Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Birth Cert.:  Harry 'Otto' JONES

Harry Richard Jones was born in Jamestown South Australia, on 12 April 1896, to loving parents Fred Bryan Jones and Martha Marie Jones (nee Wehrmann). He was the second of 7 children the couple had together. Harry’s mother, Martha Marie Wehrmann, was born in Germany, whereas his father, Fred Bryan Jones, was born in Gumeracha, in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. His parents married at St. James Church, Jamestown, South Australia, on 17 February 1894, just 5 months before the birth of their first child, Roy Alfred.(1)

Harry’s older brother, Roy Alfred Jones, was two years older than him, and during his childhood, Harry had 5 more siblings; William George Jones, Alfred Elton Jones, Arthur Albert Jones, Ivan Rupert Vassil Jones, and his only sister, Leila Martha Frances Jones. When he was just 15 years old, Harry’s brother Arthur Albert died aged just 4 years old. Leila Martha Frances was born just a few months before Harry enlisted, making him absent for most of her childhood.(2) Growing up, Harry would help on the farm at Bundaleer Springs, and this was his occupation before enlisting.(3)

On 31 August, 1914, at Keswick Barracks, Adelaide, Harry Richard Jones enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) to serve for his country(4). There was adrenaline and excitement as thousands of other men alongside Harry signed off on the biggest adventure of their lifetime. At the time of enlistment, Harry had written his father as next of kin, but was changed to his mother-in-law(5), Mrs Frances Emily Hooker of Southampton, Hampshire later in the war(6).

Harry was a part of the original 10th battalion, D Company, and on enlistment was given the rank of Private. From September to early October, his battalion was subject to training at Morphettville, Adelaide(7). On 20 October 1914, Harry’s battalion embarked from Adelaide on the HMAT Ascanius A11 at 4:30 pm(8). Their ship arrived at port in Fremantle, WA, at 8:00am on 25 October 1914, and after a few days, embarked again. This would be the last time Harry was in Australian waters until his discharge.(9) Harry’s battalion got a quick disembarkation at Colombo, Sri Lanka, from the 15 to the 17 November to get coal and water and were back on the water that night.(10)

On 21 November 1914, at 4:30 am, the ship carrying Harry’s battalion, collided with the transport ship, Shropshire, causing a 7 metre hole on the portside bow.11 The collision alarm was sounded, and many on the ship believed there had been an enemy attack, gearing up for what they thought would be their first taste of fighting12. With some disappointed with the false alarm and some relieved, the ship was still fit to reach the city of Aden in Yemen on 25 November.13 The ship embarked the following day, most likely after some repairs, and arrived at Alexandria, Egypt, on Sunday, 6 December 1914.(14) It was exceptionally hot and humid during the travels, and some soldiers had caught fevers during the voyage.(15) Nonetheless, the fit, young, eager soldiers then proceeded to Cairo for training.(16)

The 10th Battalion left Cairo and boarded the ship Ionian in high spirits on Monday, 1 March 1915, with the 9th Battalion at 8:00 am.(17) They embarked early the next morning, on 2 March.(18) The Ionian reached the island of Lemnos, Greece, on Thursday, 4 March 1915, where the battalions disembarked and stayed for over a month.(19) Then, on Friday, 23 April 1915, the two battalions left for the Dardanelles(20), trained for one of the most traumatic days of their life, the infamous Gallipoli Landing at ANZAC Cove.

On 24 April 1915, in the dead of night, Harry’s battalion was transferred to the warship HMS Prince of Wales for the Gallipoli landing.(21) Tensions and nerves were skyrocketing(22), anticipation for what would be one of the deadliest invasions in history. Dawn cracked, and Harry and his comrades landed at ANZAC Cove on 25 April 1915, as the first of many Gallipoli landings23. He ran straight into machine gun fire at precisely 4:15 am (24) not knowing that the Turks were waiting. The sea floor was stony and it hurt to move. Large, round stones would slow Harry down with every step.(25) At 8:30 am, Harry’s battalion was a mile inland and holding position (26). A few days later, a bayonet charge was threatened by the enemy, but ANZAC machine gun and rifle fire discouraged them(27).

Harry then had a stroke of bad luck in the Dardanelles, with a number of hospital trips. He was wounded in action on 8 May 1915, and rejoined his unit on 8 July. After contracting tonsillitis and being admitted to the hospital on 3 August, he rejoined his unit again on 28 August. In September, Harry had an ingrown toenail, which was likely infected given the conditions he was living in and rejoined his unit on 6 November. His bad luck continued when he sustained a hernia and contracted bronchitis while in hospital. Once recovered, Harry rejoined his unit again on 11 December.(28)

After being transferred to the 50th Battalion and serving there for a few weeks, Harry was transferred to the 51st Battalion on 10 March 1916 (29). Formed partly from other battalions(30), half of the recruits were Gallipoli veterans, like Harry(31). The 51st Battalion participated in platoon training in Egypt from 1 March 1916, as the other half of soldiers in the battalion had just enlisted.(32) While in Egypt, Harry left without leave from 10:30 pm on 12 March to 13 March at 9 pm. His punishment was surrendering 2 days' pay, it is unclear what he was doing between these hours, but it was the only time Harry snuck away without permission.(33)

The 51st Battalion disembarked at Marseilles, France, on 12 June 1916(34). Harry and his battalion moved to the Western Front in a fortnight, which was quite fast. The first real piece of action they found on the Western Front was the battle of Mouquet Farm from 14 August 1916 to 3 September, where they won(35). They also attacked at German-occupied Noreuil on 2 April 1917, and discovered an unoccupied trench behind the town. Noreuil was an important point for the German defence near the Hindenburg Line, as defending it allowed time for the Germans to prepare defences and fully man them. While the 51st Battalion was able to secure their position from the north, the 50th was not able to do the same from the south and the town was not secured by the Allies until 3 April, when the Germans withdrew their forces.(36)

To finish his time on the Western Front, Harry suffered from yet another hernia and was admitted to a military hospital on 6 August 1917. He then embarked on a ship to England for hospital on 11 August 1917(37). While in England, Harry married Edith Frances Hooker, in Weymouth, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, on 3 October 1917(38). He was likely sick during his wedding, as he was then discharged due to anaemia (a blood condition) and debility on 1 November 1917, finishing his war service(39). The anaemia was likely caused due to a lack of nutrients on the front line, blood loss, or infection(40).

Harry embarked for home on 1 November 1917 (41) and disembarked on 30 December 1917, finally on home soil again(42). While serving, he received the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal.(43) He had three children with his wife, Edith Frances Jones, with one of them not being his biological son. Harry Richard Jones (junior) was born in early 1918, and Edith was likely pregnant with him at their wedding. It is likely that Harry ‘adopted’ his first son and raised him as his own, even naming him after himself. He went on to have two more sons, Herbert Stanley Jones in 1920, and Frederick Colin Jones in 1922 (44).

Two of Harry’s sons enlisted in WWII, Frederick Colin and Herbert Stanley, taking after their dad(45). Frederick was sadly killed in action on 1 October 1943, serving in New Guinea, while Herbert survived(46). Harry’s mother died on 28 January 1939, and his father died on 26 April 1947, both being buried in Jamestown. Harry Richard Jones died in Daw Park, SA, aged 70 and was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena, SA(47).
During his time serving, Harry Richard Jones showed the ANZAC qualities of courage and perseverance. Courage was shown by running into machine gun fire at Gallipoli, even though it meant risking his life, to serve his country. Another quality, perseverance, was shown as he kept getting sick, but kept fighting nonetheless. He never gave in, even though the conditions he fought in were horrible and likely caused all of these sicknesses. Harry was an admirable soldier and should be remembered as both courageous and resilient in times of hardship.

1 Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
2 Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
3 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
4 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
5 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
6 Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]

7 Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
8 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
9 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
10 Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
11 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
12 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
13 Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]

14 Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
15 Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
16 Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
17 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
18 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
19 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
20 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
21 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
22 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]

23 Australian War Memorial, 2016 The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
24 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
25 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
26 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
27 Australian War Memorial, 2016, The Australian War Memorial, AWM4 Subclass 23/27 – 10th Infantry Battalion, Canberra, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
28 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
29 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
30 Australian War Memorial, 2025, AWM4 Subclass 23/68 - 51st Infantry Battalion, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339114 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025].
31 Australian War Memorial, 2025, The Australian War Memorial, 51st Australian Infantry Battalion Awm.gov.au, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51491 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
32 Australian War Memorial, 2025, AWM4 Subclass 23/68 - 51st Infantry Battalion, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339114 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025].

33 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
34 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
35 Australian War Memorial, 2025, Attack on Noreuil, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E84290 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
36 Australian War Memorial, 2025, Attack on Noreuil, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E84290 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
37 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
38 Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
40 World Health Organization, 2024, Anaemia, www.who.int, Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/anaemia [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025]
41 Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au, Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
42 AIF Project, 2025, Details, Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=157512 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025].
43 AIF Project, 2025, Details, Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=157512 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025].
44 Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
45 Virtual War Memorial Australia, 2025, Harry Richard JONES, Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/79111 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025]
46 Australian War Memorial, 2025, Attack on Noreuil, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E84290 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
47 Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]

Reference List

AIF Project, 2025, Details, Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=157512 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Andrew’s Archives, 2014, HMAT Ascanius, Available at: https://andrewsarchives.com/tag/hmat-ascanius/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Australian War Memorial, 2025, The Australian War Memorial, Awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Australian War Memorial, 2016, Unit Diaries – 51st Infantry Battalion and 10th Infantry Battalion, Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170 https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339114 [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Family Search, 2015, FamilySearch.org, Available at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/LR3P-9TQ [Accessed 6 Aug. 25]
Terrace, V, 2025, View digital copy, Naa.gov.au. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1818725 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025]
Virtual War Memorial Australia, 2025, Harry Richard JONES, Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/79111 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025]
World Health Organization, 2024, Anaemia, www.who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/anaemia [Accessed 6 Aug. 2025]