Jeremiah Alvin Jones (March 30, 1858 - November 23, 1950) was a

Black Canadian Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

soldier who served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was recommended for a

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military ...

but there is no record of him having received it. His treatment has been seen as an example of the lack of recognition accorded to Black Canadian soldiers. Campaigns to have him receive the medal posthumously eventually resulted in his being awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service on February 22, 2010.

Military service

Jones enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

with the

106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF The 106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles), CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Truro, Nova Scotia, with two additional companies in Pictou and Springhill, the unit began recruiting on 18 Nove ...

on June 19, 1916, in

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Scottish Gaelic: ''Trùru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River (Nova Scotia), Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth ...

. He had to lie about his age saying his birthday was on March 29, 1877, which would have made him 39 instead of his real age 58. Jones served in France with

The Royal Canadian Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the primary reserve. The RCR is ranked first in the order of precedence amongst Canad ...

. He joined the regiment in the field on 9 Feb 1917 and was evacuated (wounded) to England on 12 April 1917. During the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

in World War I, Canadian troops were pinned down by German machine gun fire. Jones volunteered to attack a German gun emplacement. He managed to reach the machine gun nest, tossed a

hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

and killed several soldiers. The remainder surrendered to him and Jones forced his captives to carry the machine gun back across the battlefield to the Canadian lines, where they were ordered to deposit it at his commanding officer's feet. For his heroics, Private Jones was reportedly recommended for a

(DCM) which he was never awarded. Jones never actually received the DCM, although it was widely reported at the time that he was recommended for it by his commanding officer. Several veterans have since supported the claim that Jones was to be awarded the DCM, but no records have surfaced to prove that he ever received it.

Campaigns for recognition

Over the years, the ''

Truro Daily News The ''Truro News'' is a weekly newspaper in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada, covering Colchester County. The paper is currently owned by SaltWire Network, and is sisters with '' The News'' in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and the ''Cape Breton Post''. Se ...

'' has published several articles highlighting Jones' heroics on the battlefield and his recommendation for the DCM. A letter from a Truro soldier based in

Witley Camp Witley Military Camp, often simplified to Camp Witley, was a temporary army camp set up on Witley Common, Surrey, England during both the First and Second World Wars. The camp was about southwest of London. Camp Witley was one of three facilit ...

, Surrey, England on July 29, 1917, that was published in the Truro Daily News, quoted the writer as saying, Jones, "had captured a German machine gun, forced the crew to carry it back to our lines, and, depositing it at the feet of the CO. said;- 'Is this thing any good?'" On September 21, 1917, Jones's sister Martha told ''The Truro Daily News'' that Jones "won the DCM by capturing a German machine gun and crew". The newspaper once again alluded to the medal recommendation, in an article on Jerry's 79th birthday. This time they reported "His valor won for him a recommendation for the DCM" For most of his adult life, Senator

Calvin Ruck Calvin Woodrow Ruck (September 4, 1925 – October 19, 2004) was a human rights activist and a member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia; his parents were immigrants to Canada from Barbados. Ruck's life has been docum ...

lobbied to get the Canadian government to award a medal posthumously to Jones. Senator Ruck argued that the

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

climate of the time precluded Jones or other black soldiers from getting their due recognition, and he felt that it would be appropriate for the government to award the medal to Jones on behalf of all black veterans. Senator Ruck died in 2004, without achieving success.

Posthumous recognition

On September 9, 2000, the Last Post Fund erected a new grave stone for Jones with full military honours. The Truro Millennium Committee, 125th Anniversary Committee, and The Jones Family sponsored a tree carving of Jones as part of the Truro Tree Sculpture Project, in November 2000. On February 22, 2010, the Canadian Government recognized Jones posthumously with the awarding of the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service. Rear Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander, Maritime Forces Atlantic/Joint Task Force Atlantic, said, "today, on behalf of General

Walter Natynczyk Walter John Natynczyk ( ; born October 29, 1957) is a Canadian public servant and retired Canadian Army general who has served as deputy minister of Veterans Affairs from 2014 to 2021. He was the president of the Canadian Space Agency from 201 ...

, Chief of the Defence Staff, I feel extremely privileged to finally acknowledge the gallantry of private Jeremiah Jones on the hills of Vimy Ridge in 1917 during the First World War."

Personal

Jeremiah married Ethel Edna Geraldine Cook from Amherst, Nova Scotia, on March 30, 1898. They remained married until her death on February 12, 1940. The couple had 9 children. Jeremiah's grandson was the well-known Nova Scotia activist Rocky Jones (from his son Elmer Alvin Jones).

Bibliography

Notes References * * * * * *

External links

''Biography on Radio Canada International'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jeremiah 1858 births 1950 deaths Black Nova Scotians Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers People from Truro, Nova Scotia