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Clarence Morgan Jones was born in Colebrook in Tasmania in 1892. The son of Charles James and Mary Ann Jones, after leaving school he worked as a Shepherd. Attesting in the Australian Forces in Colebrook, Clarence Jones was 23 on 15 September 1915. He hadn’t previously served with the armed forces. He was a well built young man, at 5 foot 9 inches tall and 13st 1lb, and a 38 inch chest, 40 inches expanded. He had a fair complexion, brown hair and dark eyes, was of a church of england persuasion, and had no distinguishing marks.
After enlisting, Jones was sent to A Company of the 12th Australian Infantry Battalion, as part of the 14th reinforcements for that unit. Jones actually stayed in Australia for a lot longer than most new recruits, and did not embark until 8 February 1916, on the HMAT Warilda out of Melbourne. The Warilda arrived at Suez on 8 March 1916, where Jones joined the 3rd Training Battalion. Not long after arriving in Egypt he was transferred to the 52nd Battalion, then at Serapeum.
Whilst undergoing training Jones was admitted to Hospital, on 23 May 1916 going to the 34th Casualty Clearing Station, From there he was admitted to the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital, suffering with Pleurisy. His service records do not indicate when he was discharged, but he must have recovered swiftly as on 21 June he embarked at Alexandria to join the BEF in Europe.
Disembarking at Marseilles on 30 June 1916, Jones was at the 5th Divison Training Base at Etaples until 22 July, when he was transferred to the 57th Bn, Australian Infantry. The Battalion fought at Frommeles, entering the line on 19 July without first aclcimatising on a quiet sector. On 27 November Jones was admitted to Hospital, apparently suffering with Trench Feet. On 29 November he was sent from the 38th Casualty Clearing Station, on no 2023 Ambulance Train, to the 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre. From there he was shipped to England, on the Hospital Ship Gloucester Castle on 3 December 1916.
After arriving in England Clarence Jones was admitted to the 5th Southern General Hospital, but his condition did not improve. By then he was suffering from gangrene in both feet and pneumonia. He died at 10.50am on 10 December 1916, and was buried in Milton Cemetery three days later. Sadly, his parents were only informed that he was seriously ill in a telegram on 12 December, after he had already died.
His effects were sent to his father, and consisted of the following:
Hair brush, razor in case, shaving brush, mirror, 2 knives, belt containing badges and buttons, spectacles in case, razor strop, testament, pipe, housewife, identity disc, 2 bullets, purse, comb, pocket book, letters.
In 1925 Jones’s father sent a touching letter to the Base Records Department of the Australian Army:
We received the photographs of our dear lad’s grave, Pte. CM Jones. For which we thank you so very much for them. We are so pleased to have them and they are so well cared for which we are so thankful to know. And we are pleased to have Mr Sanderson’s photo he has been so kind in writing to me so kindly and he seems to very interested in our loved ones graves.
But that’s not all. A letter from Mr and Mrs Jones to Base Records in 1923 suggests that they lost more than one son in the War. Whats more, it seems that it took quite some time for their memorial plaques to reach them, after problems with the post. By this time his parents were living at Green View, Lake Road, near Oatlands in Tasmania. At some point they also lived in Tower Marshes, Jericho, also in Tasmania.
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