Walter Jones
Private
9th Service Battalion - Royal Fusiliers
Garrisoning the Empire
The recruiting staff officers surveyed the 18-year-old youth who stood before them, contemplating his acceptance into their proud and storied regiment, the Royal Fusiliers that August of 1892. Walter Jones, though barely an adult, gave off the impression of being somewhat of a motley youth, with a burn scar on his chin and a tattoo of a ballet dancer which adorned his right forearm. His prior occupation as a barman did not lend kindly to this initial perception, but his grey-eyes and fair complexion helped lessen his unruly look. His enthusiasm to volunteer and untarnished service with their 3rd Militia Battalion made the decision clear and soon the young private was looking smart wearing the uniform of the 1st Battalion, serving in his home of London for several years.
Stifling heat and streets of dirt greeted the English Private as he arrived in the major Indian city of Karachi to take up his post with the 1st Battalion there (1). Two years of home service in London had been filled with drill on the well-kept cobble streets in the presence of family and friends. But India was a foreign world to Walter, the streets of the ancient port city bustling with peoples who practiced unfamiliar customs and enjoyed food he had never seen before. His duties were strictly military, the battalion posted to garrison the important city, which served as a major export hub in the region. For nearly 3-years the fusiliers stood watch over the peaceful trade center, before departing for the important railway center of Mhow in Central India in 1897 (1). From here Walter and his comrades moved to Nusseerbad, which sat just on the edge of a vast unfarmable region in the Northwest of the British Raj (1).
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Over the course of 6 years, Walter slowly adapted to the high temperatures of the country and grew accustomed to its various peoples. The battalion's 12 year posting to India would finally end when relived on December of 1900, transferring to the farthest extent of the Dominion, Burma (1). The disciplined troopers of the Royal Fusiliers marched to their new accommodations in the famed and ancient city of Mandalay (1). Garrisoning this key post in the Empire provided Walter with a glimpse at a land filled with Pagoda Temples nestled in the jungle environment of Southeast Asia. In 1902, he was posted with the formation to Lebong in the interior, offering a rare look into rural life in the hills where the hardy Burmese people dwelled (1).
South Africa
Garrisoning the Empire was not without its risks, but overall, his time spent in India and Burma was without trouble and was a great opportunity for traveling the world and seeing it’s peoples. Yet without hesitation he took up his post when selected for a transfer to the 2nd Battalion, which was currently fighting in South Africa (2). In March of 1902, Walter’s boots hit the soil of Africa, joining the 2nd Battalion in Rosemead, Cape Colony (2). The 5'4 1/2" soldier joining these veteran fusiliers as they were attempting to keep the scattered but nonetheless rowdy Boers in check (2). The policing was altogether different, the peoples being a diverse mix of Africans, Anglo, and Boers. Easing into his duties upon the rolling grasslands of the Veldt would not be possible for Walter, the 2nd being put on notice for deployment as the Boer forces launched a daring attack on the mining town of O’okiep in the remote west of the country (2,3).
The fusiliers were immediately organized and departed by ocean in the hopes of arriving in time to help lift the siege. Walter would land in the remote town of Port Nolloth, which the 2nd quickly secured (3). Two companies of men would then immediately setout to join the main force gathering inland, arriving on April 29th (3). Their reputation as a veteran unit proceeded them and they were placed in the vanguard of the relief column, joining a mass assault on the main positions at Steinkopf in the evening of April 30th (3). Though the assault was well coordinated and bravely conducted, the lads discovered the Boers had withdrawn, easily reliving the beleaguered town (3). Nonetheless the inhabitants were still quite grateful, putting on football and cricket games for the fusiliers, which consolidated in the town and remained there for a period (3). Though a war, it had turned out to be a further great adventure for the now 28-year-old fusilier.
A Veteran Returns
The excitement that had dominated Walter’s life had subsided into routine as he worked as a laborer retort. His final proud days with the fusiliers ending in 1908, though he had been blessed to marry the love of his life, Ellen Bateman, and have his first child, Walter Ernest Jones, during that period. It was for them he accepted the monotony of a normal job, providing a comfortable life in London. Yet the news of war in 1914 brought back his memories of regimental pride and the desperate call for veterans to help fill the ranks in 1915 proved too much for the old sweat (4). Issued with regimental number 742, he was most proud to once again dawn the uniform of the Royal Fusiliers, this time of the 9th Service Battalion.
16 years of prior service in the army made him a veteran among waves of newcomers, yet much had changed since his time in the active forces, and his war experience had been rather minimal. As such, he trained and drilled as hard as the other men, first at Colchester and then as part of a Brigade in Aldershot (4). Considered service worthy, Private Jones and the 9th departed for France, setting foot in Boulogne in June 1915 (4). It would be to their fortune that they were not immediately thrown into the battlefield, instead training in trench warfare under the supervision of those who had experienced it firsthand, making them one of the most prepared battalions in the army (4). |
Nightmarish stints in the trenches molded the 9th Battalion into a veteran unit as Walter and company learned how to survive a rotation at the front (5). Artillery barrages were frequent and could come in any form, the men learning to discern between “whizz bangs” and standard shells. Snipers were also a regular occurrence, picking off those lads who let their guard down (5).Yet even in the misery of trench warfare, a moment of humor could occur. In one instance, the Germans erected a large notice board in their trench where the fusiliers could see it and wrote “Warschau Gefallen” (Warsaw fell), a reference to the recent Russian defeat (5). During their next patrol, the London lads made it a point to steal the board and bring it back as a trophy, depriving their foe of their bulletin capabilities (5).
Le Transloy
Walter hauled his rifle and kit into the forward trench line as the battalion settled in for an assault on October of 1916 at Le Transloy. Everyone was of course nervous, but had been emboldened by their success in taking 4th Avenue Trench at Pozieres a month earlier with little issue (5). Walter and the lads were told they should expect the same in this assault, which helped to ease their anxiety (5). A,B, and D companies were posted to the front, with C company standing to in Gird Support Trench acting as a reserve. The targeted enemy positions were portions of Rainbow and Bayonet trenches, which were key objectives (5). Final thoughts coursed through Walter’s mind as he awaited the infamous order, though a seasoned veteran, he still experienced the stress of not knowing what lied over the trench.
The order was given to attack and the fusiliers charged forth determined to drive the Germans out of their positions. As they reached the ridgeline on which the foe was dug in, heavy machine gun and artillery fire erupted from the enemy trenches, slamming into the three advancing companies (5). Whizzing bullets and flying shrapnel cut the fusiliers to pieces as they trudged across rugged no mans land (5). Two platoons of C company would be ordered to join the assault but were also annihilated by the curtain of bullets and shrapnel (5). Despite their undaunted charge, not a single objective was reached by any of the fusiliers, the distraught survivors crawling back to their own trench line as dusk set in (5). The two remaining platoons of C Company mixed with the few survivors would stand firm against a German counterattack, preventing a major enemy breakthrough (5). |
The attack had been devastating with 322 men of the 9th Service Battalion being killed or wounded (5). Walter Jones would be among the missing, having been killed in the assault that October 7th. His wife Ellen and child who bore his name were devastated at his loss, only his medals and pension returning to them. Of the exploits of the brave veteran and his comrades an officer would say “they advanced steadily under a very heavy fire which only the very best troops could have faced" (5). Walter Jones was no doubt among the finest to have ever served in the Royal Fusiliers.
Sources:
(1) The Royal Fusiliers, Regiments.org, https://web.archive.org/web/20051028160113/http://regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/007-1.htm
(2) Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), AngloBowerWar.Com, https://www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/imperial-units/648-royal-fusiliers-city-of-london-regiment
(3) Zeil, Anthony-Glen Von. “Military History Journal Vol 16 No 5 - June 2015.” South African Military History Society - Journal - Relief of O'okiep, Namaqualand, 1902, South African Military History Society, June 2015, samilitaryhistory.org/vol165vz.html.
(4) 9th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers in the Great War. The Wartime Memories Project, www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=6896.
(5) 9 Battalion Royal Fusiliers, WO 95/1857/2, The National Archives, https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352684
(1) The Royal Fusiliers, Regiments.org, https://web.archive.org/web/20051028160113/http://regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/007-1.htm
(2) Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), AngloBowerWar.Com, https://www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/imperial-units/648-royal-fusiliers-city-of-london-regiment
(3) Zeil, Anthony-Glen Von. “Military History Journal Vol 16 No 5 - June 2015.” South African Military History Society - Journal - Relief of O'okiep, Namaqualand, 1902, South African Military History Society, June 2015, samilitaryhistory.org/vol165vz.html.
(4) 9th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers in the Great War. The Wartime Memories Project, www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=6896.
(5) 9 Battalion Royal Fusiliers, WO 95/1857/2, The National Archives, https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352684