Lt
Thomas Capel Jones
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1880 |
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Place of birth: Highgate, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Insurance Agent |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Lieutenant |
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Service number: / |
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Units: — London Regiment, 2/3rd Bn. (Royal Fusiliers) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Spider Cross Roads, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 37 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 149A |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 1
| #1 | Place of birth |
My story
Lieutenant Thomas Capel Jones served in the Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment, 2nd/3rd Battalion, part of the 173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, of the 58th (2/1st London) Division. On the 26th of October 1917 the Division participated in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the last phase of the Third Battle of Ypres. The Division advanced to the east of Poelcapelle, with the 173rd Brigade. The Brigade attacked with the 2nd/2nd and 2nd/3rd London; the 2nd/4th London were in support and the 2nd/1st were in reserve.
At 5.40 a.m., zero hour, the 2nd/2nd and 2nd/3rd London advanced from their positions at the eastern outskirts of Poelcapelle. The 2nd/2nd on the right set off to Cameron house, where it captured three German blockhouses. On the left flank the 2nd/3rd London advanced towards Spider Cross Roads. Owing to the muddy condition of the ground the progress of the Battalion was very slow. Therefore the men were unable to keep up with the creeping artillery barrage. On top of the ghastly condition of the terrain the Battalion was held up at several points by German machine gun- and rifle fire. Notwithstanding all these difficulties the attacking parties kept on advancing to the northeast of Poelcapelle, capturing several prisoners on the way. The 2nd/3rd London even managed to advance to points near Spider Cross Roads, where they were finally checked by heavy machine gun fire. Between 7 and 10 a.m. the men were forced to withdraw, due to a large German counter attack on Cameron House. With their right flank up in the air and in danger of being cut off, the 2nd/3rd London had no choice but to fall back.
At the end of the day the whole 58th Division had been driven back to positions near their original line. Losses were huge in the 2nd/3rd London, especially among the officers. The Battalion was relieved during the night. Lieutenant Thomas Capel Jones was one of the officers who fell during the attack on Spider Cross Roads. His remains were never recovered or never identified. Possibly because after the Battalion withdrew he kept on lying in no man’s land. Lieutenant Thomas Capel Jones is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
At 5.40 a.m., zero hour, the 2nd/2nd and 2nd/3rd London advanced from their positions at the eastern outskirts of Poelcapelle. The 2nd/2nd on the right set off to Cameron house, where it captured three German blockhouses. On the left flank the 2nd/3rd London advanced towards Spider Cross Roads. Owing to the muddy condition of the ground the progress of the Battalion was very slow. Therefore the men were unable to keep up with the creeping artillery barrage. On top of the ghastly condition of the terrain the Battalion was held up at several points by German machine gun- and rifle fire. Notwithstanding all these difficulties the attacking parties kept on advancing to the northeast of Poelcapelle, capturing several prisoners on the way. The 2nd/3rd London even managed to advance to points near Spider Cross Roads, where they were finally checked by heavy machine gun fire. Between 7 and 10 a.m. the men were forced to withdraw, due to a large German counter attack on Cameron House. With their right flank up in the air and in danger of being cut off, the 2nd/3rd London had no choice but to fall back.
At the end of the day the whole 58th Division had been driven back to positions near their original line. Losses were huge in the 2nd/3rd London, especially among the officers. The Battalion was relieved during the night. Lieutenant Thomas Capel Jones was one of the officers who fell during the attack on Spider Cross Roads. His remains were never recovered or never identified. Possibly because after the Battalion withdrew he kept on lying in no man’s land. Lieutenant Thomas Capel Jones is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 2
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1/3 Battalion London Regiment (City of London) , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2949/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 129. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1633907 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5c3d6155-53dd-43b0-b15c-6458b9935286 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2175610 |