Bernard Mouat Jones DSO (27 November 188211 September 1953)The ODNB records it as 11 September; the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar records it as the 12th was a British

Chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

, notable for identifying the chemical in

Mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, b ...

(dicholorodiethyl sulphide) and the first scientist to be

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Background

Jones was born in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

on 27 November 1882, the fourth son of Alexander Moat Jones, wine merchant, and Martha Eleanor (née Brinjes). He attended Queen's College, Streatham and

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

. In 1901 he went to

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

where, three years later, he gained first-class honours in chemistry, mineralogy, and crystallography.

Career

Jones worked for a year as research assistant to Professor W R Dunstan at the

Imperial Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...

, and was then, in 1906, appointed professor of chemistry at

Government College, Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

. In 1913 he returned to England as assistant professor at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. In 1914 Jones enlisted in the London Scottish regiment and was sent to France. Immediately after the first German gas attack in 1915 he was promoted to captain and became assistant director of the central laboratory, general headquarters, formed to organize defensive measures. He devised methods of protection from

phosgene Phosgene is the organic chemical compound with the formula COCl2. It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. Phosgene is a valued and important industrial building block, espe ...

gas, and in identifying quickly any new gas used by the enemy; he was the first to identify the chemical in mustard gas. For his services he was appointed the DSO in 1917 and, in the following year, became director of the laboratory with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. After the war he returned to academic life, as a chemistry professor at the

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

, then in 1921 Principal of Manchester Municipal College of Technology. From 1938 to 1948 he was

of the

. This included the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in which he also served in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

and for six months was in charge of the

chemical warfare Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym ...

establishment at

Porton Down Porton Down is a science park in Wiltshire, England, just northeast of the village of Porton, near Salisbury. It is home to two British government facilities: a site of the Ministry of Defence's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl ...

. Jones, who never married, lived after his retirement at

Waverley Abbey House Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, the Bishop of Winchester. Located about southeast of Farnham, Surrey, it is situated on a flood-plain; surrounded by current and previous channel ...

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, where he died on 11 September 1953. His funeral was held at Farnham parish church on 17 September.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Bernard Mouat 1882 births 1953 deaths British Home Guard officers Military personnel from London London Scottish officers London Scottish soldiers British chemists People from Streatham Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Academics of Imperial College London Academics of Aberystwyth University Academics of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology Vice-Chancellors of the University of Leeds Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Army personnel of World War I British Army General List officers Government College University, Lahore faculty Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society