TOPIC:

Not long ago I acquired a Queen South Africa medal with clasps CC, OFS, TVL, SA01 and SA02 to Trooper A.E. Jones, 25237, C in C Bodyguards with no research or background information and since then it has been a pleasure to research the man behind the medal and discover a family with close ties to the Anglican Church in the Cape Province and numerous military conflicts from the Boer to the Korean Wars.

A family linked to Bishops College in Cape Town and himself who enlisted at 17 and was in a serious fire fight with the Boers and taken prisoner just before his 18th birthday. He re-enlisted just after his 18th Birthday with the Commander-in-Chiefs bodyguard and seeing action until they were disbanded in 1901. This is Arthurs story.

Arthur Earp-Jones

Family History:

Arthur Earp-Jones was born on the 5th October 1882 in Port Nolloth, Cape Provice South Africa to Reverend Charles Earp-Jones and Caroline Mary Morris.

Earp-Jones was a combination of the Earp and Jones family names started by Arthurs grandparents when George Jones married Anne Earp in 1854 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. They started the tradition of using Earp as the second name and later generations would combine them to form Earp-Jones.

At some point after 1871 Rev. Charles Earp Jones, eldest son of George and Anne Earp, left Cheshire, England, and moved to Port Nolloth, Cape South Africa. Here he met and married Caroline Mary Morris in Namaqualand in 1881.

Arthur was the second eldest of 5 children; Harold was born a year earlier (1881), followed by Alan (1885), Reginald (1887) and then Edith Gladys (1890).

Rev. Charles was the parish priest in the days before marine diamonds were discovered in the area and the young boys would shoot those “shiny” stones found on the beach from their catapults.

Schooling Years:

In the 1890’s Arthur Earp-Jones went to Wynberg boys school which was founded in 1841. Arthur would later appear in the schools “Roll of honour” in 1944 and 1945 respectively.

In 1899 Arthur and his older brother Harold moved to Diocesan College (Bishops) and so started a family tradition stretching over a century of attending Bishops College; many who whom would go on to distinguish themselves in the clergy, military or both.

Arthur and Harold were both at Bishops when the Second Anglo Boer War broke out in October 1899 where the intense fighting in Natal and the Cape Colony captured the imagination of the Empire.

The commencement of a Military Career – Imperial Yeomany Scouts

According to Thomas Packenham, The Boer War, General Buller cabled the day after the Battle of Colenso (15 Dec 1899) asking “Would it be possible for you to raise eight thousand irregulars in England…equipped as mounted infantry…able to shoot as well as possible and ride decently.” From this George Wyndam suggested raising as a matter of urgency a total of twenty thousand irregular mounted infantry mainly from South Africa and other colonies.

Three days later the formation of the ‘Imperial Yeomanry’ was announced.

One of these new South African units was called the “Imperial Yeomany Scouts” and formed in Cape town in March 1900.

Thus, on the 28th March 1900 and underage at only 17½ years old Arthur left Bishops College and enlisted with this new unit; he was given the regimental number of 6068, the majority of these recruits were given the number starting with 60xx.

He was assigned to No.1 Troop “A” Squadron; the 3 Troops of “A” Squadron consisted of 7 officers and 93 NCO’s and troopers under the command of Captain W.P. Anderson.

The IY Scouts left Cape Town and made their way to the Orange Free State and on the 7th June 1900 found themselves at the center of an audacious attack by De Wet on the railway station at Roodewal where Arthur was taken as a Prisoner of War before his 18th birthday and would ultimately lead to the disbandment of the unit itself.

The Incident at Roodewal Station (7 June 1900)

As described by City Coins Postal Auction No. 71:

Although the British had taken Pretoria two days earlier, the Orange Free State forces remained very active, blowing up bridges and ambushing supply convoys. As a result, Roodewal Station, which had been taken by the British on 23rd May 1900, was the temporary railhead where goods were off-loaded until the railway to the north could be brought back into commission.

De Wet captured a wagon train en route to Heilbron from Vredefort Road Station at Zwavelkrans, near the Rhenoster River on 5 June. On 6 June, still undetected, De Wet returned to the railway line where he divided his force into three. The first (300 men and one 75mm Krupp under Steenekamp) had to deal with Vredefort Road Station at sunrise the next day: they took 38 prisoners with ease.

The second (another 300 men, two Krupps and a Pom-Pom under Froneman) were ordered north to attack the British camp at Rhenoster River bridge: in heavy fighting 36 men were killed, 104 wounded and 486 officers and men surrendered to the Boers. De Wet himself, with eighty men and one Krupp, headed for the station at Roodewal itself. The British, who were attacked at dawn, resisted fiercely and De Wet’s men were pinned down until the northern party had succeeded at the camp and brought two more 75mm Krupps south to help.

After six hours of bitter fighting, and increased artillery, the defenders were forced to surrender to General De Wet.

A relative of Arthur Earp Jones would later state that “he was recommended for the VC when as a scout he rescued wounded in the Imperial Yeomenry”. Unfortunately, no records relating to such gallantry have been identified to date.

The POWs, such as the Army Postal Office Corp, were released in Kroonstad on the 25th June 1900; however, others were released as late as August 1900.

Arthur Earp-Jones was discharged from the Imperial Yeomany Scouts on the 28th August 1900 when the unit was disbanded, most likely as a result of the “Roodewal incident”.

As a side note just after the disbandment of the Imperial Yeomany Scouts the commanding officer, Capt W.P. Anderson accompanied General Hendrik Schoeman who had persuaded Lord Roberts to allow him to visit De la Rey in an attempt to try and persuade him to lay down his arms.

Both men set out to meet De la Rey near Rustenburg and on their way, on the 10th October 1900, they were intercepted by one of General Beyers’s commandos and taken to Beyers’s headquarters at Warmbaths (Bela Bela) where General Schoeman would be tried for the second of three attempts of high treason; Capt W.P. Anderson would later be released having being captured by the Boers twice in four months.

The Military Career continues – Commander-in-Chiefs Bodyguard

Around the 15th January 1900 Lord Roberts announced the intention to form a bodyguard from picked Colonials, to be commanded by Major Laing, an officer who had served in the 91st and 93rd regiments (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders), and had settled in South Africa.
In November 1900 Lord Roberts issued an order empowering Major Laing to raise a fighting regiment, 570 strong, with 2 guns, 2 pom-poms, and 2 machine-guns, to be called 'The Bodyguard'. So great was Laing's popularity that he almost at once got over 1000 recruits.
One of those who applied was Arthur Earp Jones who was now living in the Rectory in Mossel Bay; on the 15th November 1900 he was accepted into the “Commander-in-Chiefs Bodyguard”; at the age of 18years old and 1 month he had a second chance at a military career.

This was an opportunity he would not squander and would later be discharged at the rank of Corporal.

The corps took the field in the Orange River Colony. Unfortunately, the first reference to them in a dispatch was in connection with a grievous mishap which took place on 3rd January 1901.

In his telegram of 6th January Lord Kitchener said: "From reports of some wounded who have arrived at Heilbron, it appears that a detachment of Bodyguard 120 strong, belonging to General Charles Knox's force, came in contact with a superior number of the enemy near Lindley. I regret to say that Lieutenant Colonel Laing, 2 officers, and 15 men were killed, 2 officers and 20 men wounded. No details have been received from General Knox of this action".

The fighting was of the most severe character, and the casualties in the rank and file turned out even larger than the numbers stated by Lord Kitchener.

In February and March the corps were several times engaged in the Orange River Colony, Lieutenant L H Harding being mortally wounded.

In April, May, and June, the Bodyguard, 1000 strong, under Colonel Chesney, was in a column which operated in the Eastern Transvaal under Brigadier General Bullock, and in July under Brigadier General Spens.

Towards the end of July they had skirmishes in which Captain O'Flaherty and 1 man were killed and several wounded. Not long after this the corps was disbanded, many of the officers and men joining other regiments.

Arthur Earp Jones was discharged, time expired, on the 26th August 1901 at Mossel Bay.

The Final Chapter of the Military Career - Mossel Bay District Mounted Troops (DMT)

Following the disbandment of the Commander-in-Chiefs Bodyguard Arthur joined the Mossel Bay District Mounted Troops (DMT), potentially only for a few months before moving into the clergy

Later in Life

A relative also stated that he played 1st XI cricket, representing Eastern province against the MCC; unfortunately to date no record of this could be located.

Arthur Earp Jones would go on to follow in his fathers and brothers’ footsteps and join the clergy serving as a minister for the remainder of his life in the Cape Province.

He would go on to marry Mabel Marie Harrison and have two sons (Arthur Lancelot & Charles) and a daughter (Dorothy).

The extended Earp-Jones families would continue to serve with distinction taking part in conflicts in the Boer War, WW1, WW2 and Korea.

Unfortunately in the space of 3 years tragedy would unfold with the loss of his wife and both his sons whilst on active service in WW2.

Sergeant Arthur Lancelot Earp-Jones died on active service in Pretoria in 1940; Mabel followed shortly afterwards in 1941 and were both buried together.

Flight-Sergeant Charles Earp Jones was killed in action with the RAF on the 26th February 1943 in North Africa.

Arthur would re-marry Valentine Zelie Henriette Hubin, herself a window, in 1942 and would continue to live together until Arthurs death in 1951 in Gordons Bay.

At the time of his passing he was the priest-in-charge of Gordons Bay (St Phillips Church) and Chaplain to SANC General Botha.

Hello Sturgy

Many thanks for posting, excellent research and a fine medal to add to your collection.

Best wishes

Dave.......

Sturgy
The medal roll in the Neil C. Smith booklet "A history of the Imperial Yeomanry Scouts" shows your man, in addition to the BG and a DMT, also served in the Field Intelligence Department. The Buxton FID account and medal roll shows him as being a Scout and being entitled to the SA1901/SA1902 clasps in addition to C/O/T. Neil Smith's booklet gives a good account of the formation of the IY Scouts (including some recruitment in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia!).
I recommend Smith's booklet.
Regards
IL.

Thanks Linneyl, I'll definitely get my hands on a copy of the book; you can never have enough research material

That was fascinating to read, Sturgy. Many thanks