Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Great War Observer’s M.C. group of five awarded to Captain R. N. K. Jones, Royal Artillery, late Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, who was twice wounded during combat patrols in 1918

Military Cross, G.V.R., the reverse privately engraved, ‘Lieut. R. N. K. Jones, R.F.C., 18th July 1917’; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. R. N. K. Jones, A.S.C.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lieut. R. N. K. Jones, R.A.F.); War Medal 1939-45, very fine and better (5) £2500-3000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Coldstream Guards, R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. formed by the late Tom Baugh.

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M.C. London Gazette 18 July 1917:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has done consistent good work in the taking of photographs under very adverse weather conditions. By his perseverance and determination he has set a very high standard of efficiency in the photographic work of his squadron.’

The original recommendation states:

‘For exceptionally good photographic work which he has done frequently under great difficulties and interference by hostile aircraft over the last five months. The improvement in this Squadron’s photographic work is very largely due to the perseverance and energy of this officer. His sixth combat with hostile aircraft took place yesterday. His machine was badly hit by hostile aircraft fire.’

Richard Neville Kenward Jones was born in Chester in July 1895 and was educated at St. Bees School prior to obtaining a commission in the Army Service Corps shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Having then served in that capacity out in France, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, qualified as an Observer, and was posted to No. 60 Squadron that July. In the following month, however, he transferred to No. 3 Squadron, and flew as an Observer in the unit’s Morane Parasols out of La Houssoye and, from January 1917, Lavieville, through until July, in which period, as cited above, he greatly improved No. 3’s photographic work. And if his Flying Log book is anything to go by, it was extremely hazardous work, involving numerous encounters with enemy aircraft and ground forces - in fact no less than 15 close encounters, several of them resulting in damage or forced landings. Thus a contact patrol flown on 3 April 1917:

‘Machine left aerodrome at 7.45 a.m. for contact patrol. Machine hit by rifle bullets and pieces of shell, evidently on longerons, and returned to advanced landing ground. On landing all four longerons gave way. Fuselage in two pieces. Personnel unhurt.’

Mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 15 May 1917 refers), and awarded the M.C., Jones returned to an operational footing with an appointment in No. 16 Squadron in early 1918 and, after driving off an enemy aircraft over Mericourt during a photographic reconnaissance on 11 April, was wounded in another combat five days later, sustaining burns to his hands. He was evacuated to the U.K.

On his recovery in September 1918, he went back to No. 16 Squadron, and completed another dozen or so sorties before once more being wounded, this time by machine-gun fire from the ground during a contact patrol on 18 October, when he was hit in the right arm. He was evacuated to No. 1 Lowland Field Ambulance and thence to the U.K., where he was demobilised in February 1919.

In April 1939, shortly before the renewal of hostilities, Jones enlisted in 290th Anti-Aircraft Battery, R.A. (Territorials), the remainder of his wartime career being summarised in the following obituary notice that appeared on his premature death in April 1942:

‘May I add a few words in tribute to one who served under me, both in the ranks and as my Battery Captain. The outstanding traits of Neville Jones’s character were his modesty, his sense of humour, and his intense undemonstrative patriotism. After his long and distinguished service as an Observer in the R.F.C. during the last War, it would have been easy for him to have taken an administrative position in the R.A.F., but he preferred to join up as a H.A.A. Gunner in the new battery, which was formed at Chester in April 1939. He speedily rose to Sergeant and served as No. 1 of a gun through all the heaviest Merseyside “Blitzes”. He was a wonderful influence in the Battery, and all the youngsters worshipped him for his fearlessness, conscientiousness and sense of humour. He eventually accepted an immediate Emergency Commission as a Lieutenant, and was posted to me as Battery Captain to assist me in the formation of the first Mixed Battery in the Division. There again he threw himself heart and soul into his new work, and it was his very conscientiousness and “stickability” that brought on his last tragic illness. He was indeed Chaucer’s ‘verray parfit gentil knight’, and England’s is poorer by his early demise.’

Sold with two files of detailed research, including a photocopy of his Flying Log Book for the period August 1916 to July 1917, with many detailed combat entries, and similar and extensive entries from relevant squadron records and combat reports.