JONES, W

This soldier is thought to be Harold Jones of 61 Collis Street, Amblecote. He was a Kitchener volunteer and joined the 10th (Service) battalion of the Worcesters. They went to the Western Front in 1915 and spent some time near Ypres before taking part in the 1916 battle of the Somme. They were in the second line on the 1st July and went into the attack on La Boisselle on the 3rd. It was a very difficult task against strong enemy positions and casualties were high. Private Harold Jones was killed in action on the 3rd July and is commemorated on the Thiepval and Amblecote Memorials. While in Flanders he sent a battle poem to his parents. The first verses read: Sing me to sleep where the bullets fall Let me forget the war and all Damp is my dugout and cold are my feet Nothing but bully and biscuits to eat. Sing me to sleep where bombs explode And shrapnel shells are a la mode Over the sandbags helmets you’ll find Corpses in front of you, corpses behind