Isaac ‘Ike’ Talbot Jones was born in Penygraig, Glamorgan, Wales, in 1887, the son of Mr. Jones, whose first name might have been Joseph, and Charlotte Jones (née Hibbs). The family home was at 7. Parfitt Terrace, Pontnewydd, Monmouthshire, South Wales. He was unmarried and one of eight children.
Ike was a coal miner, with a fine singing voice, which led him to leave the coal mines to become a professional vocalist with a Welsh choir known as The Royal Gwent Male Voice Choir, sometimes known as The Royal Gwent Glee Singers, which had been touring the United States of America and Canada since the autumn of 1913.
For their return home to South Wales, the choir of fourteen persons had booked passage on the Anchor Lines vessel
Transylvania sailing from New York during the first week in May, but having reached that city, they discovered that the Lusitania
was due to sail imminently and nine of the choir decided to join her instead, as she was a faster ship and, (ironically), they believed she was also safer from submarine attack!
Apart from Ike Jones, the other eight were G.F. Davies, S. Hill, D.T. Hopkins, W.G. Jones, G.B. Lane, D. Michael, J.P. Smith and T. Williams.
As the Lusitania left her moorings at Pier 54, just after mid-day on 1st May 1915, the choir had sung
The Star Spangled Banner and each night thereafter on the voyage, had given a concert in each of the saloons on board the vessel in aid of seafarers‘ charities in England. However, when the liner was torpedoed and sunk, six days later, only hours away from her destination at Liverpool, three members of the choir perished, six surviving.
Unfortunately, Ike Jones was one of the three who perished and as his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 28 years.
In Roll of Honour, by W.G. Lloyd, how Ike Jones met his end is described thus: -
All the women and children had been placed in the lifeboat and Isaac Jones became one of the last to step over its gunwale. The small boat, although already dangerously overcrowded, made its descent safely and entered the water. All around he could hear cries for help. Life jackets did their work keeping many afloat, but it would not be too long before many were to suffer from exposure due to the very cold water. A woman in the water close to Isaac was drowning, but no space was available for her in the already overcrowded lifeboat.
It became a different battlefield on which Isaac Jones gave his life. Gently he climbed over the side of the lifeboat and entered the water. Pulling the distressed woman to the side of the lifeboat, and with the aid of eager hands, he lifted her to safety. Nearby in the water, a half circle of jacketed survivors were singing. Those in the lifeboat heard the singing change to a moaning noise which became less and less within a short time. Isaac Jones was not seen again.
The other two members of the choir to perish were G.F. Davies and D.T. Hopkins.
After the sinking, Isaac Jones’ widowed mother Charlotte Jones, who was aged 59 years in 1915, successfully applied for financial help from The Lusitania Relief Fund, which was administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool. On 1st August 1915, she was granted the first payment of £0-2s-6d., (£0.12½p.), of an allowance which was to be paid to her, up to a total of £20-0s-0d..
Thereafter for many years afterwards, when any official looking stranger knocked on the door of her home, Charlotte Jones would ask the pathetic question,
“Is there any news of Ike?”
1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Last Voyage of the Lusitania, Liverpool Record Office, Roll of Honour, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Peter Patrick, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.