John was born on 12 February 1897 in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire to local girl Rose Cross who had married John Jones from Aberdare, Glamorganshire, a soldier attached to the 1st Battallion, Grenadier Guards, the year before. Four years later in 1901 the family are in Kent as the father was a L/Sgt in the “School of Musketry” in Hythe, Elham, Kent. In 1911 John was a pupil in the “Boys Home Clyde House”, Kingham Hill, Oxfordshire, that was for day boys and boarders and was  close to the Cross family home. It appears on his service documents as though he joined the RN straight from School. His Mum and Dad next appear in 1916 as N O K and living in Katherine Road, Forest Gate, London and in 1921 Rose was with a William Jones in Hammersmith, London. No other siblings can be found on National birth registers.

John Jones  joined HMS GANGES on 1 January 1913 for the 16 week basic training as a Boy ll, then on 3 May 1913 to the boy training ship HMS IMPREGNABLE for a further 10 months training, qualifying as a Boy Telegraphist on 25 August. He was drafted to HMS ATTENTIVE based in Dover on 14 February 1914, with plenty of sea time experience, and on 21 November 1914 joined HMS DOLPHIN.

Two months in DOLPHIN and a draft on the 25 January 1915 to HMS THAMES, based in Sheerness, and on 12 February 1915 he was rated up to Acting Telegraphist. On the 12 November 1915  he was rated to Telegraphist and served for a further year on board. He visited DOLPHIN on the 4 November 1916 for four days, in transit to HMS MAIDSTONE, now support vessel for the 9th Flotilla in Harwich, arriving on 8 November 1916, and joined the crew of HMS E30.

In November 1916, E30 while in transit from Harwich to her patrol area in the Eastern quadrant of the North Sea, is thought to have struck a mine off the Suffolk coast near Orford Ness. There were no survivors.

John Jones is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial on Panel 17.