and at Algiers was handed over to the care of the Italian Counsel. The meal bears the following inscription: MINISTRY OF MARINE. Th Thomas Biddyr Jones, captain of the English Steamer Rowa, for saving the life of Sebastion Califano, in the Mediterranean on the 26th July, 1909."

The article shows a portrait image of Captain Jones along with the face and obverse of the medal. A few months later, on the 15th October, 1910 Thomas appears in the Barnet Press attending an Inquiry: "SINKING OF THE ROWA. Mystery of Ship's Wheel. - COUNSEL ON STRANGE ACTION OF STEERING GEAR. - Mr. Evan Morgan's Unfortunate Ship." Testimony is given and insurance is worked out, until it comes to the time where the Captain is questioned about the condition of the vessel:

"Captain Thomas Biddyr Jones, master, said he had been in the vessel four years. After the vessel struck he made for port, where he thought he could have done something with the ship in preference to casting away in Lagos Bay. He was not really alarmed about the vessel's condition until after midnight, as the Rowa was quite dry aft, and her tanks were empty. He was three hours on the Rowa alone before he was taken off by the steamship Eugenie. As the crew rowed away he heard one of them say, "If the 'old man' wants to get drowned, I don't see why we should stop here." Captain Houston (assessor) asked: "Do you not think it would have been wiser to keep nearer the land and make for shore earlier?"- Captain Jones replied: "Now I do; but even now I do not think I could have made it, because she was not going very fast." Among the questions submitted by Dr. Ginsburg, of the Board of Trade, to the Court were the following:- Ws the vessel prematurely abandoned! Was she navigated with proper and steamlike care! Was the loss caused by the wrongful act of fault of the master and chief engineer, or of either of them! Dr. Ginsburg contended that the whole body of evidence supported a case for showing that the steering gear was not in absolutely perfect condition, and that the master was there fore not warranted in taking the slightest risk. The enquiry was adjourned to enable the Court to report."



The next time and last, in which Thomas appears in the newspapers is for an altogether different "Inquiry" when on the 27th July, 1914 his name appears in the Western Mail providing testimony against "Disendowment", referring to the Welsh Church Act, 1914. "TODAY AT THE INQUIRY - RADICAL WITNESSES WHO LOATHE DISENDOWMENT. - Tomorrow's proceedings at the Church Bill inquiry will be of exceptional interest. Lord S.t Aldwyn's Committee have arranged to take first the evidence of Mr. Henry Radcliffe, J.P., the well-known Cardiff shipowner, whose courageous repudiation of the Welsh Bill in the columns of the Western Mail did so much to create a new public opinion among Welsh Nonconformists. It is expected that Mr Radcliffe's evidence will take all the morning. Mr Radcliffe will be followed by Mr. J.J. Neale J.P., of Penarth, a prominent member of the Baptist denomination, who as a member of the Protest Committee, rendered notable service to the movement inaugurated by Dr. G.N.W. Thomas. Captain T. Biddyr Jones, of St. Dogmael's, Caridgan, will be among the West Wales witnesses. He is a Congregationalist, and also served on the Protest Committee. Like mnay other witnesses, Captain Jones is a Radical, whose bona fides as such are testified to by his own party in that constituency by his election as a member of the county Liberal Five Hundred. He is also a member of the Cardigan Town Council."

Probate JONES Thomas Biddyr of Glantivy St. Dogmaels Pembrokeshire died 21 December 1918 at sea Probate London 6 June to Ethel May Jones spinster. Effects £748 16s. 2d.

He is commemorated on the Pembrokeshire War Memorial.

Masonic :

"Lost at Sea Decr 1918." Did not take any higher degree than Entered Apprentice. Not included on either original working of the Masonic Roll of Honour.

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