Daniel James Jones – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, H.M.S. Genista
Signalman Daniel James Jones – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, H.M.S. Genista
Early Life
Daniel James Jones was born in 1895, in Tirdeunaw,
the son of David and Hannah Jones. Very little survives about his early
years, but like many young Welshmen of his generation, he volunteered to serve
his country during the First World War.
Naval Service
Daniel enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
and was posted to H.M.S. Genista, a newly built Arabis‑class
sloop designed for minesweeping duties and the protection of merchant shipping.
Operational Service of H.M.S. Genista
H.M.S. Genista was launched on 26 February 1916 and
entered service the same year as part of the Royal Navy’s expanding efforts to
safeguard shipping in wartime waters. She was built by Napier & Miller and
formed part of a class of minesweeping sloops developed to counter the growing
submarine threat.
Under the command of Lieutenant‑Commander John White, the
ship served in the North Atlantic and western approaches, where
minesweeping sloops like Genista were responsible for escorting convoys,
clearing mines, and patrolling dangerous waters known for German U‑boat
activity. Her duties regularly took her west of Ireland, an area where attacks
on Allied shipping were intensifying.
The Sinking of H.M.S. Genista – 23rd October 1916
On 23rd October 1916, while on patrol off
the west coast of Ireland, H.M.S. Genista was torpedoed by the
German submarine U‑57. Reports indicate that the U‑boat fired two
torpedoes, striking the sloop and causing her to sink with devastating
speed.
Of the approximately seventy‑nine men aboard, very few
survived. The ship’s commanding officer, Lieutenant‑Commander John White,
was among those lost. The disaster also claimed the life of Signalman Daniel
James Jones, who was serving aboard Genista at the time of her
sinking.
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