Part 24 (1/2)

Corporal D C Jenkins wrote:

I have been asked by your son's crerite to you, as I was his NCO in the Tank Your son, Lieut H P M Jones, was shot by a sniper The bullet passed through the port-hole and entered your son's brain Death was almost instantaneous I and Lance-Corporal Millward, his driver, did all we could for your son, but he was beyond human help His death is deeply felt not only by his own crew, but by the whole section His crew miss him very much It was a treat to have him on parade with us, as he was so jolly We all loved hiainst us to lose your son He was the best officer in our company, and never will be replaced by one like him I and the rest of the crew hope that you will accept our deepest sympathy in your sorrow

Paul Jones had touched life at so e, the athletic world, the Army, journalism, the House of Corief in far-extending circles Of the hundreds of letters of condolence that reached us I propose to reproduce a few here They are unvarying in their testimony to his idealism, his personal charm and the nobility of his nature

Extracts from his last letter, published in the _Daily Chronicle_, the _Western Mail_, Cardiff, and _Public Opinion_, attracted considerable attention

Lieutenant Jack Donaldson, who, as an ASC officer, was attached to the 2nd Cavalry Brigade in the winter of 1916-17, wrote:

OFFICERS' MESS, HARROWBY CAMP, GRANTHAM

_August 6th, 1917_

It ith the very deepest sorrow that I read in to-day's paper of the death of your son in action As you know, he worked under reater part of last winter He was the first subaltern, if I h he was actually senior in point of rank He was also the best and most loyal one I could wish for Farand lovable coap created in our mess was one that becareat loss to us, for his interests were extreinal But far ness about him He was an idealist, and the rarer sort, the sort that carries its theories into practice

We all laughed at his he did and the scruples he had, but in our hearts I think we all honoured and loved hi it in any way upon others he himself followed a code of honour that differed from, and was stricter than, that of the world around hi to do with money, and often to his own personal loss I think ere all the better for having known him He seemed hardly to think of himself at all

No man I ever met was more censorious of his own actions, or more obstinate in his defence of any principle or theory he was advocating in arguht see, from free-will to the ”loose-head” I knew, of course, howof local supplies) he was doing for h no one could have worked harder and few have done it better; but the commercialism of it was abhorrent to hiain and to be one too many for a knave, and while he did his best to fulfil it he disliked the task

I took hiain on his transfer; and though I had no share in getting hiret it if I had For I saw him several times afterwards I had a couple of joy-rides in his land-shi+p, and I and all others who met him could not but remark how happy he was After the Arras show I believe he was simply radiant He has died the death he would have chosen and in a good cause Many a time he said to me that he was sure he would never survive the war, and that he did not, for hie We may be sure that all is ith hihe about a h under unpleasant enough conditions Since then my transfer, applied for at the sa forward to anotherwith him later in France

Fro in the ASC:

I want to tell you how grieved I was to hear of the loss of your son He received his commission the same day as I did, and ere posted to the same station I only enjoyed his co that short period he had endeared hih ere e What appealed to me most in Paul was the combination in hihtest atten of precociousness, no desire to ape the tone or the airs of those a whom he worked On another side of his character he was in every respect a rasp of the subject which htful man One could not enter into conversation with hiiven ht and study to the everyday affairs of life His knowledge of literature was great, and one was surprised, even abashed, at his store His hours off duty were spent well and wisely A certain period was always given to healthy exercise, and then would co The affectionate part of his nature caed He earned the affection of the whole household, and the lady of the house has often told me that she loved him like her own sons I saw , and I think he had the spirit to see certain truths which we see all too die Se since the auturet that I learned of Paul's death, and I feel reat sorrow As you knoas brought very closely into touch with him as soon as I came to Dulwich He was the captain of the XV and of the football of the College duringand inspiring of the gay and keenness were invaluable to us Then, as a prefect, he used to bring his essays every week; and I was greatly impressed by his intellectual power and promise I remerasp and to originate new ideas; how vividly and emphatically he expressed himself We looked forward to a brilliant and useful career for him But it was not to be It is very hard to lose him But he has done his duty; and he leaves behind him a memory that we of the old school must especially cherish and honour

The Reverend A H Gilkes, Vicar of St Mary Magdalene, Oxford, for tribute to the ”noble character of your brave, dear and able son,” said: ”I sympathise with you fully and deeply It means little, I know, to you in your trouble, but I trust it , that your son was so much loved and admired, and is so sadlyand capable, and his heart was as soft and kind as a heart can be I thought that he would do great things; and indeed, sad though it is, I do not know that he could have done a greater”

Mr J A Joerg, principal of the Modern Side, Dulwich College, a gentleh and an unalterable regard, wrote:

It ith the greatest horror that I read of the fall in action of your hero-son Paul I read his noble character during the reat sense of justice and duty and loyalty that were such pro that was done for him will always be remembered by me He was a noble boy I shall always reverence his memory

Mr P Hope, Classical lish literature, and whom he always recalled with affection, sent ht and love:

_August 18th, 1917_

I have heard with deep sorrow and distress of the death of your dear son, H P M Jones, killed in action Your son was never in the Classical Sixth at Dulwich College, and so was not directly a pupil of mine But he often caether about ard and adreat ability He was a enerous-minded boy, one who had the best interests of the school at heart, one who never spared himself if he could in any way render a service to his team or to the school as a whole; one who could be relied on to act loyally, faithfully and conscientiously in all that he did; one ould place duty before all other considerations He was an indefatigable worker, a boy of great power and promise, and, so far as we could prophesy, was sure to achieve a high and distinguished position for hireatly beloved by the boys, his own school-fellows, and honoured and respected by all his ave up hour after hour of his own ti of the XV; hoould throw himself heart and soul into the heavy work connected with the organisation of the school football and gaenerally, and hoould do all in his power to s happier and easier for the boys hose welfare he was entrusted He was indeed, as he grew older, just one of those men e could least of all spare in these days, the very embodiment in himself of all that is best in the public-school spirit, the very incarnation of self-sacrifice and devotion I cannot tell you howthe Old Boys There is no name or memory that we shall hold more dear than that of your much-loved son He has died, even as he lived, in fulfilh ideal which he set before hilorious death