WW2 veteran honoured | Anrhydeddu cyn-filwr o’r Ail Ryfel Byd

WW2 veteran honoured

 

A SURPRISE ceremony has been held for a “remarkable” World War 2 veteran.

The presentation, organised by Carmarthenshire County Council’s armed forces champion Cllr David Jenkins, was to give thanks and gratitude to John Hall Jones from Llansaint, who fought in the 8th army, with the Desert Rats.

Speaking at the event, 96-year-old John said: “This all came as a complete surprise to me. My grandchildren brought me in the car and I thought I was going to Carmarthen to look in the shops and I turned up here. If I’d known I think I’d have walked away, but everyone put me at ease so I weathered it.”

Attending the presentation was HM Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards; Chairman of the council, Cllr Irfon Jones; Retired Lieutenant Colonel David Mathias; Cllr David Jenkins, armed forces champion for Carmarthenshire County Council; Local Member Cllr Mair Stephens and Dewi Treharne, Chelsea Pensioners who was in the same regiment as Mr Jones along with Mr Jones’ family, some of whom had travelled all the way from Belgium for the surprise presentation.

Mr Jones was born in Penrhietyn, Neath in 1921. The family then moved to Llangennech.

In 1937 John was sent to London to work for a German firm as an apprentice toolmaker.

When he was 18 (1939) John was called up and entered the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

After training he was transferred to the Signal Corps, and was attached to the North Somerset Yeomanry.

“I went to North Wales on a signal course and in July 1941, we sailed from Liverpool. We had no idea where we were going,” said John.

John was posted to the Middle East in July 1941, but his arrival there was delayed. The ship he was on was torpedoed in Mid-Atlantic.

“After the torpedo hit, we were slung from one end of the cabin to the other, and there were 30 of us all piled on top of one another. I will never forget the silence of that room. Then one man said: “I think we’ve been hit chaps” at which we all laughed.”

The ship that picked him up was enroute to Canada, so he was there for three months until a boat back to North Africa could be found. John was billeted with a Canadian family, and they still exchange letters and phone calls to this day.

In November 1941 John was moved from Egypt to El Alamein, where he served all the way to Tripoli.

He spent three birthdays in the North African desert.

“At Tripoli, (after it was all over), we boarded a ship back to Egypt, went through another intensive course, and sailed. We thought we were going to France. But it wasn’t – it was Sicily, where we landed at Syracuse.”

John was then involved in the invasion of Sicily, landing at Syracuse, and then with the Italian campaign all the way to Sienna.

The regiment went home and John was sent back to Greece for another year.

John finally returned to Britain, in the bomb bay of a Halifax bomber – but there was no hero’s welcome – as the war had ended a year earlier. John was discharged in September 1946, at just 24-years-old.

Mr Jones received five medals, including the Africa Star and the Italy Star.

“War is a complete and utter waste of time. There must be another solution. When we were boys and we’d just joined up, we didn’t know what war was,” he said. “We had our uniforms and we’d march up and down the streets, running around going to dances and meeting girls, and we thought life was great. Until reality hit us in the face, and all of a sudden, we had to grow up in a couple of hours. Up until then we didn’t realise what it was all about. It was all a bit of a joke.”

Following the war John met his wife Gladys at a dance and the couple were married six months later and had two sons, Trevor and Gareth. The couple were married for over 65 years. Gladys passed away last year, two months short of their 70th wedding anniversary.

After the war John was a police officer for 20 years in the Port of London Police.

He retired in 1968 and then worked as a security officer, fire officer at BP HQ in London, followed by a security officer at Chelmford Crown Court until he retired at 65.

Then the couple returned to Nanternis, a village just outside New Quay. In 1996 they moved to Llansaint.

Cllr David Jenkins, armed forces champion for Carmarthenshire County Council said: “Mr Jones has had a remarkable life and it’s right that he is honoured in a unique service like this. Our debt to him and others like him is very great.”

Retired Lieutenant Colonel David Mathias said: “This is a tremendous war story.  Thanks is not enough, but you get our respect and gratitude for all time.”

 

Pic caption: L-R: Local member Cllr Mair Stephens, Mr John Hall Jones, Chairman’s consort Mrs Jean Jones, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Chairman Cllr Irfon Jones

 

Video: https://vimeo.com/254292703

Anrhydeddu cyn-filwr o’r Ail Ryfel Byd

 

MAE seremoni syrpréis wedi’i chynnal ar gyfer cyn-filwr nodedig a fu’n ymladd yn yr Ail Ryfel Byd.

Trefnwyd y cyflwyniad gan Hyrwyddwr y Lluoedd Arfog ar gyfer Cyngor Sir Caerfyrddin, y Cynghorydd David Jenkins, er mwyn diolch i John Hall Jones o Lan-saint a fu’n ymladd yn yr wythfed byddin wrth ochr y Desert Rats.

Yn y digwyddiad dywedodd John, sydd bellach yn 96 oed: “Dyma beth oedd syrpréis i mi. Hebryngodd fy wyrion fi yn y car a ro’n i’n meddwl fy mod i’n mynd mewn i Gaerfyrddin i gael cip ar y siopau a dyma ni’n dod fan hyn. Pe bawn i’n gwybod bydden i wedi cerdded bant, ond gwnaeth pawb fi’n gartrefol felly des drwyddi.”

Yn bresennol yn y cyflwyniad yr oedd Miss Sara Edwards, Arglwydd Raglaw Dyfed; Cadeirydd y Cyngor Sir, y Cynghorydd Irfon Jones; y cyn-Is-gyrnol David Mathias; y Cynghorydd David Jenkins, Hyrwyddwr y Lluoedd Arfog ar gyfer Cyngor Sir Caerfyrddin; yr Aelod Lleol – y Cynghorydd Mair Stephens; Dewi Treharne o Bensiynwyr Chelsea a oedd yn yr un gatrawd â John Hall Jones, ynghyd â theulu Mr Jones. Yr oedd ambell i aelod o’r teulu wedi teithio’r holl ffordd o Wlad Belg i fod yn bresennol yn y cyflwyniad syrpréis.

Ganed John Hall Jones ym Mhenrhiwtyn, Castell-nedd yn 1921. Symudodd y teulu’n ddiweddarach i Langennech.

Yn 1937 anfonwyd John i Lundain i weithio i gwmni Almaenig fel prentis gwneuthurwr offer.

Pan oedd yn ddeunaw oed (1939) galwyd John i’r fyddin i ymuno â Chatrawd Frenhinol Swydd Warwick.

Ar ôl cael hyfforddiant fe’i trosglwyddwyd i’r Corfflu Signalau fel rhan o’r North Somerset Yeomanry.

“Es i ogledd Cymru ar gwrs signalau ac ym mis Mehefin 1941 hwyliasom o Lerpwl. Doedd dim syniad gennym i ble roedden yn mynd,” meddai John.

Cafodd John ei anfon i’r Dwyrain Canol ym mis Gorffennaf 1941 ond nid oedd hi’n siwrnai hwylus. Cafodd y llong yr oedd arni ei tharo gan dorpido yn nyfroedd Môr Iwerydd.

“Ar ôl i’r torpido daro cawsom ein taflu o un pen i’r cabin i’r llall ac roedd 30 ohonom yn bentwr ar ben ein gilydd. Anghofia i byth mo’r distawrwydd yn yr ystafell honno,  tan i ryw wag ddweud “Fi’n credu bo’ ni wedi cael ein taro bois” a dyma ni i gyd yn chwerthin.”

Fe’i casglwyd gan long a oedd ar ei ffordd i Ganada felly treuliodd dri mis yno hyd nes y canfuwyd llong i fynd â nhw’n ôl i Ogledd Affrica. Yng Nghanada lletywyd John gyda theulu lleol ac maen nhw’n dal i gyfnewid llythyrau a galwadau ffôn hyd heddiw.

Ym mis Tachwedd 1941 symudwyd John i El Alamein yn yr Aifft a bu’n gwasanaethu’r holl ffordd i Tripoli.

Treuliodd dri phen-blwydd yn anialwch Gogledd Affrica.

“Yn Tripoli, (ar ôl i’r brwydro orffen yno), aethom ar long yn ôl i’r Aifft ac ar gwrs dwys arall cyn hwylio eto. Roeddem yn meddwl ein bod yn mynd i Ffrainc  ond na, glanio yn Sisili a wnaethom, yn Syracuse.”

Roedd John ynghlwm wrth oresgyniad Sisili ac wrth yr ymgyrch yn yr Eidal yr holl ffordd i Sienna.

Aeth y gatrawd adre ond anfonwyd John i Wlad Groeg am flwyddyn arall.

O’r diwedd dychwelodd John i Brydain a hynny yn howld fomiau Halifax bomber, ond nid oedd croeso tywysogaidd yn ei aros am fod y rhyfel wedi dod i ben flwyddyn ynghynt. Cafodd John ei ryddhau o’r fyddin ym mis Medi 1946 ac yntau ond yn 24 oed.

Derbyniodd John Hall Jones bum medal filwrol, gan gynnwys Seren Affrica a Seren yr Eidal.

“Mae rhyfel yn wastraff amser llwyr,” meddai. “Rhaid bod ateb arall. Pan oeddem yn llanciau a newydd ymrestru, ni wyddem beth oedd rhyfel” meddai.  “Cawsom ein iwnifform a byddem yn martsio lan a lawr y strydoedd ac yn mynd i ddawnsfeydd a chwrdd â merched, a chredem fod bywyd yn grêt – tan i’r realiti ein taro yn ein talcen ac roedd yn rhaid inni dyfu lan dros nos. Hyd hynny, doedden ni ddim yn deall beth oedd mynd i ryfel.  Roedd y cyfan yn dipyn o jôc.”

Yn dilyn y rhyfel cyfarfu John â’i wraig Gladys mewn dawns a phriododd y ddau chwe mis yn ddiweddarach. Cawsant ddau fab, Trevor a Gareth. Bu’r ddau’n briod am dros 65 o flynyddoedd. Bu farw Gladys y llynedd, ond deufis cyn y byddent wedi dathlu 70 mlynedd o briodas.

Ar ôl y rhyfel bu John yn heddwas am 20 mlynedd gyda Heddlu Porthladd Llundain.

Ymddeolodd yn 1968 ac yna bu’n gweithio fel swyddog diogelwch a thân ym mhencadlys BP yn Llundain, ac yna fel swyddog diogelwch yn Llys y Goron Chelmsford hyd nes iddo ymddeol yn 65 oed.

Dychwelodd y cwpwl i Nanternis, pentref bach y tu fas i Gei Newydd. Yn 1996 symudodd y ddau i Lan-saint.

Dywedodd y Cynghorydd David Jenkins, Hyrwyddwr y Lluoedd Arfog ar gyfer Cyngor Sir Caerfyrddin: “Mae Mr Jones wedi cael bywyd hynod ac mae’n briodol ei fod yn cael ei anrhydeddu fel hyn. Mae ein dyled iddo ac i eraill tebyg iddo yn fawr iawn.”

Dywedodd y cyn-Is-gyrnol David Mathias: “Dyma stori ryfel ysgubol.  Nid yw geiriau’n ddigon ond cewch ein parch a’n diolchgarwch tragwyddol.”

 

Yn y llun: Chwith-Dde: Aelod Lleol Cyng Mair Stephens, Mr John Hall Jones, Cydymaith y Cadeirydd Mrs Jean Jones, Cadeirydd y Cyngor Sir, y Cynghorydd Irfon Jones

 

Fideo: https://vimeo.com/254298578