Richard Arthur Jones

 Gunner Richard Arthur Jones – Royal Field Artillery

On 12^th March 1919, Richard Arthur Jones, aged only 21, died after returning home from service in the First World War. He was buried at Danygraig Cemetery, his short life marked by years of duty across several fronts.

Early Life and Family

Richard was born in 1898, the youngest child of Arthur Jones and Emma Jones, who had married in 1888 at St. John-juxta-Swansea.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Jones family were living at 97 Fleet Street, Swansea. Arthur, then 38, worked as a stonemason, and Emma, 37, kept the family home. Their children were Hannah (10), Frances (9), Maria (8), and Richard Arthur (3). Also living in the household was Arthur’s brother, Richard Jones (34), also a stonemason.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 9 Fleet Street. Arthur, now 48, continued as a stonemason, while Emma was 47. Their children were: Hannah (20) and Frances (19), both working as laundresses; Maria (17); Richard Arthur (14), then an apprentice mason; David Thomas (9); and Stanley John (5), both at school.

Military Service

When war came, Richard enlisted and served with the Royal Field Artillery, 265th Brigade. His headstone inscription records the breadth of his service:

• France, 1915
• Egypt, 1916–17
• Palestine, 1917–18

These postings reflect the long reach of the war and the heavy demands placed on young soldiers like Richard, who spent almost the entirety of his adult life in uniform.

Death and Burial

Richard Arthur Jones
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Having survived the campaigns abroad, Richard returned home, only to die in March 1919, a victim of the lingering effects of war and the illnesses that claimed many returning soldiers.

He was laid to rest at Danygraig Cemetery, where his family ensured his service and sacrifice were remembered on their headstone. The inscription records his travels and dedication, a reminder of the distance he had gone in the service of his country, only to die so close to home.

Legacy

Richard was just one of the 24 servicemen buried at Danygraig Cemetery in 1919, part of the wave of losses that continued long after the Armistice. His story reflects the hidden cost of war—how many who returned from the front carried wounds and illnesses that proved fatal in the years immediately following peace.

For his family, the headstone serves as both a marker of grief and a proud testament: a young man who travelled far in service of his country yet found his final resting place in the soil of Swansea. His grave remains a link between the battlefields abroad and the community at home that bore the weight of so much loss.