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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

GREAT GRANDFATHER


mametzwood

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Hello,

We have only recently discovered that my wifes Great Grandfather fought in The Great War. We have found his medal index card but still trying to work some facts out:

Pte 118637 Decimus E Jones Machine Gun Corps

His Medal Card States

Victory MGC/101 B71 Page 5773, this same number is also next to Defence Medal

At the bottom it states SWB List MGC/1033-- Now this i presume is he was part of the Suth Wales Borderers, which Regiment though is a bit of a mystery though I think it is the 10th Service Bn

We have also found another medal card!! for Decimus Jones only on this one his unit is SWB with a number of 15496 and below that Labour Corps with a number of 250693

The entry into theartre date is 5-09-1915 and he is also down for 1914-1915 Star.

In the remarks panel it states Class Z 06-02-1919

Now I am presuming this is the same man as the numbers next to the defence medal are the same on both cards.

Any help much appreciated.

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Hi SWB and welcome to the Forum

SWB may stand for Silver War Badge - check the Mother site for more info http://www.1914-1918.net/mics.htm

I would guess that he was injured during his service with the Machine Gun Corps, was transferred to the Labour Corps and eventually discharged due to his wounds

Stephen

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SWB

The MICs show that he was Private 15496 in the South Wales Borderers. You say that he was in the 10th Service Battalion. That unit moved to France between 21 Nov and 6 Dec 1915 as part of 115 Brigade of 38 (Welsh) Division. Your subject seems to have qualified for the medal 1914-1915 Star on 5 Sept 1915 as he is shown as entering theatre on that day,so he must have been in another unit,could he have transferred to the MGC already ? The other two medals, which I think you must mean to be the Victory Medal and the British War Medal (these usually appear together on the same Medal Roll),were automatic entitlements as a result of entering war theatre.

The SWB reference also means that he was wounded and issued a Silver War Badge,which looks as though he became entitled whilst he was serving in the MGC as it says the list on which the Badge was issued is No 1033. All those numbers and letters you quote relate to the original Medal Roll on which the soldier and the medals are recorded. They can be converted into a ledger reference in the WO329 series at the National Archives,the page numbers you quote is where your soldier's entry can be found. I agree with Delta that he was likely to have transferred to the Labour Corps as a result of wounds.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

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The Machine Gun Corps wasn't created until October 1915, with the first men being transferred c. Feb-Mar 1816. If he served overseas before that it would have been with an infantry battalion, possibly as part of a Vickers machine-gun section. As far as I can tell approximately the first 30,000 numbers were immediate transfers into the MGC on its creation.

I would date the transfer to the Machine Gun Corps as approximately August 1917.

As unlikely as it may seem with a name like Decimus, I think that these may be two seperate men!

If the references to the Victory Medal and British War Medal are different on the two cards, then the balance of probabilities is on these cards and medals belonging to different men. If they are the same, it will definitely be one man.

Steve.

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A shameless plug: my site is on the Swansea Bn, 114th Infantry Brigade. If you look at 'The Battalion at War' section you will find coverage of the significant actions - Mametz Wood, Third Ypres etc. But from a Swansea Bn viewpoint, obviously.

Bernard

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We have an Edmund Decimus Jones bor Q3 1884, Merthyr Tydfil but he dies the following year; and a Decimus Jones born Q1 1900 Newent and another Q1 1885 Merthyr Tydfil.

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Many Thanks to you all, Michael Johnson, He was a Merthyr man and definately the latter as he married in 1913, so i would be very interested to know what you have on him, Born Merthyr, Nightingale Street and married in Bedwelty.

Bernard, I will have a look at your site

Many Thanks

PS: His brother John Jones also could have served though i am in the early stages of that

I am also investigating Edwin and William Freeman both born Hereford but moved to Blaenavon at the moment it seems that William was possible in the Welsh Regiment and Edwin in the Rifle Brigade, though I do not believe that welshmen would have joined the rifle brigade.

Thanks

SWB

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This is probably his father:

Decemus Jones 1861 Oct-Nov-Dec Bedwelty Monmouthshire

Any chance they were Monmouthshire Regt enlistments?

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Chris,

I do not understand what you mean its not the Defence medal?

I presume what Chris is meaning is the Defence nedal was issued for service in WW2. The standard medals issued for service in WW1 were Victoty Medal and the British War Medal.

cheers Aaron.

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Yes he was a bedwelty man. As for Monmouthshire regiment enlistments I am not really sure, his medal cards(whichever one it is) point to MGC and SWB and Labour Corps.

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  • 5 months later...

Hi SWB , pte 118637 Decimus E Jones MGC was my great grandfather on my mothers side.

Please confirm if your wife is the granddaughter of a Trevour Jones ?

Hope you get to see this and are able to reply , talk , meet etc

Darren Best

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Hi Darren,

received your message, I do not believe Trevour Jones is my wifes grandfather, My wifes grandfather was Williams and his wife was the daughter of Decimus E Jones, the plot thickens!, there are two Decimus Jones with MIC cards though from my past research we have narrowed it down to Decimus e Jones, so unless he re-married! The records I have is that he married a Jenkins in Bedwelty and their dauhter is my wifes Nan. So maybe they separated and he remarried.

Get in touch

SWB

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Hi SWB

There does seem to be 2 Decimus Jones.

1901

Name: Decimus E Jones

Age in 1901: 15

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1886

Relation: Son

Father's Name: David

Mother's Name: Mary

Gender: Male

Where born: Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales

Civil Parish: Ebbw Vale

Ecclesiastical parish: Ebbw Vale Christchurch

Town: Ebbw Vale

County/Island: Monmouthshire

Country: Wales

Street address: View Image

Condition as to marriage: View Image

Education: View Image

Employment status: View Image

Occupation: View Image

Registration district: Bedwellty

Sub-registration district: Tredegar

ED, institution, or vessel: 23

Neighbors: View others on page

Household schedule number: 323

Household Members:

Name Age

David Jones 53

David T Jones 21

Decimus E Jones 15

Edith Jones 10

Elias E Jones 12

Ethel Jones 18

Gertrude Jones 19

Irene Jones 8

Margaret J Jones 22

Mary Jones 51

Name: Decima Jones

[Decimus Jones]

Age: 1

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1900

Relation: Son

Father's Name: Henry

Mother's Name: Harriet

Where born: Redmarley, Worcestershire, England

Civil Parish: Redmarley D Abitot

Ecclesiastical parish: Redmarley D Abitot St Bartholomew

Town: Redmarley D Abitot

County/Island: Worcestershire

Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View Image

Registration district: Newent

Sub-registration district: Redmarley

ED, institution, or vessel: 11

Neighbors: View others on page

Household schedule number: 19

Household Members:

Name Age

Alfred Jones 14

Bryan Jones 8

Decima Jones 1

Dorothy Jones 5

Harriet Jones 39

Henry Jones 39

Martin Jones 13

Ralph Jones 7

Selwyn Jones 10

Wallace Jones 11

Mel

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  • 1 year later...

Decimus Eynon Jones (father was David Jones - Chief Magistrate of the Bedwelty Court). Decimus was so called because he was the 10th child.

He had 4 children:

Annie (aka Nncy) Jones, Margaret Jones, Trevor Jones and Kenneth Jones.

Annie (Nancy) Jones married Dr. James Cole, she is 93 years old and is still living. She now resides in Australia.

Margare Jones married Dr Frank James had 4 children Andrew, John Robert and Mary (Robert and Mary were twins). I believe she still Lives and resides in London.

Trevor Jones had two Daughters Vivien and Sheila. Trevor Jones is deceased.

Not sure about my Uncle Kenneth.

Yes I am the son of Annie (Nancy) Cole (nee Jones ).

Sorry for the typo's - got excited.

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Also from http://www.curiousfox.com/history_Wales/monmouthshire_4.html

Blackwood - Royal Oak Hotel - Blackwood

Can any local tell me if this is still standing ? Mother born there 1921 daughter of Landlord, Decimus Jones born Ebbw Vale 1886

My mother (the eldest daughter of Decimus Jones) said that Decimus owned the Royla Oak Hotel as well as some other properties. He was what we call today an entrepreneur. LOL

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