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Thomas Alfred Jones

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Thomas Alfred Jones

VC DCM
Statue of 'Todger' Jones in Runcorn Memorial Garden
Nickname(s)Todger
Born(1880-12-25)25 December 1880
Runcorn, Cheshire, England
Died30 January 1956(1956-01-30) (aged 75)
Runcorn, Cheshire, England
Buried
Runcorn Cemetery
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
RankPrivate
Unit1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment
Battles / warsWorld War I
Awards

Thomas Alfred Jones, VC, DCM (25 December 1880 – 30 January 1956), also known as 'Todger' Jones, was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Biography

Jones was born in Runcorn, Cheshire, on 25 December 1880, and was a private in the 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, British Army during the First World War. He was known affectionately locally as 'Todger' Jones.[1]

On 25 September 1916, during the Battle of Morval, Jones performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He was with his company covering the advance in front of a village, when he noticed an enemy sniper 200 yards (183 m) away. He left his trench on his own, and crossed no man's land without covering fire. Although one bullet went through his helmet and another through his coat, he returned the sniper's fire and killed him. Near the enemy trench, he saw two more Germans firing on him while simultaneously displaying a white flag. Jones shot them both. Upon reaching the enemy trench, he found several occupied dug-outs and single-handedly disarmed 102 Germans. Three or four were officers, and the entire trench was taken by Jones and his comrades.[2][3]

Jones is buried in Runcorn Cemetery and his Victoria Cross is displayed at the Cheshire Military Museum in Chester.[4][5]

Statue

Dignitaries in front of the statue following its unveiling

On 3 August 2014 a statue of Jones was unveiled in the Memorial Garden, Runcorn. Following a ceremony in front of the War Memorial opposite to the garden, the statue was unveiled by four veterans and active servicemen. It is in bronze, and was created by the Scottish sculptor David Annand.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Private Thomas Alfred (Todger) Jones VC, Halton British Legion, retrieved 30 December 2011
  2. ^ "No. 29802". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 October 1916. p. 10395.
  3. ^ Victoria Cross for Runcorn Private, C C Publishing, retrieved 30 December 2011
  4. ^ Thomas Alfred Jones, findsgrave.com, retrieved 30 December 2011
  5. ^ Grave Location for Holders of the Victoria Cross in the county of Cheshire, Iain Stewart, archived from the original on 27 September 2013, retrieved 30 December 2011 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Official programme, 3 August 2014

Further reading

  • Thompson, Dave (2002), I Laughed Like Blazes: The Life of Private Thomas 'Todger' Jones, VC, DCM, Dave Thompson
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