Lieut Hugh Meredith Jones

• Age: 28
• From: Youghal, Cork, Ireland
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Hugh Meredith Jones was born in Youghal, Cork, Ireland and was the son of Captain William Jones and his wife Annie (née Shannon or Shanahan). His parents married on the 10th March 1879 at St Nicholas' Church, Liverpool. William was a 34 year old master mariner of St Paul’s Square, father William a farmer, whilst Annie Shannon was aged 20, same address, father Patrick a farmer. The had at least six children: Hugh had older siblings William John, Annie, and Bertram David, and younger siblings Henry and Margaret. 

According to his Merchant Seaman’s record, Hugh was born on 12th July 1888 in Ring, Cork, which is 30 miles southwest of Cork.

His father was a Master Mariner of the Holt Line, Bank Buildings, Youghal, County Cork. He was born in Llanbeblig, Carnarvon in 1845 according to a family tree. 

Youghal is a port at the mouth of the River Blackwater 30 miles east of Cork on the border with County Waterford. The 1950s film Moby Dick, was filmed in the town. 

The Irish Census of 1901 shows 13 year old Hugh living at 17 Friar Street with his mother and 3 siblings. His mother is head of household as her husband was probably away at sea. She was born in Cork in 1859. Hugh's siblings, all born in Cork, are listed as Bertram 14 born 1887, Henry 11 b.1890 and Margaret 9 b.1892. There is also a servant, Catherine Keeffe, born in Cork in 1875, in the household. The family is Roman Catholic and speak both Irish and English.

His father was originally a native of Caernarvon who was a Master Mariner, and partner with a Sir William Lupton, in a Liverpool Shipping Line. He was lost at sea in 1902, aged 58, in the Straits of Magellan from the SS Athena. Before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 the only way from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic for large ships was around Cape Horn, or through the Straits of Magellan.

In March 1902 the Athena was returning with cargo from Chile passing through the Straits of Magellan when she was driven off course by stormy weather. The vessel struck a submerged rock and sank in half an hour. The crew took to the boats, the Captain in charge of one and the First Officer the other. The Captain’s boat capsized in the heavy seas, drowning 17 of the crew, and all the fresh water and provisions were lost. Four crew members from the other boat succumbed to exposure before rescue. 

Hugh's record shows that Hugh went to sea at age 15 in January 1904 as an apprentice on the square-rigger Greta, and joined the Eagle Brag in July 1905. He became an Able Seaman and served on the steamer Leno, from April to July 1908.

His Second Mate’s Certificate was issued at Liverpool on 09th October 1908, at which time Hugh gave his address as c/o Miss Forbes, Carlingford Street, Liverpool.  His record describes him as 5’ 10” tall, with a dark complexion, light brown hair, and grey eyes.

His mother died in March 1911 in Youghal, aged 54. Her estate of £1,342 went to sons William John, chemist, The Quay, Waterford, and Bertram David, draper’s assistant, Patrick Street, Cork. 

Hugh obtained his First Mate’s Ticket in July 1911 (then described as 5’ 11”, with blue eyes). On his application for his Master’s certificate in August 1913 he gave his residence as c/o Mrs. Harris, 20 Aviemore Road, Stanley, Liverpool. 

Before the war Hugh was sailing with the Holt Line. 

For some reason he then decided to join the Army, and perhaps because of a family connection to Liverpool, he was commissioned and Gazetted to the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment.

The undermentioned to be temporary Lieutenants. Dated 3rd September, 1914 : —   

Hugh Meredith Jones 

His promotion was reported in the Waterford Evening News on 27th October 1914 [as written] - 

YOUGHAL MAN GETS A COMMISSION

“Mr. Hugh Meredith Jones, son of Captain H. M. Jones, Youghal, and younger brother of Mr. W. H. Jones, chemist, The Quay, has been gazetted a Lieutenant in the King’s Own (sic) City of Liverpool Regiment.  Mr. Jones was an officer of the Blue Funnel Line sailing out of Liverpool, and at the conclusion of his last voyage he joined the Royal Naval Reserve and underwent a course of drill.  He then volunteered for the front with the Liverpool Regiment, and obtained his commission.  He expects to be going to the front about the middle of December.”

As Battalion Signalling Officer, Hugh crossed to France in November 1915.

He was killed in action during the Battle of Guillemont on 30th July 1916.

The Battalion’s objectives on the day were the German trenches on the South Eastern edge of Guillemont, which was a heavily fortified village on top of a gentle slope, with a front of about seven hundred yards. Each end of the front was also defended by Machine-guns, which could give covering and enfilading fire. The line of attack was entirely without cover. The 19th Battalion was on the left flank of the attack of the 89th Brigade advance, which began at 04.45 am, in a thick and heavy fog.

As the Battalion moved forward in the fog, it was heavily shelled with high explosive and gas shells, which added to the confusion and consequent loss of direction. Despite this, the edge of the village was reached, but the 19th Battalion, was unable to link up with the Battalion on its left, the 2nd Royal Scots, and found both its flanks in the air. The fog began to lift and it permitted the German machine gunners a clear field of fire; Their numbers were augmented by Infantrymen and snipers who had left their trenches to shelter from the British bombardment on their front line trenches.

They too, were able to take a heavy toll on the 19th Battalion, who were lying exposed, and by noon, the Battalion had been forced to evacuate its position. By the end of the day, nine officers and one hundred and eighty four other ranks had been killed, or died of wounds.

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.  

Hugh Jones was one of those killed. He was aged twenty six. News and details of his death in action were sent home to his sister by the Battalion Roman Catholic Chaplain, Father O’Shaughnessy.

His body was not found and identified after the war, however, and he is commemorated on the  Thiepval Memorial. 

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

News of his death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 07th August 1916:

Lieut Hugh Meredith Jones

Lieutenant H. M. Jones, King's Liverpool Regiment, killed in the recent fighting, was a son of the late Mr W. Jones, master mariner, Bank Buildings, Youghal, County Cork, and brother of Mr William Jones, Chemist, 82 quay, Waterford, and of Mrs Justin Condon, Springfield House, Youghal. He was a master mariner, and a junior officer in the Holt Line. One brother is in the Australian Horse, and another an officer in the transport service.

As reported, Hugh also had two brothers who were involved in the Great War. Thomas Jones, an older brother, was also a Master Mariner, who served on convoy duty in the Mercantile Marine, and Henry Jones who was younger joined the Australian Imperial Forces and served at Gallipoli.

Hugh is commemorated on Ireland's National Memorial Record 1914 - 1918, on the family gravestone in The Hill Cemetery, Ballymacoda, Cork, and on a WW1 Plaque in the same cemetery.

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