General Sir Charles Phibbs Jones, (29 June 1906 – 4 January 1988) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1950s.

Military career

Charles Jones was commissioned into the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

on 3 September 1925.Sir Charles Phibbs Jones
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives He saw service with the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners in India between 1928 and 1934 and then became

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

for the Royal Engineers Contingent within the

42nd (East Lancashire) Division The 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force (TF), originally as the East Lancashire Division, and was redesignated as the 42nd (East ...

in 1934.

Brigadier C P Jones, Cbe, Mc - Malaya Command Art

Jones served in the Second World War, initially as brigade major for the 127th Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier John Smyth, which formed part of the British Expeditionary Force dispatched to France and Belgium in 1940. Following this, he was an instructor at the Staff College from 1940 to 1941, when he became a

general staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

at General Headquarters Home Forces. In 1943 he was appointed

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

for the Guards Armoured Division. He became

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

Malaya Command in 1945 and then brigadier on the general staff of XXX Corps in North West Europe in 1945. After the war, Jones was appointed brigadier on the general staff at Western Command in 1946. He then went to the Imperial Defence College in 1947 before being appointed commander 2nd Infantry Brigade in 1948. In 1950 he became director of plans at the War Office and in 1951 he went on to be general officer commanding 7th Armoured Division, part of British Army of the Rhine. Jones was commandant at the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

from 1954 to 1956 and then vice attorney general at the War Office from 1957 to 1958. He then became director of the Combined Military Planning Staff at the

Central Treaty Organisation The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Tur ...

in 1959 and general officer commanding 1 British Corps in 1960. He was general officer commanding-in-chief Northern Command from 1962 to 1963, when he became Master-General of the Ordnance; he retired in 1967. Jones was also colonel commandant of the Royal Engineers from 1961 to 1972. He was Chief Royal Engineer from 1972 to 1977. His son was General Sir Edward Jones who, like his father, became a member of the Army Board.

Retirement

In retirement Jones was governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1969 to 1975, and National President of the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

from 1970 to 1981.

References

External links

British Army Officers 1939–1945
, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Charles Phibbs 1906 births 1988 deaths Academics of the Staff College, Camberley Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies British Army generals British Army brigadiers of World War II British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency Commandants of the Staff College, Camberley Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People educated at Portora Royal School Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Engineers officers Military personnel from County Kerry People from Kenmare