Jones, Anthony Lidden St. John: my Army recollections
Jones, Anthony Lidden St. John: my Army recollections
1 of 3
Description:
Item is an interview/narrative of Anthony Lidden St. John Jones' s experiences during World War I. Lieutenant Jones served with the 4th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and the 2nd Battalion (The Middlesex Regiment). Interview took place on May 31 and June 5, 1984.
Date:
1984-05-31
Collection:
Jones, Anthony Lidden St. John: my Army recollections
People Depicted:
Lieutenant Jones, Anthony Lidden St. John, b. 1894
Page Title:
Jones_A_0077_01.mp3
Abstract:
(Side 1) This interview begins with a general discussion; his attitude toward the war which he enjoyed as a great adventure, almost sport. Born on Jan. 11, 1894 in Stamford, Lincolnshire where his father was an Anglican vicar. Educated at a public school. Articled to a chartered accountant in Southampton, but did not enjoy the work. Attended an agriculture course on a private estate, then in March 1914 emigrated to Canada, to a farm near Barrie, Ont. Joined the Simcoe Foresters in Aug. 1914. Comments on the officers and men. Was sent to Valcartier Camp as part of the 4th Battalion, C.E.F. Considered the Ross rifle a fine weapon under good conditions of use. Public school experience made Army life seem fairly easy. Overseas to Salisbury Plain. A quiet and easy transition to trench life in France. Instilled a feeling of security in the trenches. On Christmas day, 1915 he saw Germans climb from their trenches and walk about in the open. The Canadians did the same on their side. (Interviewer mistakenly mentions Christmas, 1914). Trench raids. Was wounded in the Second Battle of the Somme. Returns to 1915 and recalls a gas attack at Ypres. (50:00)
(Side 2) In the second interview he recalls being badly shaken up in his dugout by the explosion of a German mine. Suffered from trench foot, a swollen and painful condition. Despite strict discipline on the subject, attempts to keep feet dry were almost impossible. Explains primitive anti-gas measures. Upon his own request in 1916 he was posted to the British Army to join his brother in the 2nd Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment. After officer-training in Scotland he joined in Nov. 1916, tragically just after his brother had been killed. The day after joining he participated in an attack, reached the German parapet where he was badly wounded in the arm, and saw the German who shot him at close range. After hospital in England he returned to Canada where he spent some time in military hospitals. Despite an eighty per cent disability pension he and a partner homesteaded in northern Alberta. Later owned a dairy farm in B.C. Comments on his transition from private to officer.