Edward Jones was born in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, on the 12th March 1876, the son of Thomas and Emma Jones (née Carr). His father was a clerk in an earthenware works, and on completion of his education, Edward also went to work in the same firm as a clerk. Edward was a gifted musician, being an accomplished pianist and flautist, and played with local musical groups and ensembles, including one named the
Royal Magnets!
On the 8th June 1897, he married Mary Ann Ward, and the couple lived with Edward’s parents at 3. Newcastle Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. By this time, Edward was working as a pottery engraver. In April 1900, their first child was born in Stoke-on-Trent, a son named Edward Ward Jones.
In the summer season, Edward played with a musical troupe in the west Wales seaside resort of Barmouth, Merionethshire, moving to the resort for the summer months, and it was here, in 1905, that a second son was born into the family – Leslie Carr Jones.
By 1907, he had become a professional musician, having lost his job with the Wedgwood Company due to new engraving techniques being adopted by them, and it was then he started playing in orchestras on board trans-Atlantic liners, primarily the
Campania and Lusitania – both owned by the Cunard Steam Ship Co. Ltd.. It is also believed that around this time, he began to use the name Edward Carr-Jones as his professional name, including the family name of his mother in his name when engaging for voyages as a member of a ship’s orchestra.
Initially, the family continued to reside at 3. Newcastle Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, but as Edward was working more and more out of Liverpool on trans-Atlantic liners, he and his wife decided to move closer to Liverpool, and sometime between 1912 and 1915, they moved to 11, St. Elmo Road, Egremont, Wallasey, Cheshire, England.
His preferred vessel was the Lusitania, and in 1915, the ship’s orchestra consisted of five regular members – Edward Carr-Jones, Bandmaster Charles W. Cameron, and Bandsman George Drakeford, Bandsman J. W. Hawkins and Bandsman J.W. Hemingway. It would appear that all were good friends, and indeed Edward Carr-Jones stood as best man at the wedding of the group bandmaster – Charles W. Cameron, on the 24th October 1912 in Liverpool.
On the morning of 17th April 1915, Edward Carr-Jones had joined the liner before she left Liverpool for what became her last crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to New York. Although he was employed by The Cunard Steam Ship Company, he was not registered as a seaman with the Board of Trade, and was thus allocated second cabin passenger accommodation on board ship.
After an uneventful voyage to New York, the liner docked on 24th April and just after mid-day on 1st May 1915, she left there for what should have been her return voyage to her home port, but actually became her last voyage ever. As it was, her departure from New York was delayed as she had to wait to embark passengers, cargo and some crew from the Anchor Lines vessel
Cameronia, which the British Admiralty had requisitioned as a troop ship at the end of April. Edward Carr-Jones was on board at the time and then performed his musical duties in the normal pattern on the crossing.
Six days out of New York, however, on the afternoon of 7th May 1915, the liner was torpedoed and sunk off the southern coast of Ireland by the German submarine
U-20, at most fourteen steaming hours away from the safety of her home port. One of those killed, was, unfortunately, Edward Carr-Jones and as his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave to this day. Only Drakeford, Hawkins and Hemingway survived the sinking, from the orchestra, Carr-Jones and Bandmaster Cameron were killed.
It is perhaps unfair that although he was killed in the same manner as any other crew member, he was still actually classed as a civilian, and as such, he is not commemorated in any way, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, nor is he entitled to any of the medals awarded to the Lusitania‘s crew - whether they survived or not.
At first, however, in a list of survivors and dead, from the ship, published by Cunard in March 1916, he was listed, (with the other members of the orchestra), as a member of the crew. This was then rectified in company records in February 1917, when he was instead accorded passenger status.
A report in the 15th May 1915 edition of the Staffordshire Advertiser stated: -
A MEMBER OF THE ORCHESTRA.
Mr. Edward Jones who is among the missing, was a member of the orchestra on board the Lusitania and was well known at Shelton, where he formally resided. He was an able pianist and flautist, and had been engaged on orchestras on well-known liners for about two years. Previously, for several years he was a member of a pierrot troupe at Barmouth in the summer months, fulfilling other engagements in the winter. He married a Miss Ward, of Hanley, and they had latterly made their home at Egremount, Liverpool (sic.). His father was formerly well-known at Bethesda Church, Hanley.
Mrs. Mary Carr-Jones, Edward’s widow, received £200 under the Workman’s Compensation Act. She also applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund, for compensation on behalf of herself and her two young children. This fund had been set up after the tragedy by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and a group of local businessmen, to help alleviate financial distress caused by the sinking, to second and third class passengers. It was considered that saloon passengers would be financially comfortable enough not to need this help! The Committee stated that they were making further enquiries in to her claim but no record survives as to the conclusion. It is therefore not known if she received any assistance from this Fund.
Mary Ann Jones died in 1949, aged 74 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Records 1820 – 1957, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Staffordshire Advertiser, UniLiv D92/2/232, UniLiv D92/2/391, UniLiv D92/11, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, John Carr-Jones, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.