Richard first made an appearance on a census in the 1891 census, living on the Quay Road, Northop, Connah’s Quay, Flintshire with his family. Father, William Jones 47, was head of the household and a ‘watchmaker’ who had been born in Mold, Flintshire. Mother, Elizabeth 47 also originated in Mold. The children listed were Frederick, 19 and a ‘brickmaker’, Walter 11, Mary E. 9 and Richard was 7, he had been born Connah’s Quay.
The 1901 census finds that the family had moved to 157, High Street, Connahs Quay, Connah’s Quay, Flintshire. William was still the head of the household and a Watchmaker, now age 57. Elizabeth was 57. The children were Frederick A 29, single and still a ‘brick maker’. Martha 23 (had not been listed on the previous census), d Mary E 19, was a ‘dressmaker’, Richard J was 17 and a ‘packer’ in the borax works. Walter was not there.
Richard James had married by the 1911 census, and was living at 11 Dee Road Connah’s Quay. He was head of the household and was a ‘close annealer’. He was 28. His wife of eight years was Gertrude 26 who was originally from Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. She had given birth to four children and they were all still living. They were Agnes 7, Doris 6 (both at school), Lawrence was 4 and Kate was 3. They had 3 Boarders, all single and all working at the Steel Works.
Richard James was mentioned in the book “Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914 – 1918 Royal Welsh Fusiliers Volume 28″It confirms his regimental details and adds that he was born in (the parish of) Northop, Flintshire. He enlisted in Wrexham and was Killed in action. France & Flanders on the 16th May 1915.
Richard James’s medal card accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk records his medal details and also tells us that his first theatre of war was France and that he entered it on 23rd November 1914
Richard James Jones in the UK, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 tells us that the Sole Legatees were his wife Gertrude and children who was paid £2. 1s 3d on the 11th January 1915 (11/1/15 – I suspect this is a clerical error, perhaps it was the 11th November 1915, just the stroke of a pen!) and his War Gratuity of £3 on the 14th July 1919.
There is an index card for R J Jones in the Flintshire Roll of Honour in the county Record office in Hawarden. (Flintshire WW1 Index Cards 1915 Connah’s Quay F33). It confirms the regimental details above and gives the address 11, Dee Road, Connah’s Quay. It tells us that he served from August 1914 and was Killed in May 1915. The card was signed on the 18th September 1919 by Mrs Gertrude Jones.
There are 3 R. Jones’s on the Memorial, so it might be any one of them, therefore I am unable to tell if the man mentioned on the St. Ethelwold’s Church Roll of Honour and St. Mark’s Church Roll of Honour is this one.
Dave Allen contacted me again recently and sent a photo of Northop St. Peter’s Cricket Club team, and he thinks that his grandfather Richard James Jones is on it, he also visited his grave at Pont du Hem Military Cemetery, in Laventie, France, which he tells us was a very emotional experience and sent a photo of the gravestone. Many thanks to Dave.
