An Excellent "Somme" MILITARY MEDAL, 1914 Star & Bar, Plaque & Three Scrolls
(Original War & Victory medals absent, and replaced with blanks)
To:
15128. Sgt ALEXANDER FRANCIS JONES.
1st Bn Grenadier Guards.
KILLED IN ACTION 10th-12th September 1916. (GINCHY) Age 23

LONDON GAZETTE 11th OCTOBER 1916
(Gazette contains mid-July awards for High Wood, Longueval, Delville Wood etc.)

Alex Jones was born in Bristol in 1893 and joined the army in late February-Early March 1911. He was shown on the census of April 2/3 1911 at Guards Depot, Caterham, Surrey. Age 18. He was the son of Mrs Elizabeth Watson of 1 St. Luke's Crescent, Totterdown, Bristol.
"Unusually, the exact date of his death is technically uncertain due to the sheer length and complexity of the three days of continuous actions in which his unit were engaged. Shown below is a narrative description of a main action at GINCHY, where and in which, along with over 50 of his fellows it's fairly certain that Alex Jones lost his life."

Alex's body was lost without trace and he has no known grave.

[HISTORY]
The 3rd Guards Brigade which included the 1st and 4th Bn Grenadiers, & 1st Bn Welsh Guards relieved the 47th and 48th Infantry brigades and went into the line at GINCHY on the 9th and 10th September 1916. There were during this period several German counter attacks in the neighbourhood. The 47th and 48th had also suffered badly during an attack on the Quadrilateral and they were relieved by the 1st and 2nd Bn Guards Brigade on the 12th - 13th September.





1st GRENADIER GUARDS
[FRONT LINE- GINCHY 10th Sep 1916]

(Captain Vaughan's Company)
The 1st and 4th Battalions Grenadier Guards were moved up to the front line at Ginchy on 8 Sep 1916. The battalion was in reserve, but a gap had become apparent between the 4th Battalion Grenadiers and the Welsh Guards so two companies were sent forward. No.3 Company under Captain E N E M Vaughan was sent to report to Lt-Col W Murray-Threipland of the 1st Bn Welsh Guards. At 3am on 10th September the Germans attacked and put the Welsh Guards under great pressure. When Vaughan and his company arrived the CO ordered him to defend the trench to the right of them which had been manned by the Munster Fusiliers, now in a poor state. They relieved the Munsters by sections which took until noon to complete. The trench was at right angles to the Welsh Guards and Vaughan placed his two Lewis guns on each end with a 'double-block' and strong bombing section on the left end, as that was where he was told to expect the attack.

The Germans attacked at 10pm that evening and the situation became serious when they were cut off from the Welsh Guards who were forced to pull back. They were defending a long trench and the enemy were now on all sides. When some of the enemy actually got into the trench they were bayoneted. Sergeant Whittaker showed great courage and skill with the bombing party and was responsible for killing a large number of Germans as well as holding up the enemy's attack on the left. The other company officers Lieutenant Sharp and 2nd Lt Stein were both wounded. 56 men were killed but the rest fought stubbornly, determined to hold out to help the Welsh Guards. Eugene Vaughan's citation for the DSO read: 'Throughout this difficult operation Capt Vaughan directed the proceedings with great coolness, and his messages were clear, precise and cheerful. His stubborn defence of his trench undoubtedly saved the Welsh Guards from being surrounded.'

[1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, The Quadrilateral 12 Sep 1916]
The 1st Battalion were placed at Guillemont on 11 Sep and their companies operated separately so that the King's Company under Captain W D Drury-Lowe captured 50 prisoners while filling a gap in the line, and no.4 Company under Capt L G Fisher-Rowe filled another gap. Captain A C Graham led his no.3 Company on a bombing and blocking raid on a trench south of the Ginchy Telegraph Road. Each of the 3 bombing parties was made up of 10 men and an NCO, and the 2 blocking parties had 4 men and an NCO, carrying 25 empty sandbags and a shovel each. The rest of the company carried rifles or Lewis guns. Graham was killed by a shell as they advanced. No.2 Company was within 100 yards of the Quadrilateral Redoubt when it was held up by machine-gun fire. At 6am the whole battalion made another attempt to seize the Quadrilateral along with the 6th Division but the assault failed after they lost many men.













Alex Jones, having been a pre-war Army regular and a Sergeant at the time of his MM award was clearly well thought of in Bristol as the city presented him with a special coloured scroll to commemorate his award. He was also similarly honoured when he was killed in action by the presentation to his mother of a Bristol city memorial scroll, both of which have miraculously survived along with his official scroll & death plaque.





Sadly his war & victory medal are not present, so we have included a 'blank' pair to go with the MM & Star. Interestingly Alex Jones has two MIC's, one of which records his 14 star , the other records his pair.

This however is a classically excellent early 'Old Contemptible's' guards group which has come with all it's major components & some very unusual & colourful documentation by way of the two Bristol city scrolls.

ALEX JONES IS COMMEMORATED WITH ETERNAL HONOUR AT THE THEIPVAL MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING MEN OF THE SOMME

MEDALS EF on original ribbons

(SOLD)