Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Attestation paper record originally allocated Service number:843. Rank: Private: Unit attachment 27th Battalion.

He was transferred from the 27th Battalion to the 2nd Division Signal Company on 15 August 1915

The Jones of “Drumcalpin”

James Jabez Jones and his wife Jane arrived in Port Adelaide on board the Fitzjames from Drumcalpin, Ireland with their two sons, James and Robert, in 1855. A third son, Frank, was born in Australia. James cleared land between between Manoora and Auburn and named the farm Drumcalpin after their home in Ireland.

The eldest son, James, married Elizabeth Crush in 1879 and settled on the eastern side of the property. They named this part of the property Spring Farm. James and Elizabeth had ten children. Two sons, Arthur and Robert enlisted along with two son-in-laws. Elizabeth had married Henry MacKenzie and Myrtle married Ernest Edgar Goss.

The youngest of James and Jane’s son, Frank, married Ida and had four children. Their youngest son, James Edmund enlisted along with his brother-in-law Horace Waterman. Horace, a plasterer from Walkerville, had married James’ sister Rosamund at Drumcalpin in 1913. Their son, Horace Edmund, was born at Auburn on 31 October 1916, six months after Horace had embarked for overseas service. James and Horace served in the same unit, 5th Pioneer Battalion.

843/4868 Sapper Arthur John “Jack” Jones 

Born in Manoora, Arthur was the son of James and Elizabeth Jones of “Spring Farm” Manoora. A 20 year old labourer, Arthur was skilled at working with horses and had previously driven horses for Sidney Kidman from Kapunda to Wallaroo where they were shipped out. Arthur was initially rejected by the army, probably for the condition of his teeth. But 5 weeks later he joined at Keswick on 10 March 1915 and was attached to B Company Infantry Base Depot at Ascot Park Camp. A month later Arthur was transferred to D Company 27th Battalion at Mitcham Camp and embarked from Australia aboard HMAT A2 Geelong on 31 May 1915.  When the Geelong docked at Fremantle the troops were not permitted to go ashore. However, a number of men jumped ship and Arthur was selected  to be part of a picquet to go to Perth and bring those troops back to the ship. The Geelong sailed from Fremantle on 8 June 1915.

In Egypt, Arthur transferred to 2nd Australian Division Signal Company on 13 August and re-mustered as a Driver but on 25 October, his 21st Birthday, he was admitted to the 1st Auxillary Hospital in Cairo with a poisoned finger. After ten days in hospital he returned to duty and the following day was reunited with his brother Robert who had arrived in Egypt three weeks earlier.

On arriving in Egypt the 2nd Australian Division Signal Company was based at Heliopolis and by September had established at Anzac on the Gallipoli Peninsula. However 40 other ranks remained in Egypt to care for the horses, wagons and equipment. It is most likely that Arthur’s expertise with horses saved him from the horrors of Gallipoli. In 1916 the Company withdrew to Lemnos and then to Alexandria when Arthur joined the rest of the unit.  The Company then became  established at a staging camp at Ismalia to construct Suez Canal defences on the Sinai desert. On 16 March the Company proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force from Alexandria. They disembarked from HMAT A32 Themistocles in Marseilles five days later. Arthur was one of only 23 drivers caring for 97 horses.  During the five day train journey  to Abbeville Arthur travelled in the truck with the horses. By July the Company was attached to 7th Brigade near St Omans and at the end of August was spelled and marched into St Lawrence Camp.

On 25 September Arthur reported sick to 17th Casualty Clearing Station and the following day was admitted to 1st Commonwealth Depot at Boulogne and then to 18th General Hospital in Camiers with VD. A month later he was discharged to Base Details for a fortnight before rejoining his unit on 15 December. By this time the Company had moved to Ypres in Belgium.

In February 1917 Arthur had a short stay of 8 days in hospital with bronchitis and then was again admitted to hospital with pleurisy on 4 May. Later that month he embarked from Harve for England aboard HMHS Londonderry.

Arthur was admitted to the Graylingwell War Hospital where he stayed for two months before being transferred to 3rd Auxillary Hospital Dartford. He then spent the remainder of 1917 convalescing at Weymouth.

On 29 January 1918 Arthur proceeded overseas to France and 3 days later rejoined his unit which was in a Divisional Rest Area. In March the Company was busy burying cables in the Divisional area and in April had moved to the Somme where they were in action by the middle of the month. The work was hard as on some days 600 men buried 800 yards of cable to a depth of 6 feet and at the same time were subject to shelling and gas. By July they were back in the line at Villers-Bretonneux and were engaged in the major advance of August 8, 1918.

At this time Arthur had requested to be relinquished from his rank of Driver and to be remustered as a Sapper. This request was granted.

With the war ended Arthur was on leave in the UK when, on Christmas Eve, he was admitted to 1st Auxillary Hospital suffering from bronchitis. After a short stay he was transferred to 2nd Convalescent Depot at Weymouth. Arthur returned to Australia aboard HMT Nevasa and disembarked on 18 April. After serving for 4 years and 117 days, with 3 years 330 days service abroad, he was discharged medically unfit.

Arthur returned to the farm at Manoora and in 1924 married Eleanor Whitbread. Arthur and Eleanor had 3 daughters, Iris (1925), Kathleen (1928) and Eleanor. He died in 1978 at the age of 84 and  is buried in the Auburn Cemetery with his wife Eleanor who had predeceased him by 10 years, dying in 1968.