Laurence Bertram Jones – Lincolnshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion

Second Lieutenant Laurence Bertram Jones – Lincolnshire Regiment, 2^nd Battalion

Family Background

Laurence Bertram Jones was born in 1890 in Swansea, the son of David Jones and Alice A. Jones, of 37 Hawthorne Avenue, Uplands, Swansea.

Early Military Service – German South West African Campaign

At the outbreak of the First World War, Laurence enlisted with the 2nd Rhodesian Regiment, holding the rank of Serjeant. He served under General Louis Botha during the German South West African Campaign (1914–1915).

The campaign, fought in what is now Namibia, aimed to remove Germany’s colonial presence in southern Africa and eliminate the threat posed by German wireless stations and coastal bases. South African forces advanced across vast desert terrain under harsh conditions, facing water shortages and difficult supply lines. Although the fighting did not involve the large trench battles later seen in Europe, it required endurance, mobility, and effective leadership during extended operations across arid landscapes.

Laurence was appointed Analyst to the Armies, indicating a role of responsibility within the force. The campaign concluded with the German surrender at Khorab on 9^th July 1915, after which Laurence returned to the United Kingdom.

Commission and Western Front Service

Laurence was subsequently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment, 2^nd Battalion, and proceeded to serve on the Western Front.

On 23^rd October 1916, the battalion was engaged in heavy fighting during the later stages of the Battle of the Somme, particularly in operations around the northern sector of the battlefield near the Schwaben Redoubt and Regina Trench. German positions were deeply fortified with dugouts and machine-gun nests, and repeated assaults were required to secure limited gains.

The fighting was marked by intense artillery bombardment, determined German counter-attacks, and severe ground conditions caused by rain and the churned landscape of previous battles. Officers were required to lead from the front during assaults and consolidation of captured trenches, making them especially vulnerable to machine-gun fire and shell bursts.

Death and Commemoration

Laurence Bertram Jones
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France
creidt - fidnagrave

It was during these costly operations on 23^rd October 1916 that Laurence was killed in action. The chaotic and destructive nature of the fighting meant that many casualties had no known grave.

He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, which honours those who fell in the Somme sector and whose bodies were never recovered or identified