Corporal Sidney Jones

Stanley Jones was born on the 4 February 1917 and enlisted into the Royal Engineers on the 30 May 1935, and carried out his training with ‘B’ Company of the Training Battalion, Royal Engineers.

Upon completion of his training he was posted to the Headquarters Wing, 1st Anti-Aircraft, Searchlight Group, on the 12 March 1936.

On the 20 July 1936 he was posted to ‘E’ Company, 2nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion, and then on the 11 December 1938, he was posted to ‘A’ Company, 1st Anti-Aircraft Battalion. His last move was on the 28 January 1939, when he was posted to the Headquarters Wing, 1st Anti-Aircraft Battalion.

His term of engagement was for four years and he was released to the Army Reserves on the 3 March 1939. However, with the threat of War he was recalled on the 16 September 1939, and joined the 5th Field Company, RE.

The 5th Field Company, along with the 209th and 506th Field Companies formed the Royal Engineer support for the 2nd Infantry Division, which saw service in France and Flanders in 1939 to 1940.

In 1941, and by now a Corporal, Stanley Jones volunteered for Airborne Forces and joined the 1st Air Troop, Royal Engineers on the 11 December 1941.

He attended Parachute Course No 5 at RAF Ringway, which ran from the 30 December 1941 to the 3 January 1942. The reason it was completed so quickly was that it only had a total of 29 officers and men on it – 16 of them being from the 1st Air Troop, RE.

Along with Lieut. CDH Vernon and 7 other Sappers he took part in the Bruneval Raid on the 27/28 February 1942. He was in the same Stick as Lieut. Vernon and jumped from A/C Z. 9425, which dropped them accurately onto the drop zone near the Wurtzburg Radar site. They successfully carried out the task of dismantling part of the Radar, along with Flt/Sgt. Cox, RAF, and then withdrew to the nearby beach for extraction by Landing Craft of the Royal Navy.

For his part in the Raid, Cpl. Jones was awarded a Mention in Despatches, which was recommended by Major. JD Frost:

‘During the parachute raid at BRUNEVAL on the night of Friday, Feb 27 and, Saturday, Feb 28. This NCO carried out a difficult technical task with coolness, skill and resource, although under fire, thereby contributing in no small way to the success of the raid.’

He remained with the 1st Air Troop, which the following month was expanded to become the 1st Parachute Squadron, RE and he became a member of ‘A’ Troop.

On the 30 October 1942 he embarked on a troopship, at Glasgow, as part of the P30 convoy, bound for North Africa, which was part of the follow-up forces for Operation ‘Torch’.

However, during the journey he was taken ill, and upon landing in Algiers he was hospitalised. On the 17 December 1942 he was put on the ‘Y’ List, which meant he was no longer fit for military service, and he was returned to the United Kingdom, where he was discharged (Under King’s Regulations) on the 28 March 1943.