Edward's Story.
Remembered on the Plymouth memorial Devon, Panel number 18.
After the First World War, an appropriate way had to be found of commemorating those members of the Royal Navy who had no known grave, the majority of deaths having occurred at sea where no permanent memorial could be provided. An Admiralty committee recommended that the three manning ports in Great Britain - Chatham, Plymouth, and Portsmouth - should each have an identical memorial of unmistakable naval form, an obelisk, which would serve as a leading mark for shipping.
Plymouth Naval Memorial commemorates 7,251 sailors of the First World War
Son of David and Mary Jones of 260, Midway, Poynton.
They had 8 children Thomas, Charles, William, Arthur, Annie, Edith, Edward, and Fred.
Stockport Advertiser January 21st
Intimation was received last week-end from an official source at Alexandria that Private Edward Jones, son of Mrs. Jones a widow living at 260, Midway had died from wounds received in action at the Dardanelles, and had been buried at sea on the 6th January, 1916. Further particulars relative to his death were promised. He was 22 years of age, at one time a chorister at St George’s church. Edward had been away for 2 years living in New York. On the 25th of May, he came home for a fortnight and during this time he enlisted in the Royal Marines. He should have come home to England by the Lusitania but, being transferred, escaped the sad fate of those who went down with that vessel. He wrote to his relatives however at that time to say he was coming home, being determined to serve his King and Country. He got his desire and has met a soldier’s death nobly doing his duty.
Edward was born in Poynton on the 16th December 1893. He enlisted into the Plymouth Division R.M.L.I .at the Admiralty recruitment office Deansgate, Manchester on the 5th June, 1915. His occupation at that time is shown as a valet. Edward was posted to Plymouth were he commenced 6 weeks basic training at Stonehouse barracks.
He embarked en route to Gallipoli on the 24th of October, joining the 2nd Royal Marine Battalion on the 21st November 1915. The 2nd Royal Marine Battalion was also known as the 2nd Battalion, Royal Marine Light Infantry. Portsmouth division formed "A" & "B" Companies; Plymouth formed "C" & "D" Companies.
When the French withdrew from Gallipoli at the end of December the Royal Naval Detachment took over their line. From this time (31 December) until they left the trenches on the night of 7/8 of January the 2nd Royal Marine Battalion were in reserve in the Eski Line. The 2/RMLI were holding the right sector of the line, covering 'V' Beach, pending the final withdrawal from Gallipoli. They were withdrawn back to bivouacs in support on the night of 7/8 January. During this period 11 men of the Royal Marine Battalion were killed in action or died of their wounds caused by Turkish shelling of the trenches. Among the first to land in April 1915, remnants of The Plymouth Battalion, Royal Marine Light Infantry were the last to leave the Peninsula.
Edward Jones Died of multiple shell wounds aboard the Hospital ship Salta and was buried at sea.
( IN 1917 H.M.A.H.S SALTA was sunk by a mine in the English Channel, with the loss of 52 lives)
Cheshire County Memorial Project would like to thank Phil Underwood for compiling this page on Edward