Herbert 'H' Jones was born in Putney. He was the eldest of 3 sons of Herbert Jones, who was an American artist. His mother was Welsh and a nurse. Herbert was educated at St. Peter's Prep. School in Sleaford then Eton and DLD College, London. After graduating from Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in July 1960, he was commissioned into The Devonshire & Dorset Regiment as 2Lt.

By 1972 he had risen to the rank of Bde Major at HQ 3rd Inf. Bde in N. Ireland. 13 December 1977 he was awarded an MBE for services in N. Ireland that year. 30 June 1979 he was promoted again to Lt. Col. 'H ' was transferred to the Parachute Regiment 1 December 1979. 

In 1981 he was awarded an OBE.

Jones was on leave in France when the Falklands were invaded in 1982. He and 2 PARA were planning to go on exercise to Belize. Jones' battalion was attached, alongside 3 PARA, to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the first major infantry formation to be sent 'South'. During the Battle of Goose Green, an attack against entrenched Argentine positions, with his unit pinned down by heavy fire from machine guns and rifles, he led a charge against the nearest position. He was severely wounded in this solo charge against this Argentine position on Darwin Hill and subsequently died of his wounds when Darwin Hill was secured but before he could be evacuated.

Lt Richard Nunn, the helicopter pilot who was tasked to evacuate the CO was also killed and his co-pilot severely injured when his Scout helicopter was attacked by an Argentine Pucara aircraft as he took off from A Echelon at Camilla Creek House.

Lt Col Jones is buried at Blue Beach Military Cemetery, San Carlos, Falkland Islands. A street in Stanley has been names 'H Jones Road' and there is a 'Jones Avenue' in the Mt. Pleasant air base. 

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. PM Margaret Thatcher said "his life was lost, but his death was the turning point in the battle."

See account of Goose Green co-edited by Colonel David Benest

London Gazette VC Citation reads:

"On 28th May 1982 Lieutenant Colonel Jones was commanding 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment on operations on the Falkland Islands. The Battalion was ordered to attack enemy positions in and around the settlements of Darwin and Goose Green. During the attack against an enemy who was well dug in with mutually supporting positions sited in depth, the Battalion was held up just South of Darwin by a particularly well-prepared and resilient enemy position of at least eleven trenches on an important ridge. A number of casualties were received. In order to read the battle fully and to ensure that the momentum of his attack was not lost, Colonel Jones took forward his reconnaissance party to the foot of a re-entrant which a section of his Battalion had just secured. Despite persistent, heavy and accurate fire the reconnaissance party gained the top of the re-entrant, at approximately the same height as the enemy positions. From here Colonel Jones encouraged the direction of his Battalion mortar fire, in an effort to neutralise the enemy positions. However, these had been well prepared and continued to pour effective fire onto the Battalion advance, which, by now held up for over an hour and under increasingly heavy artillery fire, was in danger of faltering. In his effort to gain a good viewpoint, Colonel Jones was now at the very front of his Battalion. It was clear to him that desperate measures were needed in order to overcome the enemy position and rekindle the attack, and that unless these measures were taken promptly the Battalion would sustain increasing casualties and the attack perhaps even fail. It was time for personal leadership and action. Colonel Jones immediately seized a sub-machine gun, and, calling on those around him and with total disregard for his own safety, charged the nearest enemy position. This action exposed him to fire from a number of trenches. As he charged up a short slope at the enemy position he was seen to fall and roll backward downhill. He immediately picked himself up, and again charged the enemy trench, firing his sub-machine gun and seemingly oblivious to the intense fire directed at him. He was hit by fire from another trench which he outflanked, and fell dying only a few feet from the enemy he had assaulted. A short time later a company of the Battalion attacked the enemy, who quickly surrendered. The display of courage by Colonel Jones had completely undermined their will to fight further.

Thereafter the momentum of the attack was rapidly regained, Darwin and Goose Green were liberated, and the Battalion released the local inhabitants unharmed and forced the surrender of some 1,200 of the enemy.

The achievements of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment at Darwin and Goose Green set the tone for the subsequent land victory on the Falklands. The British achieved such a moral superiority over the enemy in this first battle that, despite the advantages of numbers and selection of battle-ground, the Argentinian troops never thereafter doubted either the superior fighting qualities of the British troops, nor their own inevitable defeat.

This was an action of the utmost gallantry by a Commanding Officer whose dashing leadership and courage throughout the battle were an inspiration to all about him."