Soldier Record

Our maternal grandfather Twm (Thomas) Jones was known to have been posted to 1 ASD No.1 Aeroplane Supply Depot, was stationed at St Omer, France and worked on the Handley Page 0400's - the largest bomber in WW1 in France 14-9-17 to 10-2-19, transferred to RAF Reserve 14-3-19 a3\105145.

Thomas Henry Jones was also known as 'Twm Piano' because he was Welsh and an excellent pianist

He returned home from France in February 1919 to his wife and our grandmother Miriam Jones and their 5 children. Another son was conceived upon his return (later to be Serjeant T,V,L. Jones, Royal Regiment of Artillery who gave his life as a result of WWII). He never saw his youngest son Vincent, because he was born after Thomas Jones died in "the influenza epidemic" on the 17th of June, 1919 aged 35 years (the date of birth on his military records gave 1880 - it is 1884 based on his gravestone details and as confirmed by their marriage certificate).

Thomas Henry Jones was buried in Bethany Chapel, Burry Port near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. He was playing cricket shortly before his death. He was carried to his grave on a gun carriage and given a military funeral. His wife Miriam Jones joined him (as the last person to be buried in Bethany Chapel) when she died in 1970, having successfully brought up a family of four girls and two boys on her own (like many families at the time) and also actively helped with the upbringing of her grateful grandchildren... I wore grandad's WW1 flying jacket on many occasions and listened to mamgu (granny in Welsh) telling me about the Handley Page my grandfather helped keep in the air...