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Captain Jones, who was from Louth in Lincolnshire, had been married to Isobel for less than a year. Originally from Wales, Captain David Martyn Jones joined the Army in 1991 as a soldier in the Royal Army Medical Corps. From the outset, it was clear that Captain Jones was an outstanding prospect and he quickly rose to the rank of Corporal. Identified as officer material, Captain Jones began officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in September 1998. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery the following August, serving with 22 Regiment Royal Artillery. In March, 2001 he volunteered to accompany the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, on a six-month tour in Northern Ireland. In July of the same year he transferred to the Regiment permanently. He was appointed Second in Command of a Rifle Company in South Armagh and later at Catterick in North Yorkshire. In 2002, the Battalion undertook intensive operation training on Salisbury Plain and in Canada. Captain Jones was a thoroughly professional soldier, constantly putting himself forward for training courses that would enhance his abilities as an infantryman. He had also served in Botswana, Kenya, United States and on operations in Cyprus. His Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Mendonca, said: "Dai Jones was a courageous, warm hearted and very popular officer who will be sorely missed." In January, 2003, Captain Jones volunteered to go to Iraq as Part of Operation Telic where his role would be to assist in humanitarian services, helping to rebuild local infrastructure and setting up locally run Iraqi councils. Major Peters said: "It is typical of his selflessness that he was killed having volunteered to command an ambulance to take a wounded man to hospital." Captain Jones was a fitness enthusiast and a talented sportsman. He was an excellent rugby player and was a distinguished performer. He was a member of the Battalion Rugby League team. He was a warm, kind man whose generosity of spirit and sense of humour endeared him to the men under his command. Of Welkom, South Africa |
