JONES, Tasman Searle
| Service Number: | 1649 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Westbury, Tasmania, Australia, 10 September 1889 |
| Home Town: | Launceston, Launceston, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Orchardist |
| Died: | 1949, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Bridgenorth Pictorial Honour Roll, Exeter RSL WW1 Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1649, 40th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 1649, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 1649, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart | |
| 6 Oct 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 40th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Tasman Searle Jones's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Tasman Searle Jones MM was the son of Thomas and Agnes Jones of Launceston, Tasmania. His brother 3484 Pte James Lindsay Jones, 52nd Battalion AIF, was killed in action, 5 April 1918.
Tasman was awarded the Military Medal for bravery 'On the 7th June, 1917, south of Messines, for conspicuous ability and gallant conduct. Whilst acting as No. 1 of a Lewis gun team he succeeded in silencing a hostile machine gun, which was causing considerable casualties. By his excellent work he kept the enemy confined to his trenches whilst his Company consolidated its portion of the new line.'
Promoted to Sergeant, he was severely wounded in Belgium during October 1917, when he was hit in both thighs and evacuated to England. He didn’t rejoin his unit until June 1918 and was wounded again within a week. He was again evacuated to England with gunshot wounds to his neck and hand. He was returned to Australia within a couple of months due to the neck wound.
A collection relating to the service of 1649 Sergeant Tasman Searle Jones, is held at the Australian War Memorial. The collection consists of eight letters and one field postcard sent by Sergeant Jones to his brother William in Launceston, Tasmania. One letter contains Jones' description of his experience of the Battle of Messines.
He passed away in Evandale, Tasmania during 1949, aged 59.
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