6488
JONAS, Richard Honey
| Service Number: | 1868 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Alberton, South Australia, 25 April 1891 |
| Home Town: | Semaphore, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Driver |
| Died: | South Australia, 21 January 1963, aged 71 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Rosewater Marist Brothers Port Adelaide Roll of Honour, Somerton Park Sacred Heart College Men of "The Marist Brothers Old Scholars Association" Honor Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 1868, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 1868, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Driver, 1868, 42nd Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Richard Honey Jonas's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Maree Woods
Richard Jonas was born on March 25th 1881 in Alberton, a portside suburb of Adelaide. He was the fourth son of the six sons and five daughters of Daniel Jonas and Susan Esther Stone. Richard’s two older brothers, Alfred and John, also served in the war.
Richard was educated at Somerton Park Sacred Heart College and Rosewood Marist Brothers College and he is commemorated on both their honour rolls. Prior to his enlistment on September 22nd 1915, Richard was a foreman and was married to Harriet Arnfield. Harriet was left to raise their two young sons Vernon and Clifford, as well as a new infant son, named after his father, born ten days before his namesake disembarked in England. Richard was originally assigned to the 13th Light Horse regiment and he embarked from Adelaide on January 11th 1916 on HMAT “Borda”. On his arrival overseas on March 1st 1916 Richard was reassigned to the 4th Division Artillery Column as a Driver. On July 29th he was reassigned to the 11th Field Artillery Brigade, 43rd Battery alongside his brother John who was in the 42nd Battery.
On December 8th, 1916, Richard was on duty as a stableman. He shared breakfast with his brother and then left the tent they shared to attend to the horses which were used to pull the wagons carrying the large guns to the front. While attempting to repair a damaged chain with an axe Richard accidentally severed his 3rd and 4th fingers from his left hand when the horse secured by the chain startled and threw Richard off-balance.
After being treated in medical facilities in France Richard was transferred for Le Havre in France to England for further treatment. He returned to Australia on the “Change” on July 21st 1917. Harriet and Richard had two more children, a daughter, Laurel, and a son Maxwell. By the 1930’s Richard was working as a wool merchant and their extended family was living in New Street in Queenstown, Adelaide. When the second World War started Vernon and Clifford both enlisted. Vernon died in a Prisoner of War camp in Thailand.
Richard died on January 21st 1963, aged seventy-one. He is buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery in Adelaide where one hundred and thirty of his Jonas and Honey relatives are also buried.
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