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Auction: 24001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 268

The important Great War M.C. & Bar group of five awarded to Squadron Leader A. G. Jones-Williams, Royal Air Force and Royal Flying Corps, late Welsh Regiment

An 11-kill ace of great repute, he carved his name into history as a Pioneering Long-Distance Aviator, who set the World non-stop Distance Record in April 1929 before being tragically killed before the year's end

Military Cross, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. A. G. Jones-Williams R.A.F.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Kurdistan (F/L A. G. Jones-Williams R.A.F.); France, Republic, Croix de Guerre, reverse dated '1914-1918', with Palme upon riband, mounted court-style as worn, very fine, housed in a fitted leather case (5)

Provenance:
Morton & Eden, December 2005 (when Sold on Behalf of the Family).

M.C. London Gazette 18 July 1917:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has continuously shown the utmost dash and gallantry in attacking superior numbers of hostile machines. On one occasion he attacked twelve hostile scouts and succeeded in destroying one and driving down another.’

Second Award Bar to M.C. London Gazette 17 September 1917:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when engaged in combat with hostile aircraft. On several occasions he attacked enemy formations although they were in superior numbers, fighting them in more than one instance single-handed, and showing the finest offensive spirit. He drove several machines down completely out of control, fighting until his ammunition was expended.’

French Croix de Guerre with Palme London Gazette 5 April 1919. The citation in French is inscribed inside his Log Book, a translation provides:

'A remarkable fighter pilot; during the last operations, he attacked the enemy and two planes were shot down and several others were damaged.

General Degoutte, Commanding French 6th Army.'

Arthur Gordon Jones-Williams was born in British Colombia, Canada on 6 October 1898 but was sent to England, being educated at Blatchington Place Preparatory School and
Haileybury.

Great War - Ace

Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant into the Welsh Regiment in August 1916, he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in November 1916. After training with No. 66 Squadron, he joined No. 29 Squadron on the Western Front on 22 March 1917, piloting Nieuports. In less than a month, on 14 April, he scored first victory over an Albatross D.III at Neuvireuil-Vitry. Less than two weeks later, he scored victories over two similar planes and on 25 May was made a Flight Commander. The following month he gained two more victories over Albatrosses - thus making 'Ace' status in three months - gaining another on 12 July and two further in September. In the autumn he was posted to the Home Establishment. The following year he returned to France to command a flight of No. 65 Squadron where, between 3 September-4 October, he added another three victories, all over Fokker DVIIs, taking his final total of victories to eleven, with a brace of M.C.'s and the French Croix de Guerre to his name.

Post War - Middle East

Jones-Williams remained in the Royal Air Force at the conclusion of the Great War and was confirmed Captain on 1 August 1919. By 1923 he was called out to active service in Kurdistan, as A.D.C. to Air-Vice-Marshal Sir John Salmond, flying DH 9As and thence upon his return was employed as a test pilot.

Jones-Williams was clearly one of the finest of his generation and was selected to pilot the Air Minister, Sir Philip Sassoon to Venice for the Schneider Trophy meeting and also accompanied him on his mission to Washington in October. On 1 January 1928 he was promoted to Squadron Leader, at which time he was serving with No. 23 Squadron at Kenley.

Pioneer

On 24 April 1929 Jones-Williams and Flight Lieutenant N. H. Jenkins attempted to beat the world non-stop distance record by flying a Fairey Monoplane from Cranwell to Karachi, a distance of 4,130 miles. They achieved this in 50 hours and 48 minutes, arriving at their destination on 26 April. The record was to be broken the following year by Dieudonné Contes' solo flight from Paris to Manchuria, but Jones-Williams was the hero of the moment and with friends in the higher echelons of the Air Force it seemed that a golden future was in store for him.

Looking to further gild his laurels, on 17 December 1929 Jones–Williams and Jenkins attempted to beat their own long distance record by flying non-stop from Cranwell to Cape Town, a distance of some 6,000 miles. On the night of the 17th while over Tunisia, they were caught in a storm and, owing to an aneroid failure, they misjudged their height. The ‘plane crashed into the side of a mountain near Djebel-Zit, killing both officers. Their bodies were recovered and a service was held at the Protestant Church of St George, Tunis, on 21 December. Jones-Williams’s body was returned to England and he was buried at the church of St. John the Evangelist, Newtimber, Hassocks, Sussex, where there is also a window erected to his memory; there is another at Brecon as well as a brass memorial tablet at Northolt.

Sold together with the following archive comprising:

(i)
Pilot’s Flying Log Book, covering November 1916 - 8 June 1918, from which the following extracts are taken:
7/4/17 ‘No Huns to be seen Millar & myself could not find patrol. Stood machine on its nose on landing. Cursed by C.O. & ordered to transfer.’
12/5/17 ‘Fight with 7 Huns, gun jammed so had to break off.’
25/6/17 ‘9 Huns over Douai 3 brought down. Believe I got one.’
July 13th (Friday) ‘Poor old Millar shot down in flames, Winterbotham a prisoner.’
12/11/17 ‘New bus very nice. Engaged one 2 seater, extractor broken & had to come home.’

(ii)
Pilot's Flying Log Book, covering August 1918-June 1923.

(iii)
Pilot's Flying Log Book, covering June 1923-March 1927, closing with 1906hrs.

(iv)
Citation for his Croix de Guerre.

(v)
Personal photograph albums, of social and family scenes.

(vi)
Various books, newspaper cuttings, group photographs, these all housed within his leather suitcase, this with the lid embossed 'A.G. J-W.'.

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Estimate
£12,000 to £15,000

Starting price
£10000