JONES, Harold

Harold Jones enlisted in the South Staffords, possibly as a regular soldier before 1914, and was posted to the 1st Battalion. He went to the Western Front on the 4th January 1915 when the Battalion was recovering from the losses of the Autumn battles in Flanders. The Staffords fought in three of the major 1915 attacks, at Neuve Chapelle in March, at nearby Festubert in May but the greatest battle of 1915 was at Loos starting on the 25th September. Losses were high and no ground was gained. The Staffords then moved to the Somme sector and were ready for the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme on the 1st July. Their attack on Mametz was well planned and a signal success on this fateful day. However, the cost was considerable and Private Harold Jones was killed in action. He is commemorated on the Thiepval and Sedgley Memorials.