Henry Mitchell Jones VC, also known as Henry Michael Jones (11 February 1831 – 18 December 1916) was an Irish recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. In later life he was a British diplomat. Jones was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. He entered the army as an ensign in 1849 and exchanged to the

7th Regiment of Foot Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season epi ...

(later the Royal Fusiliers) in 1854 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. As a lieutenant at the Battle of the Alma on 20 September 1854, whilst carrying the Queen's Colour he was severely wounded by gunshot through the lower jaw. He carried the bullet in his jaw for thirty years until he complained of a toothache. He saw a doctor who removed the bullet which had been lodged in his jawbone.Royal Fusiliers Recipients of the Victoria Cross
/ref> Jones was promoted to captain in 1855 and was awarded the VC "for having distinguished himself, while serving with the party which stormed and took the Quarries, before Sevastopol, Sebastopol, by repeatedly leading on his men to repel the continual assaults of the enemy during the night. Although wounded early in the evening, Captain Jones remained unflinchingly at his post until after daylight the following morning." This took place on 7 June 1855, during the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855), Siege of Sebastopol, but Jones' Victoria Cross was not gazetted (formally announced) until September 1857. Jones resigned his commission three months prior to the notification of the award of his Victoria Cross, and entered the Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, Diplomatic Service. He was appointed Consul in the Fiji and Tonga Islands 1863, Consul-General at Tabreez 1868, at Oslo, Christiania 1875, and at Philippopolis (now Plovdiv) 1880. In 1889 he was appointed Minister Resident at Bangkok and in 1895 he was transferred to be Minister Resident and Consul-General at Lima and at Quito.The London Gazette, 5 July 1895
/ref> He retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1898 and died in Eastbourne, Sussex, on 18 December 1916.

The medal

Jones' Victoria Cross is displayed at the Victoria Barracks, Sydney, Victoria Barracks in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

References

Listed in order of publication year *''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' (1981, 1988 and 1997) * *''Ireland's VCs'' (Dept of Economic Development, 1995) *''Monuments to Courage'' (David Harvey, 1999) *''Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross'' (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
JONES, Capt. Henry Michael
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 11 Sept 2012

External links

''(East Sussex)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Henry Mitchell 1831 births 1916 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish officers in the British Army People from Crumlin, Dublin Royal Fusiliers officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Knights of the Legion of Honour Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Thailand Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Peru Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Ecuador Military personnel from Dublin (city)