Edward Jones was born at 28, Mount Street, Flint on the 27th September, 1894 and baptised on the 10th October 1894 at St Mary’s Parish Church, Flint, and was the fourth of nine children to David Conway Jones and Jane (Jones)
David was born in Hanley, Staffordshire in c1864 and Jane in Flint in c1865. They were married at the Holy Trinity Church, Northwood, Staffordshire on the 8th July, 1888. David was the only child of Evan, a shoemaker, and Margaret, and according to David’s obituary “his father decided to emigrate to Australia with David and his mother, but his father died on the voyage and was buried at sea.” His mother remarried in Flint Parish Church in 1867 to Henry Conway of Roskell Square who David and Jane named their first son after. In the 1871 and 1881 census returns he was listed as David Conway.
The 1891 census found David, Jane and eldest son Henry Conway, aged 3, living at 11, Cook Street, Whiston, Cheshire with David employed as a coal miner. In 1895 they lost two sons; Robert Evan aged 3 and David aged 2. By 1901 they had moved to 37, Castle Street, Flint and had four more children; Edward aged 5, Evan aged 4, Margaret aged 2 and Mary Ellen aged 1 month. David was a colliery drawer.
In 1911 they had moved yet again to 14, Tyddyn Houses, Bryn and there had been two more additions to the family; Dorothy, aged 8 and David, aged 2, but sadly Evan had died in 1903 aged 6. David snr was a labourer while Henry, aged 21, and Edward, aged 16, were both employed as bobbin carriers.
Soon Edward was to meet his future wife Emma, but no record of their marriage could be found.
Edward enlisted in Flint with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and after training at Higham Ferres, Northamptonshire was posted to Turkey, landing there on the 8th August, 1915. About two weeks later he was wounded in action at the battle of Gallipoli and was being transported to a military hospital on board the Hospital Troopship “Euripides” on the 20th August when he died of his wounds while still at sea.
He was buried at Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, in Plot E, Grave 127.
He is remembered on two war memorials: Flint Town and St Mary’s Parish Church, Flint. He is also commemorated on the North Wales Heroes’ Memorial Arch, Bangor.
He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
His death report in the County Herald stated, “he was 22 years of age, and worked prior to the war at Davies’ Brickyard, Flint, and that his widow and her two children were residing in the locality of Raven Square, Flint.”
On the 9th December, 1915 Emma received £2 3s 6d War Gratuity and again on the 7th August, 1919 she received £3 10s 0d.
It is not known what became of Emma and her children after this date.
Edward’s mother, Jane, died in September, 1923, aged 58, and was buried in the Northop Road Cemetery with her son David.
His father, David, died on the 2nd March, 1946, aged 82, and was buried with his wife and son. According to his obituary Mr Jones, of 15, Tyddyn Houses, Bryn, Flint, had resided in the district all his life and was very well known. David was a soldier in the Old Militia and during the 1914-18 war he was a Private in the West Cheshire Regiment serving for more than three years. He was a member of the local branch of the British Legion and also a member of the club. He was employed at the old Bettisfield Colliery and later up to his retirement in the late 1920s at the Aber Works, when it was owned by the British Glanzstoff Company.