Interviewee: Jones, Anthony Lidden St. John, b. 1894

ABSTRACT: Lieut. Anthony Lidden St. John Jones 4th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force 2nd Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment Jones_A_0077_01.mp3 (Side 1) This interview begins with a general discussion; his attitude toward the war which he enjoyed as a great adventure, almost sport. Born on Jan. 11, 1894 in Stamford, Lincolnshire where his father was an Anglican vicar. Educated at a public school. Articled to a chartered accountant in Southampton, but did not enjoy the work. Attended an agriculture course on a private estate, then in March 1914 emigrated to Canada, to a farm near Barrie, Ont. Joined the Simcoe Foresters in Aug. 1914. Comments on the officers and men. Was sent to Valcartier Camp as part of the 4th Battalion, C.E.F. Considered the Ross rifle a fine weapon under good conditions of use. Public school experience made Army life seem fairly easy. Overseas to Salisbury Plain. A quiet and easy transition to trench life in France. Instilled a feeling of security in the trenches. On Christmas day, 1915 he saw Germans climb from their trenches and walk about in the open. The Canadians did the same on their side. (Interviewer mistakenly mentions Christmas, 1914). Trench raids. Was wounded in the Second Battle of the Somme. Returns to 1915 and recalls a gas attack at Ypres. (50:00) Jones_A_0077_02.mp3 (Side 2) In the second interview he recalls being badly shaken up in his dugout by the explosion of a German mine. Suffered from trench foot, a swollen and painful condition. Despite strict discipline on the subject, attempts to keep feet dry were almost impossible. Explains primitive anti-gas measures. Upon his own request in 1916 he was posted to the British Army to join his brother in the 2nd Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment. After officer-training in Scotland he joined in Nov. 1916, tragically just after his brother had been killed. The day after joining he participated in an attack, reached the German parapet where he was badly wounded in the arm, and saw the German who shot him at close range. After hospital in England he returned to Canada where he spent some time in military hospitals. Despite an eighty per cent disability pension he and a partner homesteaded in northern Alberta. Later owned a dairy farm in B.C. Comments on his transition from private to officer. Jones_A_0077_03.mp3 Finest experience in war was the esprit de corps. He really felt a simple patriotism; he was able to do something for his country. (40:00)

Rank: Lieutenant.

An interview/narrative of Anthony Lidden St. John Jones's experiences during World War I. Lieutenant Jones served with the 4th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and the 2nd Battalion (The Middlesex Regiment). Interview took place on May 31 and June 5, 1984.

Interviewer: Bell, Chris

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Bell, Chris
• Jones, Anthony Lidden St. John, b. 1894

Subject

• Military history
• World War (1914-1918)
• Canada. Canadian Army
• Great Britain. Army

Language

• eng

Keyword

• Canada--Canadian Army--Military life
• Great Britain--Army--Military life
• Gases, Asphyxiating and poisonous--War use
• Canada--Canadian Forces Base (Valcartier, Que?bec)
• Canada--Canadian Army--Simcoe Foresters
• Trench fever
• Trench warfare
• Jones, Anthony Liddon St. John, b. 1893.--Interviews
• War wounds
• World War, 1914-1918--Medical care
• Canada--Canadian Army--Canadian Expeditionary Force--Battalion, 4th
• World War, 1914-1918--Campaigns-- Western Front
• Ypres, 1st Battle of, Ieper, Belgium, 1914
• Ypres, 3rdBattle of, Ieper, Belgium, 1917
• World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives, Canadian
• Somme, 2nd Battle of the, France, 1918
• Great Britain--Army--Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)--Battalion, 2nd
• Ypres, 2nd Battle of, Ieper, Belgium, 1915

Date created

• May 31, 1984 to June 5, 1984

Relation

• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 3 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic Coverage

• Great Britain
• Canada

Coordinates

• 54.75844, -2.69531
• 60.10867, -113.64258

Additional physical characteristics

• One original sound tape reel (ca. 90 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 2 sound cassette copies : standard, mono. in Special Collections.

Physical Repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• interviews
• sound recordings
• reminiscences
• oral histories (literary genre)

Archival item identifier

• JALSJ_077

Fonds title

• Reginald Herbert Roy fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC104

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds

Date digitized

• July 24, 2006

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 22 kHz. In .mp3 format at 64 kbps and 22 kHz. Digitized by SC and JF, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. ; WWI Transferred from audio reel to audio cassette between 1987-1997. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2006. Migration metadata by KD and MT.

Rights

• This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/zwjb-2a09

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