Thomas Jones was born on the 9th September 1921 according to the National Register which was taken on the 29th September 1939, the eldest and I believe, only son of Thomas & Phoebe M. Jones, (Nee Games). His birth was registered in Hawarden. He had 4 sisters.
I have nothing on Thomas Jones Jnr’s early or teenage years, so any information would be gratefully received.
The first I have found on him is on the National Register which I have mentioned earlier. This gives us vital information on the family, Thomas Jones (Snr.) was born on the 16th May 1881 and he was at the time of this Register a General Labourer at the R.A.F. Camp, Sealand, Phoebe M Jones, his wife’s birth date was the 5th January 1892 and as most married women on this register, with no job, is described as doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.” Thomas Jnr. ‘s date of birth is a s above and he was a Bar Assistant at the R.A.F. Camp in the N.A.A.F.I. His sister Noreen Jones’s birth date was the 24th February 1927 and another sister Patricia Dorothy Jones’s birth date was given as the 17th March 1931. They were both at School. There were 2 redacted or closed records on this register as well, and I believe them to be his 2 other sisters, Gertrude E. Jones born in the September quarter of 1924 and Muriel, born in the September quarter of 1929. I really don’t understand these redactions as I know there is a 70 and 100 year rule about publishing children’s names but this is not consistent as Dorothy is younger than Muriel and Noreen is younger than Gertrude.
Noreen was to marry a gentleman named John Clifford Leonard in a Civil Marriage at Hawarden in 1950,( Flintshire (Mold) HAW/20/40) and Patricia Dorothy was to marry William Lawler in St. Ethelwold’s Church, Shotton on the 5th May 1952. This source also tells us that Thomas Jones (Snr.) was a Pensioner.
I do not know when Thomas enlisted or was conscripted, but he was to find himself in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve by 1941. I did not know anything about him so I appealed to the WW2 talk Forum and as usual they responded with some information so many thanks to “Harry Ree” for this information below:- http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/thomas-jones-a-c-1-unit-%E2%80%93-25-e-f-t-s-r-a-f-v-r.76166/
“AC1 Jones would be a pilot under training at No 25 EFTS when it was based at RAF Sibson on the west side of the A1 north of Peterborough.His death is probably the result of a flying accident from an elementary trainer such as the Tiger Moth.
No 25 EFTS was as designated as Polish and after moving from Sibson to Hucknall stayed at Hucknall for the remainder of the war.
AC1 Jones’s classification of AC1 would be a training stage classification…ultimately he would have passed out after receiving advanced flying training at other units with the minimum rank of Sergeant.
Passed Sibson many times after the war since my Aunt lived at the nearby village of Warmington…the road network has changed greatly since the A 605 was reconfigured but the Wansford to Elton road on which the airfield stands, now a flying club, remains as I see it, as it was,a country road during the war.”
Thomas CWGC Graves Registration Report Form gives Thomas’s Unit:- 25 E.F.T.S., R.A.F. (V.R.) and “TD“ helps explain:- 25 (Polish) Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). Formed at Peterborough (UK) in… | The National Archives. Thank you “TD.”
Reference: AIR 29/621/2 – Description: – 25 (Polish) Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). Formed at Peterborough (UK) in June 1941. Moved to Hucknall (UK) in July 1941. Unit disbanded in November 1945. With appendices
Note: Open in 1972
Date: 1941 June-1945 Dec
Held by: The National Archives, Kew – https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160950
TD also sent a possible photograph of Thomas, can anyone identify this man as Thomas? Also a photograph of Thomas’s Gravestone. (see below), so many thanks to him.
Thomas is also mentioned briefly on these two websites
and – http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?3047
Thomas’s death was registered in Peterborough, where he died;- Inferred County: Huntingdonshire -Volume: 3b Page:505.
Thomas was buried, according to the CWGC Graves Registration Report Form in the same grave as Edward George Culley, age 18 years who had died in the September of 1940 (Spalding Vol. 7a Page 826 – The district Spalding is in the county of Lincolnshire.
The district Peterbro’ is an alternative name for Peterborough and it spans the boundaries of the counties of Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Huntingdonshire.
Edward George died while in training it seems, similar to Thomas, please click on the link below to read more about where Edward George was before his death.
# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Daedalus_II
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Leading Airman
CULLEY, EDWARD GEORGE
Service Number 78421
Died 17/08/1940
Aged 18
H.M.S. Daedalus Royal Navy
Son of Edward Culley and of Annie Beatrice Culley (nee Smith), of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.
NOT DEAD, JUST SLEEPING
Thomas’s mother Phoebe died, I believe, in 1946 (Flintshire (Mold)HAW/30A/34), age 53 years.
Thomas was really loved by his family and his name was put forward for inclusion on the WW2 War Memorial for him to be remembered for perpetuity.
ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO HIM, O LORD
