John Jones was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 1st November 1875, the son of John and Margaret Jones (née Armstrong). He was one of eight children, and his father was a dock labourer.
On finishing his education, he worked as an errand boy and then a cotton porter before he joined the Mercantile Marine as a trimmer and fireman on steam ships.
He married Mary Elizabeth Stephenson in Liverpool on the 29th October 1900, and in 1915, they lived at 192, Limekiln Lane, Everton, Liverpool, with their two children.
He engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, at a monthly rate of pay was £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.), £1-0s.-0d. of which was advanced to him at the time. He reported for duty at 8 a.m. on the 17th April 1915 in time for the liner’s last ever voyage out of the River Mersey.
Three weeks later, he was dead, killed after the liner was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the Irish coast and only hours away from her Liverpool destination. As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave.
Consequently, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 39 years.
In August 1915, he was officially discharged from the last voyage of the Lusitania and his widow, Mary, was paid the balance of wages owed to him, in respect of his service on board the Lusitania from the 17th April 1915, until the 8th May, 24 hours after the vessel had gone down! In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted her a yearly pension to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £61-12s.-1d. (£61.60½p.) which was payable at the rate of £5-2s.-9d. (£5.14p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, Liverpool England Catholic Marriages 1754 – 1933, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 27th January 2024.