John was born in 1888 at Appleton Roebuck North Yorkshire. He married Martha on the 2nd Oct 1915 whom he had met whilst working at Wighill vicarage. John joined the Coldstream Guards in December 1915 (Soldier no.18800) and served on the Western front from August 1916. He was seriously wounded on September 20th 1917 at Ypres and as a result of his wounds had to have both legs amputated above the knee. although he had prosthetic legs he actally spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair. He died in 1955. || 3 photos of war service 3 photos of hospital stay 1 press cutting Discharge certificate Colours of Coldstream guards paybook || || Front || 51.28029600000001,-0.08161589999997432 || Photograph || Photograph of the entrance to the Barracks at Caterham || Coldstream Guards - The Barrack Gates Caterham || || Photograph || Sgt. Williams' Squad Coldsteam Guards, October 1916 || Front || Photograph of John william Jones squad taken in October of 1916 || || John William Jones in uniform || Front || Photograph || Photograph of John william Jones in uniform || || John William Jones in the grounds of the hospital || Photograph || Front || Medical || Photograph of Jon William Jones taken in the hospital grounds it isn't known exactly which hospital except that it was in the Midlands || || Photograph of John William Jones taken whilst in hospital it isn't know which hospital he was sent to except that it was in the Midlands. || Front || John William Jones - Hospital || Photograph || || In the hospital ward || Photograph || Photograph of John william Jones in the hospital ward. It isn't known exactly which hospital except that it was in the Midlands. || Front || || Other || The press cutting describes the events which led to John having both legs amputated and that he had been sent to a hospital in the Midlands. || Press cutting reporting John william Jones' injuries || || John William Jones's discharge certificate from the army, giving his length of service and the reason for discharge as shell wound both legs, amputated both thighs he was discharged 22nd October 1918. || Back || Discharge certificate || Official document || || Front || front of certificate giving a address to send it to if found. || Front of discharge Certificate || || Front || State colours of the Coldstream Regiment of Footguards || Official document || State colours of the Coldstream Regiment of Footguards a certificate given to John to inform his relatives and friends that he served his King and country as a soldier in the Coldstream Guards, during the great European war and wa wounded at Ypres. || || Cover of pay book for use on active service || Official document || || page 1 || page one of John William Jones's paybook gives instructions to soldiers on how the paybook should be used and what to do if is lost also that once on active service page 18 may be used for their will. || Official document || || pages two and three || Official document || These pages give details of regiment date of attestation, age on enlistment and rate of pay. || || pages four and five || Official document || || Official document || pages six and seven || these pages list payments to John William Jones between May and August 1917 || || List of payments made up to 14 September 1917 the week before he was wounded. || pages eight and nine || Official document || || Pages twelve gives instructions and examples of a will and and page thirteen shows John's own will. || Pages twelve and thirteen || Official document || || Official document || List of clothing issued to troops of the expeditionary force || Alist of all the clothing issued tot he soldier and the quantites of each for example 3 pairs of worsted socks, 2 flannel shirts, 120 rounds of ammunition || || Last page of paybook || This final page is signed confirming all the equipment, clothing etc. has been issued and is complete

After the family moved to Gellydywyll, Llandinam in 1915 John Jones continued to work at Plas Dinam for another year; but in Nov 1916, as more and more young men from the village were enlisting in the army, John decided that he too would join up. He was 18 years old when he left home to join the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Welshpool. He was sent home for Christmas and told to report to Wrexham at the end of the year. On arrival in Wrexham he failed to get accommodation at the Barracks and was put up in Abbot St. - B & B 1/-. The following day he reported to the Barracks, joined up on 9th Jan 1917 and was sent on to Oswestry for training at Park Hall Camp with the 4th Res. R.W.F... He remained there until April when there was a call for farm workers. He volunteered and was told to report to Mr Jones, Pertheiryn, Pontdolgoch, Caersws. He worked there for seven weeks, having broth for breakfast, fat bacon for dinner, and bread and milk for tea!! He reported back to his unit - 4th Res. R.W.F. and was given the number 12760, which was later changed to 203360. His further training included shooting practice on Talacre Sands, Prestatyn. Then a number of men were required to train as signallers, so he and his pal J.E.Pugh volunteered. (Pugh had joined the same day as John and had also been on working furlough). Training took six months and the following Morse Code was never forgotten:- A.- ; B -…; C -.-.; D -..; E .; F..-; G --.; H….; I..; J---; K -.-; L -..; M --; N-.; O---; P--; Q--.-; R .-.; S…; T-; U..-;V…-; W.--; X-..-; Y-.--; Z --..: This Code had been invented by a Mr Morse, and was used officially for sending messages until about 1996. At the time it was a very advanced technique, and John must have been very proud of his prowess. Another draft leave was granted before the day arrived to march behind the band to Oswestry Station bound for an unknown destination. Would it be the battlefields of Belgium where so many of his fellow countrymen had died? They arrived at Southampton and boarded a paddle steamer for France. They arrived at La Harve and stayed there for two or three days. Then they were put in to luggage trucks to cross France to Marseilles. They sighed a sigh of relief when they realised they were not going to the Western Front. But where were they going? Pugh developed measles and had to stay in hospital in France, but John was marched onto an Ex German boat called the Hunsspil, and it sailed eastward along the Mediterranean. One night it collided with another ship, and had to be towed into Malta harbour for repairs which took a week to complete. It then sailed into Milo harbour for a short spell before travelling westward via several islands to their final destination - Salonika in Greece. The journey had taken about a month, and although John was very sea sick in the English Channel he was not sick again. However the journey across France was very miserable; packed into the luggage vans the men had great difficulty lying down to sleep. The Forgotten Army in Salonika. When the party reached Salonika they were marched up country to a canvas camp called Summer Hill. The 11th R.W.F. Commanding Officer was Lt. Col. Yateman; and Gen. Duncan was in Charge of the 22nd Division. Whilst there they experienced a severe blizzard and the snow, ice, frost and wind broke tent ropes on many of the tents. The Severn Valley seemed a long way away! A few days later, John and his pals were marched several miles to the Front Line to fight the Bulgarians. It was trench warfare; our trenches on hills much smaller than the enemy’s. The allied fronts were called Vardar, Struma and Doiran respectively; and John was positioned on the Dorain front - Doiran Lake lay before him to the right, and the enemy lines on the Grande Courone were directly in front. For a time John was in the front line manning the trenches. At night, he repaired the barbed wire entanglements which had been damaged by enemy shells. In addition to the shells and bullets there were rats, lice and mosquitoes to contend with! Later he was attached to the Company’s signal section. The men would go out in pairs to man a mud hut in the front line. The Company did a fortnight in the line and a fortnight behind the lines. In Mid Summer 1918 John became ill, and when the time to change over came he requested permission to accompany those leaving in advance of the main unit. It was a long walk, and the illness became worse during training behind the lines. He felt neglected as malaria and dysentery gradually took over, and he became unconscious before reaching the Australian Base Hospital in Northern Greece! After hospital treatment - mainly quinine – he recovered, but dysentery left him with a damaged bowel. For that, and the after effects of malaria he later received a small army pension. He rejoined his unit (11th Bat. R.W.F.) at Stavross on the South coast of Greece. Later, the unit was shipped to Dedigatch, which was then on the South coast of Bulgaria. The landing was by raft and swimming ashore; rations were scarce - water soaked biscuits were the only food. The plan was to march against the Turks, but before this could happen they surrendered – 30th Sept 1918. The unit was then marched many miles back to the Doiran Front in Greece, to do odd jobs and patrol the line. The Bulgarians had also surrendered. During this time John said that he trusted the Bulgarians who were his enemies, more that the Greeks who were supposed to be allies! John had been on this Front for about 12 months, when all units were moved by rail from Kilendare station to Constantinople, to become the Army of the Black Sea. Fourteen officers and 317 other ranks were marched from Stanbul, over the Galita Bridge, to Tashkishla Barracks. This was a large old military building made up of barracks surrounding a large parade square. It was said that this place had housed prisoners during the war. The rooms were large and high, with 10ft square pillars supporting the ceiling. The pillars had long cracks in them which by day were filled with bugs; these bugs were also in the beds and blankets! The soldiers prized the bugs out of the pillars with their bayonets, and sprinkled them and the beds with Keeting powder every night before going to bed. John spent his 21st Birthday in this hell hole! About quarter of a mile away, on the shores of the Bosphorus was the Sultan’s Palace. John did guard duty here and also on Galeta Quay, A.D.A. Sigs., and the Garrison Cells. Later on he was put in charge of the training of six signalers, and they operated on various buildings in the city, signaling to one another. Life was beginning to improve, (although it took years to get over the effects of malaria,) and when John came first in a regimental run he was sent for training to Bukdery on the Bospherous. The area sports were held over the Bospherous in Asia Minor, but although the prize was a home posting John did not manage to win his race! Later the unit was moved to be under canvas in Asia Minor, on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. The men were able to bathe here, and on one occasion John very nearly drowned; only managing to save himself by finding a jetty post which helped him reach the surface! In 1919, after a year in Turkey, and a total of two years abroad, John returned home. (His pal, Pugh, had contracted measles on the way out to Salonika, and never reached Turkey, he had ended up in Greece with the 11th R.W.F.) He travelled by boat to S.France; crossed France by train to Calais and by ship to Dover. Eventually he arrived at Prees Heath railway station on his way to Oswestry for demob. He changed trains, and then popped for a cup of tea. The train pulled off without him, and away went all his kit and trophies which he had brought for his relatives and friends, never to be seen again. He was heart broken. He was transferred to the Army Reserve on 13th Dec 1919, attached to the 7th South Wales Borderers, (before that he had been attached to the 2nd East Surreys.) He was finally released from service on 9th Jan 1920, having served for exactly three years, and eventually returned home to Llandinam. By then all the celebrations and parties linked with the Armistice of 11th November 1918 were over. It was not until March 11th 1925 that the people of Llandinam showed their appreciation of his war service by presenting him with testimonial which read:- “To L/Cpl J. Jones of the Parish of Llandinam by his fellow parishioners as a slight tribute of their great admiration and deepest gratitude for the courage and devotion displayed by him in serving his King and Country in the Great War 1914 – 1919”. Unemployment was rampant. He was given a weekly pension of 8/- for 12 months, and 5/- for 6 months. Desperately, he had to start looking for a job, but most of them had been taken by the soldiers who had returned earlier! Eventually, he was lucky to get a job as green house gardener at Bronwylfa Hall, Wrexham, working for Sir Edmund Bushby. After working there was about a week he was told he had been appointed as a constable with the Flintshire Constabulary. He gave in his notice to the head gardener, and returned home before reporting for duty at Mold police station on Apl 1st 1920! He served in the Flintshire force until his retirement in 1953. || Various photographs of John Jones and fellow soldiers taken in Greece and Turkey. Also a picture of a poem sent to his parents in Wales with a trench flower attached. || || Trench Life || A poem by John from the trenches to his parents. || Poem || The trenches of Macedonia, North of Salonika, Greece. || This poem home with attached flower picked from the ground around the trenches, makes me aware of the home sickness experienced by young soldiers, away from home for the first time in their lives. || Homesickness || || Remembrance || My Father, John Jones. || Photograph || John Jones || Constantinople || This is a photograph of my father John Jones aged 20, taken in Constantinople in 1919. This was after the surrender of the Turkish Army, when his regiment,the XI Battalion RWF, had become part of the Army of the Black Sea. He was part of what became known as the forgotten army, and did not return to UK until Dec 1919. He was demobed on 9th Jan 1920 after three years service. || Front || || My Father, John Jones. || Back || || A party leaving Kilindir Station bound for Turkey, || Photograph || Kilindir, Macedonia, Greece. || Leaving the Front Line; Kilindir Station 1918 || Transport || John Jones, centre top row, with group of friends leaving Kilindir station near Doiran Lake, north of Salonika in the Autumn of 1918 after the surrender of the Turks 30th September 1918 || || Leaving the Front Line; Kilindir Station 1918 || Back || || Constantinople. || John Jones and friends, Constantinople 1919. || Photograph || John is second from left as you look at the picture. The men had just arrived in Constantinople by train from Macedonia following the surrender of the Turks in September 1918; the XI Battalion RWF were now part of the Army of the Black Sea. John is the only Royal Welch Fusilier in the Group. || Remembrance || Front || John Jones in Constantinople. || || John Jones in Constantinople. || Back || Constantinople || Photograph || John Jones and friends, Constantinople 1919. || || John Jones in Constantinople. || Front || Photograph || This photograph of an XI RWF Signal Section, taken outside Tashkishla Barracks, Constantinople 1919 with John Jones top row centre, reminds me of my father's knowledge of the Morse Code. He remembered the whole alphabet until his death in 1987. || XI RWF Signal Section, Constantinople, 1919 || Constantinople || Balkans || Women || Middle East || || Photograph || Back || Signal Section, XI RWF, 1919 || John Jones in Constantinople. || || Front || A photograph of John Jones and friends in the XI RWF in tented accommodation near the Sea of Marmara, Asia Minor in 1919; part of the Forgotten Army waiting to get back home to Britain. || Photograph || John Jones and friends, Near Sea if Marmara, Asia Minor. || Near Sea of Marmara, Asia Minor, 1919 || John Jones in Asia Minor. || || John Jones in Asia Minor. || Back || Photograph || Back of photograph || Near Sea of Marmara, Asia Minor || John Jones and friends, Near Sea if Marmara, Asia Minor. || || Possibly Turkish soldiers 1914-1918 || This photograph of what appear to be three Turkish troops with the heads of two of the enemy on a table in front of them was part of a collection of photographs which my father John Jones brought back from Turkey in 1919. It has always facinated me! || Photograph || Military Punishment || Turkey || Possibly Turkish Troops with heads of enemies on table.

Jack, as everyone knew him, was the second son of my great grandparents, Joshua and Ellen (Farrow) Beckingham, and born on 27th December 1892 at Easton Royal, Wiltshire. His service was different to that of his three brothers, who were infantrymen, as according to the WWI Church plaque at Milton Lilbourne, he served his time in the Royal Field Artillery. Jack was called up on 1st February 1915 and enlisted in the R F A at Pewsey, Wilts and was posted to No 3 Depot, 13th Reserve Battery as Driver (Regimental number) 86237. He was shown on his attestation papers as being 5 feet 4 ½ inches tall, although no other physical description was given. He was at the time a labourer living with his parents at New Mill, near Pewsey. He was based at Hilsea in England until 17th October 1915, during which time he was admitted to hospital at Cosham, Hants, near Portsmouth, with the measles! He was there from 14th to 27th April. The 6th May saw Jack posted to the 44th Reserve Battery and on 6th October he was transferred to 4A Reserve Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery. On the 18th October 1915 he was posted to 34th Battalion R F A with the British Expeditionary Force in France and remained there until 24th August 1918. Jack was then granted 15 days home leave but on 9th September 1918 he was back in France until 31st May 1919 when he returned to Woolwich, England, his papers showing that he brought the Battalion’s horses back with him. Jack received the 1914/15 Star, British and Victory Medals. When he was discharged from the Army on 14th August 1919 he had moved from home at New Mill to 20 Hathpool Street, Hall Park, Paddington, London. He married Florence Elizabeth Perry on 31st July 1920 and according to family knowledge, they remained in the Paddington area of London for the rest of their lives, and did not have any children. He died in Paddington, London on 19th November 1962. || Photograph of Jack and Flo Beckingham || || Jack and Flo Beckingham || Photograph || Home Front