Born in Glanconwy in 1888, Robert John Jones moved to Abercynon where he worked as a miner. He joined the army on 4 January 1915: this is his certificate of transfer to the Reserve on demobilization, on 1 April 1919. He had served in France, where he was wounded and then sent to Ireland to recuperate, and later served with the 8th Btn Welsh Regiment in Mesopotamia.