Thomas Albert Jones

Born: 3 March 1919, 8 Madeley Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England
(Q1 1919, Aston, Warwickshire, Vol.6D, p.563)
Parents: George Thomas Jones and Annie Gertrude Jones (nee Bagnall)
Siblings: Barbara Dorothy Jones, 14 July 1934
Married: Edna May Hall, 24 January 1953, Germiston, South Africa
Honeymoon: Champagne Castle, Drakensberg Mountains
Children: Rodney Trevor Jones, 9 December 1959
Lynne Gail Jones, 3 April 1962
Address: 1919-1935: 8 Madeley Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England
1935-1949: Trelawney, 16 Stanway Road, Shirley, Solihull, Birmingham, England
1955-1998: 32 Beacon Road, Hazeldene, Germiston, South Africa
Studied: Sparkhill Commercial College
Occupation: 1939: Accounts Office Clerk
Later: Director of Companies
Died: 9pm Sunday 18 January 1998, Johannesburg, South Africa
Funeral: 10am Thursday 22 January 1998, Germiston Methodist Church
Buried: South Park Cemetery, Elspark, Germiston, South Africa
Coordinates: 26 16'36"S and 28 13'15"E, elevation 1560m

1921 Census

1939 Register

Full page image from 1939 Register

Military service
Six years in the British Army, from 15 February 1940 to 8 April 1946, including a year and a half in India (from 15 December 1944 to 7 April 1946). He served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (No.3 Inf Wing BBRC), and was promoted to the rank of Colour Sergeant on 4 December 1945. Service number 5115289.

His army record on joining says that his height was 5ft 5.5 inches, and his weight was 123 lbs. He had grey eyes and dark brown hair. His 'trade on enlistment' was 'Accountancy Clerk'. He was described as 'studying for Chartered Institute of Secretaries exam'.

In India, places mentioned are Bombay (13 January 1945), Kalyan Camp (about 60 km north-east of Bombay / Mumbai) (13 January 1945), and Deolali (about 150 km north-east of Bombay / Mumbai) (10 March 1946).

His army testimonial says: An intelligent man of neat and smart appearance. He has done well as a pay sergeant and quarter-master sergeant, and is hardworking, sober and of sound judgement. (India Command, 10 March 1946)

Whilst serving with the British Army in India during World War II, he experienced a case of dysentry and was put into hospital. Fortunately, this prevented him from being sent to Burma (now Myanmar) where he would have encountered the Japanese and might have been killed.

Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Image from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Warwickshire_Fusiliers

Edinburgh Castle
Tom Jones travelled by sea on the Edinburgh Castle from England to South Africa. The ship was part of the Union Castle Line (Master: Captain TW McAllen, Official Number 57427) and the passenger record shows that there were 704 passengers aboard on his journey. The ship departed from Southampton on 3 February 1949 and arrived in Cape Town on 17 February 1949. (Note that the maiden voyage of this ship was on 9 December 1948, so this was one of its first few journeys. Perhaps the third?) The Edinburgh Castle III (ship) was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1948 by Harland and Wolff. It was used on the Union-Castle Line to South and East Africa. The Union-Castle Royal Mail Steamer had a length of 226.8 m, and weighed approximately 28 705 tons.

Edinburgh Castle
Images above from www.simplonpc.co.uk/UnionCastle5.html

Edinburgh Castle

Marriage of Thomas Albert Jones and Edna May Hall