George William Jones was born on 22 January 1885 in Rochester, Kent.\u00a0 He was one of eight children born to Edmund Jones and Sarah Ann Harper.\u00a0 The 1891 Census shows the family living at 5 Albert Road, Rochester, Kent his father was working as a shoemaker.\u00a0 By 1901, the family had moved to 203 High Street, Rochester, George was now working as a Billiard marker (Billiard markers kept score of billiard matches in pubs).<\/p>\n
On 9 January 1907, George joined the Royal Navy.\u00a0 The first ship he served on was SS Acheron.\u00a0 His Navy records show that George had a fresh complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes. He was 5’5″ tall, he was had worked as a labourer.\u00a0 The last ship served on during this period was SS Pembroke II where he served until 27 January 1911, George was a stoker.\u00a0 On 28 January 1911, George transferred to RFR Chatham.<\/p>\n
The 1911 Census, shows George living back with his parents at 317 High Street, Rochester, Kent.\u00a0 He was working for a Haulage Contractor as a motor driver’s mate.<\/p>\n
By 13 July 1914, George was back serving in the Royal Navy as a 1st<\/sup> stoker on HMS Aboukir, service no. SS102172.\u00a0 George drowned at sea on 22 September 1914, his ship HMS Aboukir was sunk by a German Submarine.\u00a0 He was killed or died as a direct result of enemy action aged 29, his father Edmund was informed of his death. His body was not recovered for burial.<\/p>\n During the first months of WW1, one of the largest naval disasters happened in the North Sea, 22 September 1914.\u00a0 Three large but old British cruisers -HMS Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir- were shot at and went down just off the Dutch coast. \u00a0Eight torpedoes launched by stealth from an unnoted German submarine sunk the ships whose crews were totally unprepared for the attack. \u00a0\u00a0For weeks after this catastrophe bodies of British sailors were washed ashore on the Dutch coast. \u00a0Of the combined crew of 2296 there were 837 survivors, a few hundred of whom could be rescued by Dutch merchant vessels.\u00a0 The wrecks of the three unfortunate cruisers still rest on the seabed, forming as many mass graves.<\/p>\n George William Jones is remembered at Chatham Naval Memorial.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n References and links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Census 1891<\/p>\n Census 1901<\/p>\n Census 1911<\/p>\n Find a Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current<\/p>\n Commonwealth War Graves<\/p>\n British Army, Navy bmd Records<\/p>\n Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Grave Roll<\/p>\n Chatham Naval memorial photograph from commonwealth war graves<\/p>\n Royal Navy Record<\/p>\n Findmypast<\/p>\n Ancestry<\/p>\n Research:<\/strong><\/p>\n Karen Mapley, 2016<\/p>\n <\/p>\n