Grave of William Jones
Grave of William Jones (d.1940)
Ordinary Seaman William Jones was the husband of Caroline (known as Carrie) Jones, writes Adrian Hughes. They lived at 28 Druid Road in Menai Bridge.
William’s parents, William Thomas Jones and wife Martha, lived at 8 Bro Hyfryd. William senior worked as a platelayer (track maintenance man) with the London Midland & Scottish Railway.
During the Second World War, William junior served with the Royal Naval Patrol Service aboard HM Trawler Botanic. The vessel had been built in 1928 as a fishing trawler and was requisitioned by the Admiralty in September 1939 and fitted out as a minesweeper. In May 1940 HMT Botanic helped with the evacuation of Allied troops from the French ports of Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk.
Four months later, HMT Botanic was attacked by a German Dornier bomber while in the port of Dover. The attack caused considerable damage and killed six sailors, including William Jones. He was 25 years old.
The last line of his grave inscription translates as: “The Lord gave, and the Lord took away.”