CAPTAIN JOHN LLEWELYN THOMAS JONES
LONDON REGIMENT ROYAL FUSILIERS
16TH AUGUST 1917 AGE 22
BURIED: HOOGE CRATER CEMETERY, BELGIUM
At 4.45 am on Thursday 16 August 1917 Captain J. Llewelyn T. Jones led his men over the top in an attack on the German held village of Langemarck. A brother officer later told Jones' father that, "We went over the top together ... were under terrific fire, he was absolutely cool and collected and, in fact, joked with me as we parted". But by the end of the day he was "missing, believed killed in action". This is when the company message referring to him as "Our never to be forgotten Captain and leader" would have gone round to the remainder of his 250 men.
It was only just under a year since Llewelyn Jones had left for the front with the good wishes of the firm of printers for whom he worked. They had presented him with a sword as a mark of their esteem and his father, a partner in the firm, had assured them all that it "would be treasured as an heirloom".
It was a measure of Llewelyn Jones' ability that a year later he was a Captain - it was a measure of the casualty rate for junior officers too of course. Llewelyn Jones knew the score and four months before his death he had written to his father "in the event of anything happening to me."
"You know what an undemonstrative nature mine is, but my love for you all is, nevertheless, strong, and deep, and though I said nothing about these things before I left England, it was just because - I couldn't - my heart was too full ... War is cruel and I detest it, but since it was not possible to keep out of this without loss of prestige and perhaps worse, it behoves us to carry it on to a successful conclusion ... the thought that I may not see you dear ones again in this world brings a lump to my throat and the tears to my eyes. I trust that I shall return, but ... ".
Llewelyn Jones has been incredibly difficult to identify, which is why I called him J. Llewelyn T. Jones at the beginning of the blog because that's how I first found him once I'd searched the CWGC site. I believe he's commemorated on the Llangollen war memorial because the family came from Dee Mount, Llangollen. The Clwyd Family History Society have researched the names on the memorial but they haven't given any details beside Llewelyn Jones. Perhaps one day some one will see this blog and identify him.