Thomas Jones – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M.S. Monmouth

Master at Arms Thomas Jones – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M.S. Monmouth

Early Life

Thomas Jones was born in 1881 in Swansea, the son of William Jones.

Marriage

In October 1900, Thomas married Emily Ann Hellyer at Devonport.

1901 Census

The only census in which Thomas appears is the 1901 Census, when he and Emily were living at 56 Mount Street, Devonport. Thomas, aged 28, was serving with the Royal Naval Reserve as a Leading Stoker, 2nd Class, and his wife Emily Ann was 34.

Naval Career

Thomas continued his service with the Royal Naval Reserve, rising through the ranks to become a Master at Arms, a senior rating responsible for discipline, order, and the welfare of the ship’s company.

The Battle of Coronel – 1^st November 1914

On 1^st November 1914, off Coronel, Chile, Cradock’s squadron encountered the powerful German East Asia Squadron under Admiral Graf von Spee. The German force included the armoured cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau—each armed with eight 8.2‑inch guns, far outranging the British ships—as well as the light cruisers SMS Dresden, SMS Leipzig, and SMS Nürnberg.

Opening of the Battle

Contact was made around 6 p.m., with the British ships silhouetted against the setting sun—an enormous tactical disadvantage. After an hour of manoeuvring, the Germans opened fire at 7:04 p.m. Their heavier guns quickly set both British armoured cruisers ablaze.

At 7:53 p.m., H.M.S. Good Hope exploded and sank with all hands.

The Final Moments of H.M.S. Monmouth

H.M.S. Monmouth

H.M.S. Monmouth, badly damaged and listing heavily, continued the fight alone. The light cruisers Glasgow and Otranto were ordered to withdraw. Glasgow last sighted Monmouth around 8:15 p.m., struggling in rough seas and unable to reply to signals.

As the moon rose, SMS Nürnberg located the crippled cruiser. At 9:25 p.m., observers aboard Glasgow counted 75 flashes of gunfire in the distance—and then silence.

H.M.S. Monmouth, with Captain Brandt and her entire company, had gone down. Her official complement was 678 men.

Among those lost was Master at Arms Thomas Jones, Royal Naval Reserve.

Commemoration

Thomas Jones
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

As his body was not recovered, Thomas Jones is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours those who have no known grave but the sea