Alfred Jones was born in the March quarter of 1886 and was the son of Richard and Margaret Jones (nee Graham). His parents had married in 1869 at St George's Church, Everton.
The 1891 Census shows the family living at 30 Havelock Street, Everton, Liverpool. His father Richard is aged 42, born 1849 in Liverpool and employed as a joiner,whilst his mother, Margaret is aged 40, born 1851 in Liverpool has no occupation listed. They have eight children at the time of the Census; Mary aged 19, born 1872 is a shop assistant, Thomas aged 18, born 1873 is a railway porter, William aged 16, born 1875 is a painter, Richard aged 14, born 1877 is a post office boy, Frederick aged 12, born 1879, John aged 10, born 1881, Ada aged 7, born 1884 and Alfred aged 5, born 1886 are all scholars and all born in Liverpool.
His father Richard died in the September quarter of 1894 aged 45.
The 1901 Census shows the family living at 4, St George Street, Everton, Liverpool. His mother Margaret is a widow aged 50, and has no occupation listed. She has six of her children living with her at the time of the Census, Thomas aged 28,is a van driver, William aged 25 is a flour miller, Frederick aged 22, is a postman, John aged 19 is a commercial clerk, Ada aged 17, is a cigarette packer and Alfred aged 15, is a commercial clerk.
When Alfred was 22 years old, he married Ada Bagot, on 27th October 1904 in St. Peter’s Church, Liverpool, his address Duke Street, and his occupation brush maker. His father is listed as Richard Jones, joiner.
Their son Sydney Alfred was born on 26th January 1905. When Sydney was baptised in Holy Trinity, Walton, Alfred and Ada were living at 32 Stonehill Street, and Alfred was employed as a brush maker.
Their daughter Marion Nora was born in 1909.
The 1911 Census shows Alfred and his family living at 31 Newburn Street Walton on the Hill, Liverpool. Alfred is aged 25, employed as a cigarette packer and his wife Ada aged 24 has no occupation listed. They have been married for six years and have two children; Sydney Alfred aged 6, born 1905 is at school and Marion Nora aged 1, born 1910.
Sadly, their daughter Marion died in October 1913, aged 4, when Alfred and Ada were living at 100 Queens Drive, Walton.
Another daughter, Dorothy Ada, was born on the 03rd December 1914.
He enlisted at Seaforth and served in the 18th Battlion, 20th Battalion and 19th Battalion (all Pals Battalions) of The King's Liverpool Regiment. He was likely transferred to the 19th Battalion when the 20th was disbanded in February 1918. He was serving in C Company, 11th Platoon of the 19th Battalion, K.L.R. as Private No 41897 when he was wounded on 22nd March 1918. He was captured by the Germans, with a wound to the left thigh, and died in a German field hospital at St. Quentin on 31st March 1918, aged 32. He was buried in St. Martin’s Military Cemetery Extension, Allied Section, Row F, Grave No.2.
Alfred was initially declared as Wounded and Missing on 22nd March 1918.
Ada appealed for information in the Liverpool Echo on 23rd July 1918:
“Pte. Alfred Jones 41897, K.L.R., has been reported Wounded and Missing since March 22. Information to his wife, 14 Lynholme Road, Anfield.”
Enquiries were made with the British Red Cross on 2nd August 1918.
Ada contacted the International Red Cross and was informed on 25th September 1918 that his paybook had been sent in on 17th May from a field hospital, through the Central Effects Bureau (on a German list dated 15/6/1918), but without further details.
Further enquiries were made on 20th November 1918. The pension card appears to show that Ada was officially informed of his death on 4th November 1918.
After the war, when graves were concentrated, Alfred’s grave was found, marked with a cross, his body was exhumed, and reburied in St. Souplet British Cemetery, Nord, France where he now rests.
St. Souplet village was captured by the American 30th Division on the 10th October 1918. The American troops made a cemetery of 371 American and seven British graves on the South-West side of the village, on the road to Vaux-Andigny. A smaller British cemetery was made alongside. The American graves were removed after the Armistice and the seven British graves were moved into the British cemetery. Further British graves were brought in from the surrounding battlefields and smaller burial grounds. There are now nearly 750, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, one-fifth are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 55 soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves could not be found. The cemetery covers an area of 2,504 square metres and is enclosed by a stone rubble wall.
CWGC index and his certificate show date of death as 21st March 1918, whereas the Grave Registration form and his headstone show 31st March.
His children were 13 and 3 years old when Alfred died. Ada received his Army effects, including a War Gratuity of £8. She was awarded a pension of £1-5s-5d a week from December 1918.
His widow, Ada, remarried to Arthur Carson in 1921 and lived at 158 Oakfield Road, Liverpool. She was again widowed in 1938 and in 1939 was living alone at 93 Pinehurst Road. His son Sydney Alfred married in 1931 and in 1939 was living at 44 Rossmore Gardens, employed as a foreman, toolmaker and tool designer in a fountain pen factory. He died of lung cancer in 1946, aged 41. Ada lived until 1957, dying of heart failure at the age of 71. It is not known what became of his daughter.
Alfred is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 69.
We currently have no further information on Alfred Jones. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.
