Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Flanders | Panel 50 and 52. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 20D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Mentioned in Despatches | ||
Family :
Son of George and Jane Jonas, of Duxford, Cambs.; husband of Maria Jonas (nee Swallow), of Grithow Field, Madingley Rd., Cambridge.Frank Charlton Jonas (all his brothers and sisters also had the ‘Charlton’ middle name), was born in 1881 to George and Jane Jonas and was I think the youngest of their children. They lived in Ickleton to begin with, but soon moved to Vicarage House on The Green in Duxford. Frank’s father and brothers were influential and played a prominent part in local affairs.
Education & Career :
Frank Jonas went to Westminster, and was a Rigaudite, joining the house in 1895 and leaving in 1898.
After leaving the school he travelled to Copenhagen to study brewing and went on to become a manager of a branch brewery of Messrs. Miskin and Co. in India. In 1908 he married Maria, the only daughter of John Fell Swallow, of Mosborough Hall, Derbyshire.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1st Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment |
1/1st Battalion August 1914 : in Cambridge. Part of East Midland Brigade in East Anglian Division. Moved on mobilisation to Romford but soon on to Long Melford, then in September 1914 to Stowlangtoft and on to Bury St Edmunds in November. 15 February 1915 : left the Division and landed at Le Havre. Came under command of 82nd Brigade in 27th Division. 15 November 1915 : transferred to VII Corps Troops and then became a Training Bn for the 3rd Army School at Flixecourt. 29 February 1916 : transferred to 118th Brigade in 39th Division. 9 May 1918 : transferred to 35th Brigade in 12th Division and absorbed more than 400 men from 7th Suffolk Regiment. |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
In July 1917 Jonas was commanding C company, whose soldiers were drawn from the Cambridgeshire towns of Whittlesey and Wisbech. They were in the second line of the advance that day and pushed past St Julien occupying captured bunkers – Jonas was sent with two platoons to occupy the bunker known as Border House and hold at all costs. They killed or captured the defenders and held it against successive counter attacks until ordered to withdraw. The party that remained at the end of the day was led by a Lewis gunner by the name of Private Muffett who declined to withdraw until he received written orders because those were the only conditions Jonas said that the position should be relinquished. Muffett had held the position by replenishing the drums for his Lewis gun from the contents of a knocked out Tank.
During the offensive, heavy rains and shelling destroyed the drainage system in the Ypres Salient, creating a swamp-like terrain. This meant that over 125,000 casualties, including Captain Jonas, were never found.
Jonas has two memorials in Duxford, the village where he lived with his wife in the old rectory and where his parents, George and Jane Jonas, owned a farm. The Duxford village memorial Celtic cross was unveiled in 1920 and can be found on the village green. The names on this memorial are ordered by rank and as Captain Jonas was the highest-ranking casualty from the village, he is listed at the top. There is also a plaque within Duxford Church. He has also been commemorated in Ely Cathedral on one of 16 painted oak panels in the Chapel of St George.
Detail :
Captain Frank Charlton JONAS is commemorated in Duxford, the village where he lived with his wife in the old rectory and where his parents, George and Jane Jonas, owned a farm. The Duxford village memorial celtic cross was unveiled in 1920 on the village green. The names on this memorial are ordered by rank and as Captain Jonas was the highest ranking casualty from the village, he is listed at the top. There is also a plaque within Duxford Church, dedicated solely to Captain Jonas, which informs us that he was killed aged 36, on 31st July 1917, near St Julien. St Julien, just North East of Ypres, was recaptured on 31st July 1917, the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres. During the offensive, which lasted four months and ended on the infamous approaches to Passchendaele, heavy rains and shelling destroyed the drainage system in the Ypres Salient, creating a swamp-like terrain. The Official History for 31st July tells us that these conditions were already prevalent as the 118th Brigade atempted to cross the Steenbeek stream; The Battered condition of the banks of the Steenbeek had hindered the progress of the second echelon of 24 tanks detailed to assist the advance to the third objective. Only nine came into action, and they were too late to take part in the assault. The combination of high explosive and swamp ensured that thousands of casualties on both sides, including Captain Jonas, were never found. Captain Jonas has also been commemorated on several memorials in Ely Cathedral, including on one of the 16 beautifully painted oak panels in the Chapel of St George. Here his name can be found under his home village. Within the chapel is a window dedicated to all ranks of the Cambridgeshire Regiment. The corresponding roll of honour, placed on a bracket just inside the chapel, contains 864 names. On 31st July 1917 his brother officer and Brother Mason, Charles Luker AWBERY of the 1/4 Essex but attached to the 1/1 Cambridgeshire Regiment, also fell in the same attack. Source; Gabrielle Orton UKNIWM Official HistoryMilitary Operations France & Belgium 1917 Vol II
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Triune Brotherhood No. 2121 E.C. | East Punjab |
| Joined : | Walden No. 1280 E.C. | Essex |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
20th March 1907 | 15th May 1907 | 17th July 1907 |
Joined Walden Lodge No. 1280 from Lodge Triune Brotherhood No. 2121 on 4th January 1909
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley