| Revision as of 19:46, 11 November 2008 editGreenshed (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers65,710 edits Category:Victoria Cross recipients of the Royal Navy← Previous edit | Revision as of 06:30, 4 March 2009 edit undoOhconfucius (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers328,947 edits expanded, reworked, dates to dmyNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{use dmy dates}} | |||
| ] '''Loftus William Jones''' ] ( |
] '''Loftus William Jones''' ] (13 November 1879 – 31 May 1916) was an ] recipient of the ], the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to ] and ] forces. | ||
| ⚫ | He was 36 years old, on 31 May 1916, at the ] when he performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. | ||
| ==Details== | |||
| ⚫ | He was 36 years old, |
||
| ==Biography== | |||
| On ] ], at the ], off ], Commander Jones of ], led a division of destroyers to attack the enemy Battle Cruiser Squadron. In the course of this attack ''Shark'' became disabled by shell-fire and was lying helpless between two enemy fleets. Commander Jones was badly wounded in the leg, but with the help of three surviving seamen one of which was Charles Herbert Smith he kept the midships gun in action until he was hit by a shell which took off his leg. The continued fire directly led to the sinking of the Imperial German Torpedo Boat ]. He continued, however, to give orders to his gun's crew, until ''Shark'' was hit by a torpedo launched by ] and sank. Commander Jones was not among the survivors. | |||
| Born 13 November 1879 to Admiral Loftus Francis Jones and Gertrude (nee Gray), of Petersfield, Hants,<ref name=cwgc>, | |||
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission</ref> Jones was a ] in the ] aboard the ] during the ]. He went down with his ship. | |||
| ===Citation=== | |||
| ==Further information== | |||
| {{quote|''On the afternoon of the 31st May, 1916, during the action, Commander Jones in H.M.S. "Shark", Torpedo Boat Destroyer, led a division of Destroyers to attack the enemy Battle Cruiser Squadron. In the course of this attack a shell hit the "Shark's" bridge, putting the steering gear out of order, and very shortly afterwards another shell disabled the main engines, leaving the vessel helpless. The Commanding Officer of another Destroyer, seeing the "Shark's" plight, came between her and the enemy and offered assistance, but was warned by Commander Jones not to run the risk of being almost certainly sunk in trying to help him. Commander Jones, though wounded in the leg, went aft to help connect and man the after wheel. Meanwhile the forecastle gun with its crew had been blown away, and the same fate soon afterwards befell the after gun and crew. Commander Jones then went to the midship and the only remaining gun, and personally assisted in keeping it in action. All this time the "Shark" was subjected to very heavy fire from enemy light cruisers and destroyers at short range. The gun's crew of the midship gun was reduced to three, of whom an Able Seaman was soon badly wounded in the leg. A few minutes later Commander Jones was hit by a shell, which took off his leg above the knee, but he continued to give orders to his gun's crew, while a Chief Stoker improvised a tourniquet round his thigh. Noticing that the Ensign was not properly hoisted, he gave orders for another to be hoisted. Soon afterwards, seeing that the ship could not survive much longer, and as a German Destroyer was closing, he gave orders for the surviving members of the crew to put on lifebelts. Almost immediately after this order had been given, the "Shark" was struck by a torpedo and sank. Commander Jones was unfortunately not amongst the few survivors from the "Shark" who were picked up by a neutral vessel in the night.|], 6 March 1917<ref name=cwgc/>}} | |||
| ⚫ | Commander Jones' body was washed ashore some days after the battle |
||
| ==Death and burial== | |||
| ⚫ | Commander Jones' body was washed ashore in Western ] some days after the battle. He was originally buried at ], ], Sweden. His body was transferred to the British War Graves plot in Kviberg Cemetery, ], in 1961. | ||
| ==The medal== | ==The medal== | ||
| Line 13: | Line 18: | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| *] (David Harvey, 1999) | *] (David Harvey, 1999) | ||
| *] (This England, 1997) | *] (This England, 1997) | ||
| Line 20: | Line 26: | ||
| * {{findagrave|8016393}} | * {{findagrave|8016393}} | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones,Loftus William}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Loftus William}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 06:30, 4 March 2009
Commander Loftus William Jones VC (13 November 1879 – 31 May 1916) 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.
He was 36 years old, on 31 May 1916, at the Battle of Jutland when he performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Biography
Born 13 November 1879 to Admiral Loftus Francis Jones and Gertrude (nee Gray), of Petersfield, Hants, Jones was a Commander in the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Shark during the First World War. He went down with his ship.
Citation
On the afternoon of the 31st May, 1916, during the action, Commander Jones in H.M.S. "Shark", Torpedo Boat Destroyer, led a division of Destroyers to attack the enemy Battle Cruiser Squadron. In the course of this attack a shell hit the "Shark's" bridge, putting the steering gear out of order, and very shortly afterwards another shell disabled the main engines, leaving the vessel helpless. The Commanding Officer of another Destroyer, seeing the "Shark's" plight, came between her and the enemy and offered assistance, but was warned by Commander Jones not to run the risk of being almost certainly sunk in trying to help him. Commander Jones, though wounded in the leg, went aft to help connect and man the after wheel. Meanwhile the forecastle gun with its crew had been blown away, and the same fate soon afterwards befell the after gun and crew. Commander Jones then went to the midship and the only remaining gun, and personally assisted in keeping it in action. All this time the "Shark" was subjected to very heavy fire from enemy light cruisers and destroyers at short range. The gun's crew of the midship gun was reduced to three, of whom an Able Seaman was soon badly wounded in the leg. A few minutes later Commander Jones was hit by a shell, which took off his leg above the knee, but he continued to give orders to his gun's crew, while a Chief Stoker improvised a tourniquet round his thigh. Noticing that the Ensign was not properly hoisted, he gave orders for another to be hoisted. Soon afterwards, seeing that the ship could not survive much longer, and as a German Destroyer was closing, he gave orders for the surviving members of the crew to put on lifebelts. Almost immediately after this order had been given, the "Shark" was struck by a torpedo and sank. Commander Jones was unfortunately not amongst the few survivors from the "Shark" who were picked up by a neutral vessel in the night.
— The London Gazette, 6 March 1917
Death and burial
Commander Jones' body was washed ashore in Western Sweden some days after the battle. He was originally buried at Fiskebäckskil, Västra Götaland, Sweden. His body was transferred to the British War Graves plot in Kviberg Cemetery, Gothenburg, in 1961.
The medal
Royal Naval Museum - Portsmouth, Hampshire, England (2003)
References
- ^ Jones, Loftus William, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Naval VCs (Stephen Snelling, 2002)
External links
.gif){kind=small} | This English biographical article related to the military is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
  | This biographical article related to the Royal Navy is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |