| Jones | Robert James Thomas Digby | | Lieutenant | He was killed in action at the engagement at Wagon Hill, Ladysmith, January 6th, 1900. He was born September 1876, educated at Seabank School and Sedbergh, Yorkshire, where he was in the school football team, and won the chief mathematical prize. He entered the Royal Engineers, August 1896, being promoted Lieutenant August 1899, was a good all round athlete, and at one time secretary of the Royal Engineers Football Club, being one of its foremost players. Lieutenant Jones accompanied the 23rd Field Company Royal Engineers to Natal, June 1899, and served there from the commencement of the war. He first distinguished himself December 10th, during a sortie from Ladysmith when a Boer 4.7 inch gun on Surprise Hill was destroyed. The first fuze inserted missed fire but Lieutenant Jones went back, inserted another fuze and by the explosion the Howitzer was split into fragments. This gun had been causing much annoyance to the garrison. For this act he was mentioned in despatches. At Wagon Hill his bravery was most conspicuous; on the night of the 5th he was sent there in charge of a working party of Royal Engineers to build an emplacement, and out of this, the Boers who had crept up bare footed, had succeeded in driving them. Our men led by Lieutenant Jones, however, retook the position almost immediately. One report states that he shot three Boers, clubbed a fourth and kept them at bay till help arrived. Later on a determined attack was again made by the Boers, when Lieutenant Jones shot Commandant Von Wyk, second in command to De Villiers, but was himself killed immediately afterwards. Sir A Conan Doyle thus mentions this incident, differing slightly from the above "In a gun emplacement a strange encounter took place at point blank range between a group of Boers and Britons. De Villiers of the Free State shot Miller-Walnut dead, Ian Hamilton fired at De Villiers with his revolver but missed him. Young Albrecht of the Light Horse shot De Villiers. A Boer named De Jaeger shot Albrecht. Digby Jones of the Sappers shot De Jaeger. Only a few minutes later the gallant lad, who had already won fame enough for a veteran, was himself mortally wounded and Dennis his comrade in arms and in glory fell by his side”. Another report states that by his splendid example Lieutenant Jones saved Ladysmith. In most books on the war this officer's bravery and intrepid conduct is referred to. He was twice mentioned in despatches, LG February 8th, 1901, and again April 19th, 1901, where it is stated by Lieutenant General Sir G White that he would have recommended Lieutenant Jones for the VC had he survived, and mentions with regret that he was killed. It was, however, announced in the LG, August 8th, 1902, that His Majesty The King was pleased to approve of this decoration being sent to the representatives of Lieutenant Jones, for his conspicuous bravery "in leading the force which reoccupied the top of the hill at a critical moment, just as the three foremost attacking Boers reached it, the leader being shot by Lieutenant Jones". At the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, in the west octagon of the library, are the names of about 120 distinguished Royal Engineer Officers; the last name added to the list is that of Lieutenant R J T Digby Jones.
Source: Donner | Royal Engineers |
