Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Oscar Jones was born at Oxley and attended Sherwood State School and Brisbane Grammar. His father, George Jones was the station master at Sherwood and the family lived in the Station Master’s house.

When Oscar enlisted on 25th September 1915, he was 22 years old and employed as a clerk. His younger brother Arthur had enlisted 12 days before. Oscar was drafted into the staff of the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital and embarked from Sydney on the “Ballarat” on 16th February 1916.

He arrived in Egypt on 23rd March and spent the next five months attached to the hospital at Zeitoun. Oscar was in England by August and in France on 27th October 1916. At about this time Oscar was attached to the 13th Field Ambulance which was attached to the 13th Infantry Brigade. Oscar’s job would primarily have been as a stretcher bearer transporting wounded back from the front lines to field ambulance and casualty clearing stations as the battles of Flers and Bapaume raged.

The winter of 1916/17 was severe and not surprisingly Oscar contracted bronchitis. Spring and summer of 1917 saw the focus of Australian operations shift from the Somme to Flanders and the vital Ypres salient. Stretcher bearers were kept busy with casualties from Messines (June), Menin Road (September) and Broodseinde (October).

Haig wanted to continue the advance to the Passchendaele ridge and even when the weather turned against him, would not be dissuaded from his goal. As the rains came down the troops became mired in thigh deep clinging mud. It was reported that stretcher bearers had to work in teams of 16 to carry one wounded man back through the quagmire.

Exhaustive work in cold wet muddy conditions was likely to lead to trench foot, trench fever, typhoid and influenza and casualties going sick at Passchendaele began to mount. Among those sick was Oscar Jones. He reported sick to his own field ambulance with a fever on 1st February 1918. Two weeks later he was in hospital in England with the diagnosis of nephritis (trench fever). Oscar’s exhausted state did not allow for a swift recovery and he was transferred to the Australian Hospital at Harefield on 30th May. Oscar’s condition began to deteriorate and a medical board convened on 11th June determined that he was unfit for service and should be repatriated to Australia for discharge.

Oscar’s brother, Arthur was also at Harefield recovering from wounds he had received at Passchendaele. On 23rd June, Oscar died with his brother by his side. He was afforded a military funeral in the grounds of Saint Mary’s Church at Harefield. Several patients and staff of the hospital including Arthur were in attendance; and two chaplains read the service.

Arthur recovered from his wounds and returned to Australia in 1919. By 1923 the Jones family had moved to “Littlethorpe” Oxley.

Courtesy of Ian Lang

Mango Hill

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”

Died on this date – 23rd June…… Oscar Harold Jones was born at Oxley, Queensland on 5th November, 1892.

He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 25th September, 1915 as a 23 year old, single, Clerk from Sherwood, Queensland.

Private Oscar Harold Jones, Service number 8894, embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on HMAT Ballarat (A70) on 16th February, 1916 with the First Australian General Hospital, 14th Reinforcements. He proceeded from Troopship (A70) to Miscellaneous Reinforcements at Zeitoun on 23rd March, 1916.

On 24th March, 1916 Private Jones reported for duty to 1st Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis. He was transferred & reported for duty to 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Heliopolis from 27th March, 1916.

He was marched in to Divisional Troops Depot at Tel-el-Kebir on 17th July, 1916 from C.O.R. & embarked for overseas on H. T. Franconia from Alexandria on 2nd August, 1916.

Private Oscar Harold Jones was taken on strength of Camp 2 Parkhouse, Wiltshire, England from 21st August, 1916.

Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.

He proceeded overseas to France on 23rd September, 1916 from Camp 2 Parkhouse, Wiltshire. He joined 4th D.B.D. (Australian Divisional Base Depot) at Etaples, France on 25th September, 1916 from Training Battalion in England.

On 4th October, 1916 Private Jones was transferred to Australian General Base Depot. He was transferred to 2nd Division Australian Field Ambulance on 17th October, 1916 then on 27th October, 1916 he was transferred to 4th Division A.M.C. (Army Medical Corps). Private Jones was taken on strength of 13th Field Ambulance in France on 30th October, 1916 from Reinforcements.

Private Oscar Harold Jones was evacuated to D.R.S. (Divisional Rest Station) on 2nd February, 1917 with Tracheitis. He rejoined his Unit on 11th February, 1917.

He reported sick on 24th January, 1918 & was admitted to 13th Field Ambulance as a patient (as opposed to being on duty at 13th Field Ambulance) with Pyrexia (fever). Private Jones was discharged to duty on 1st February, 1918 & rejoined 13th Field Ambulance for duty the same day.

On 19th February, 1918 Private Jones reported sick & was admitted to No. 53 Casualty Clearing Station with Nephritis then transferred to Ambulance Train 25 on 23rd February, 1918. Private Jones was admitted to 7th Canadian General Hospital at Etaples, France on 23rd February, 1918. He embarked for England on 27th February, 1918 on Hospital Ship New Haven.

Private Oscar Harold Jones was admitted to 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell, England on 27th February, 1918 suffering from Nephritis.

He was transferred & admitted to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, England on 30th May, 1918 with Nephritis. The Hospital Admissions form recorded “Very anaemic, puffy under eyes, headache, backache, short of breath, precordial pain, frequent micturition, Radial tension …”

The last page of the Medical History form for Private Oscar Harold Jones has the following details “Board finding of Consultant. Unfit for Home Service permanently. Unfit for General Service for 6 months.” This was stamped with 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, Middlesex stamp & dated 11th June, 1918.

Private Oscar Harold Jones died at 10.45 am on 23rd June, 1918 at 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield Park, Harefield, Middlesex, England from (1) Trench Nephritis & (2) Uraemia.

He was buried in St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Harefield, Middlesex, England where 112 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)

https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/h---k.html