Major Francis Jones

CVO CVO may refer to: Science and technology * Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington, US * Chief veterinary officer, the head of a veterinary authority * Circumventricular organs, positioned around the ventricular system of the brain * Co ...

, TD, DL, FSA, MA,

KStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

(5 July 1908 – 14 December 1993) was an author,

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to Document, records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist c ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and officer of arms.

Early and private life

Born in

Trefin Trefin ( Welsh standardised:), formerly anglicised as Trevine, is a village in North Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. The village lies within the parish and community of Llanrhian, which has a significant Welsh-speaking population. Etymology T ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, Francis Jones was educated at Fishguard County School (now Ysgol Bro Gwaun), and eventually became a schoolmaster. He began to work on the county records held at Haverfordwest in 1931 and he made a report to the county council in 1936.Independent obituary
/ref> He then secured an appointment in the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

, 1936–1939. Following war service and subsequent work on the

official history An official history is a work of history which is sponsored, authorised or endorsed by its subject. The term is most commonly used for histories which are produced for a government. The term also applies to commissions from non-state bodies includin ...

of the Sicilian and Italian campaigns, he was appointed the first

County Archivist A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of Carmarthenshire, serving from 1958 to 1973. He had married Ethel Charles in 1932: they had two sons and two daughters. Jones died in Carmarthen in 1993 aged 85 and was commemorated at the Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf, a Welsh Anglican church in the City of London which has been the religious home of the College of Arms since 1555.

Military career

Jones was commissioned into 4th

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

, The Welch Regiment, but was subsequently transferred to the

Pembroke Yeomanry The Pembroke Yeomanry was a regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw action in the Second Boer War, the World War I, First World War and the World War II, Second World War. Its lineage is maintained by 224 (Pembroke Yeomanry) Transport ...

. He entered active service in 1939, and later took part in the North African landings and Battle of Beja, for which he was mentioned in despatches. He later fought in the

Sicilian campaign The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other. The expedition ended in a devas ...

and landing, then after landing at

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

fought in the Italian campaign up to the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...

as second in command of the regiment. He was subsequently posted as 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 ...

to the War Cabinet Offices, Historical Section, where he wrote the Official War Record for the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns. He was later appointed Battery Commander in the Surrey Yeomanry (Queen Mary's Regiment).

Heraldic career

In 1963 the office of Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary was revived, in anticipation of the investiture of

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, and Francis Jones appointed. (The last recorded reference to a Wales Herald was in the late fourteenth century.) In this capacity he was on the Earl Marshal's staff for the

State funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, and officiated at the

investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...

of the Prince of Wales in 1969. Over the next 30 years he participated in State ceremonial with the officers of arms in ordinary of the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

on occasions such as the

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the King's (or Queen's) Speech. The event takes place ...

and the Garter service.

Writing career

Jones was a prolific writer with several hundred articles, essays and books published. He also appeared on

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

radio and television programs. His main published works include * ''The Holy Wells of Wales'' (1954) * ''God bless the Prince of Wales: four essays for investiture year, 1969.'' (1969) * ''The Princes and principality of Wales'' (1969) * ''Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families'' (1987) * ''A catalogue of Welsh manuscripts in the College of Arms'' (1988) * ''Historic houses of Pembrokeshire and their families'' (1996) * ''Treasury of historic Pembrokeshire '' (1998) * ''Historic Cardiganshire Homes and their families'' (2000) * ''Treasury of historic Carmarthenshire'' (2002)

Honours and appointments

Jones received the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer Officer's Decoration when the Te ...

with three clasps for his military service. He was created a Commander of the Royal Victorial Order and

Knight of the Order of St John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. He was also a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

and received an Honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Wales. Among the many other positions he held and societies to which he belonged were: * Deputy Lieutenant Dyfed * Vice-President Dyfed Local Council * Governor of the

* Carmarthenshire County Archivist 1958-1973 * Member of

Gorsedd A gorsedd (, plural ''gorseddau'') is a community or meeting of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is spelled gorsedh in Cornish and goursez in Breton. When the term is used without qualification, it usually r ...

* Member of the Historical Society of the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

* President of the Cambrian Archaeological Society * Carmarthenshire History Association *

Record Society * Croeso '69 Committee * Académie Internationale d'Héraldique * The Heraldry Society * Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion * Honorary Member of Mark Twain Society, USA

Arms

References

External links

West Wales Genealogy

Archives Network Wales

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Francis 1908 births 1993 deaths Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order English archivists English officers of arms Knights of Justice of the Order of St John Welsh genealogists Pembroke Yeomanry officers 20th-century British historians