SAPPER WILLIAM EDWARD ARCHER JONES
6631 – 3rd Tunnelling Company
William Edward Archer (Archie) Jones was born at Croydon, Queensland in 1890, the son of William and Emily (nee Mullen) Jones and received his education there. In 1913 he was working as a miner at the Golden Gate mine in Croydon. He was also employed at the Papuan mine, Charters Towers, Qld as a miner, and was an honorary staff member of the Ambulance Brigade giving his address as Ambulance Centre, Charters Towers and a Reservist with the Rifle Club.
At 26 years of age Archer enlisted at the Charters Towers Town Hall for service abroad on January 5, 1916 and passed the medical examination the same day. His Attestation papers give his height as 170cms (5ft 7ins), weight 73½kgs (147lbs) with a chest measurement of 92cms (36ins). His vision was good and had no vaccination marks. His father William Jones of Golden Gate, Croydon and later an Engine driver at Cloncurry was named as his next-of-kin, with Church of England stated as his religion.
Archer Jones did not leave for training until March and the following reports appeared in The Northern Miner detailing the volunteers’ farewells and departures:
Four days later he began basic training at 11 Depot Battalion, Enoggera, Brisbane, and officially sworn in on March 24 remaining until November 17, 1916. He was transferred to the 1st Military District’s Miners Camp for additional training until December 6 then left for their camp at Seymour, Victoria. He joined the January 1917 Reinforcements with the regimental number 6631 and the rank of Sapper.
The 168 Reinforcements left Melbourne, Victoria on the transport RMS Omrah on January 17, 1917 docking at Adelaide, S.A. and Fremantle, W.A, then Durban, Cape Town and Sierra Leone before terminating at Devonport, England where the troops were detrained to Tidworth on March 27, 1917.
They marched in to the Drafting Depot at Perham Downs for further instruction in preparation for duty in France. For the voyage only to France, Archer was appointed Acting Corporal with the E.D.P. and they proceeded overseas from the H & D Depot, Perham Downs via Folkstone on April 14, 1917 arriving at the Australian General Base Depot on April 21. Reverting to the rank of Sapper on May 1, they marched in to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion, Havre on May 4 and were attached to the 3rd Tunnelling Company on May 4, 1917.
Sapper Jones was taken sick on May 27 to 1st 2 N. Mid. Field Ambulance then admitted to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station the following day with a N.Y.D (not yet diagnosed) illness. He was conveyed on May 31 to the 14 General Hospital at Wimereux (N.Y.D.) and admitted with Abdominal Colic after transference on A.T. 24. Remained until June 16 when he was sent to the 1st Convalescent Camp, Boulogne and then Rest Camp for a few days until June 19. On June 26 he left for Rouelles and rejoined his unit, marching in four days later.
He proceeded on leave on June 29, 1918 to Paris until July 12, and after the Armistice took leave on December 23, 1918 until January 6, 1919 rejoining his unit on January 10.
In August 1918 Archer was a member of the 3rd Tunnelling Companies rifle team which competed in the “B” Series Competitions at the 1st Army Musketry School at Matringhem. The team gained 3rd prize (bronze medal) in the Running Man competition at 200yds, and in the grand aggregate of all scores in 5 contests, scored 8th place amongst 54 competing teams.
Also in August, he took part in the Givenchy Raid:
On April 22, 1919 his section of the 3rd Tunnelling Company returned to their French Base in preparation for return to England where six days later the troops marched in to the No.1 Australian Base Depot. From Plymouth, England on June 19, 1919 Sapper Jones embarked for Australia aboard H.T. Miltiades. His next-of-kin were advised of his return on July 23, and he disembarked in the 2 Military District on August, 8, 1919. His name appeared in the list of soldiers returning in the:
He returned to the 1st MD and was discharged on September 16, 1919. Archie returned to work at the Ambulance Centre in Charters Towers and later went to Gordonvale and returned when a vacancy opened as reported in the:
Sapper William Edward Archer Jones, 6631 3rd Tunnelling Company was awarded the British War Medal (27503) and the Victory Medal (26341) in recognition of service for his country. His name appears on the Boys Central School Honour Board, Charters Towers.
The following was reported in the:
He married in 1922 to Ida Elizabeth Anderson who died in 1923. The following obituary was published in the:
Archie is recorded in Mt Isa, Q from 1925 onwards. In 1927 he married Mary Frances Kaeser.
A letter from Base Records written on November 24, 1931 states he was issued with a R.S. Badge (132795) but his present whereabouts where unknown to receive it.
New Masonic Lodge officers for 1931 were published in the:
In June, 1937 Mary Jones, wife, sought custody and maintenance of their three children and he was ordered by the Court Judge to pay her a weekly sum of 10/- until further orders and have access to the children at all reasonable times.
His service of twenty years was noted at a meeting which was reported in the:
His work was regularly reported in the newspaper and he attended the R.S.S.A.I.L.A. Annual Conference in Townsville in March, 1940 and was Secretary of the R.A.A.F. Recruiting Committee, Mount Isa branch. This article also appeared in the:
Towards the end of 1940 Archie became ill and his condition was reported as follows:
By the end of the year he was granted leave of absence and going to Brisbane for further medical treatment which was published in the:
A send-off by Returned Servicemen’s League and Q.A.T.B. workers was reported in the:
William Edward Archer Jones passed away in the South Brisbane Auxiliary Hospital on 8 August, 1945 aged 55 years. Arrangements were printed in the:
Cremation took place at Mt Thompson Crematorium, Brisbane.
Administration of his estate was announced a few months later in:
The above photograph and following paragraph appear in Queenslanders Who Fought in the Great War:
© Donna Baldey 2009/2013/2018