Loftus William Jones
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Loftus William Jones (13 November 1879 -31 May 1916) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
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[edit] Details
He was 36 years old, and a Commander in the Royal Navy during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 31 May 1916, at the Battle of Jutland, off Denmark, Commander Jones of HMS Shark, led a division of destroyers to attack the enemy Battle Cruiser Squadron. In the course of this attack Shark became disabled by shell-fire and was lying helpless between two enemy fleets. Commander Jones was badly wounded in the leg, but with the help of three surviving seamen he kept the midships gun in action until he was hit by a shell which took off his leg. He continued, however, to give orders to his gun's crew, until Shark was hit by a torpedo and sank. Commander Jones was not among the survivors.
[edit] Further information
Commander Jones' body was washed ashore some days after the battle - in Southern Sweden. He is buried at Fiskebackskil, Västra Götaland, Sweden. His body was later transferred to the British War Graves plot at Kviberg Churchyard in Gothenburg.
[edit] The medal
Royal Naval Museum - Portsmouth, Hampshire, England (2003)
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Naval VCs (Stephen Snelling, 2002)
