David Jones

He held his men together through two days of heavy fighting.

David Jones was born in Liverpool and grew up in the city that would remain closely connected with his memory. Before the First World War he entered working life in Liverpool, but the conflict transformed the course of his life. He joined the British Army and served with the 12th Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), one of the service battalions raised for wartime duty. The battalion became part of the 61st Brigade, 20th (Light) Division, and landed at Boulogne on 27 July 1915, beginning active service on the Western Front.

By September 1916 Jones had reached the rank of Sergeant and was serving with the 12th Battalion during the Battle of the Somme. On 3 September the battalion was engaged in the fighting around Guillemont, a heavily contested village that had become a major objective during the Allied offensive. During the advance, Jones’s platoon was ordered forward into a new position. As the men moved ahead, they came under intense machine-gun fire. Their officer was killed and the platoon suffered severe losses, leaving the surviving soldiers in a dangerously exposed situation.

Jones immediately assumed control of the remaining men. Rather than abandoning the advance after the loss of the officer and so many members of the platoon, he led the survivors forward, reached the assigned position and established a defence. What followed turned the position into an extraordinary test of endurance. Jones and his men held it for two days and two nights without food or water. They remained isolated under battlefield conditions while waiting for relief, dependent on discipline and leadership to keep the position from collapsing.

The second day brought renewed danger when German forces launched three counter-attacks against the post. Jones organized his remaining men and successfully resisted each assault. The official account emphasized not only the physical defence of the position but also his leadership. His composure, resourcefulness and personal example helped his soldiers retain their confidence despite casualties, exhaustion and the lack of basic supplies. When relief finally came, the position was still in British hands. The official Victoria Cross citation credited the successful defence to the example and resource shown by Jones while handling his platoon under extreme pressure. The action at Guillemont led to Jones being awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest decoration for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. The award recognized his conspicuous bravery, devotion to duty and leadership of his platoon after its officer had been killed. His achievement was not a single brief act carried out in a few moments; it involved assuming command after heavy losses and sustaining the defence of an exposed position through two days and two nights of hardship and repeated enemy attacks.

Jones did not live to receive the Victoria Cross personally. On 7 October 1916, only a little more than a month after the action at Guillemont, he was killed in action while still serving with the 12th Battalion on the Somme. He was eventually laid to rest in Bancourt British Cemetery in France, where he is commemorated as Sergeant David Jones, service number 14951, of The King’s (Liverpool Regiment).

Official Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery, devotion to duty, and ability displayed in the handling of his platoon. The platoon to which he belonged was ordered to a forward position, and during the advance came under heavy machine gun fire, the officer being killed and the platoon suffering heavy losses. Serjeant Jones led forward the remainder, occupied the position, and held it for two days and two nights without food or water, until relieved. On the second day he drove back three counter-attacks, inflicting heavy losses. His coolness was most praiseworthy. It was due entirely to his resource and example that his men retained confidence and held their post.

Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 24 October 1916. 26 October 1916, Numb. 29802, p. 10395