To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Royal-Artillery-tn

1449137

Sergeant

Thomas Owen Jones

(Known as Owen)

jcross

Birth date 14th March 1910

Royal Artillery

77th HAA Regiment

 

Service

Owen was offered a commission to stay in UK and organise supplies for some of the officers catering places - because of his background before the war in grocery and provisions. His Colonel - Colonel Humphries of 77th RA however insisted he went with the regiment.

Left for the Far East November 1941.

Under the command of Colonel Humphries.

Arrived too late to join in the battle for Singapore and he was captured in Java when the Dutch capitulated.

Incarcerated by Japanese in Java.

Transported from Java to work on the Thailand-Burma Railway.

Survived the camps.

Returned to South Wales (Cardiff) November 1945.

 

Post War

 After liberation Owen worked and lived in Rhymney Valley South Wales until his retirement he worked as a grocer for the Cooperative Retail Society.

 

Died

19th January 1987

Aged 76

 

 My Far East POW

Tribute to Owen

by his son

Mike Carter Jones

The song was written and played by myself  for  both Armistice and my 70th Birthday.

 Being a FEPOW son has been a very deep experience - never forgotten and one which comes back strongly every November because of the events in that month over 70 years.

Play Tribute Below

If the file does not download please click here

(The music file is 4 megs so will take time to download)

 

Verse

 

In November 41 a soldier went away

His son was born three days before

They had no time to play

Soldiers go when they are told

And where – they have no say

So in November 41 my father went away.

 

In November 45 a soldier came back home

His little boy was waiting on the platform – four years old

No one knew where he had been

Or the things he’d done

But in November 45 my father came back home

 

There were no flags for his return

The war had long been won

The part he played so far away

Could not for years be known

 

In his first years back we simply didn’t have a clue

What caused the demons in his head

The doctors sought a cure

For when old comrades came around

They’d laugh until they ached

Then all that night and many more

He’d sweat and cry and shake

 

They urged him back to do the job 

He’d done before the war

Even though he didn’t want a shop life any more

No army now he had no choice

His family had to live

And the grateful country he had served had no support to give

 

There were no flags for his return

The war had long been won

And the part he played so far away

Could not for years be known

 

 

In November 82 his dear wife passed away

She who’d waited years for news of him from far away

Four years more he lived alone

I think he was at peace

A soldier who had done his best

And a gentleman at ease.

 

On a bright November day Some years after he’d died

We visited that Far East place

Where he’d suffered but survived

All was beauty all was peace

No tracks no guards any more

We shed our tears for those war time years

And for those who never came home

 

There were no flags for his return

The war had long been won

And the part he played so far away

Is only just now known

 

Mike Carter Jones

Llano de los Olleres,

Albox Almeria Spain 

Oct 10th 2011

 

 

 

verse

/Bm E /Bm E /Bm E /A   /

/Bm E /Bm E /Bm E /A  /

/D E/A F#m7/D C#7/F#m7 /

/F   /A  F#m/F E /A  /

 

chorus

/Bm E7/Amj F#m7/Bm E7/ Amj7   /

/Abm7 C# /F#m7   /B7sus B7/E7sus E7/

*

''Our Thanks are for being a Chapter in Life.''

 

 

 

Keeping The Candle Burning

 

Fepow Family

In Memory of Fred Taylor, Arthur Lane and John Wheedon  
Designed and Maintained by Ron Taylor.

 

Honorary Life Member-1tn

Honorary member of COFEPOW

 

Email Ron Taylor 

 

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