Born in Glanconwy in 1888, Robert John Jones moved to Abercynon where he worked as a miner, getting married in 1912. He and his wife Catherine had a daughter but she died young: shortly after this Robert made the decision to join up, enlisting on 4 January 1915. He was sent to France, where it is believed he was injured at the Battle of Loos. He was sent to Ireland to recuperate, and later served with the 8th Btn Welsh Regiment in Mesopotamia, where he fell ill. He was sent home to Abercynon where he was discharged in 1919.