Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
City Of Edinburgh
Town
Edinburgh
County
Lothian
Country
Scotland
Commemoration
Boer War; Second (1899-1902), VC or GC Recipients
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
74136

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Current location

South Aisle
St Mary's Cathedral
Palmerston Place
Edinburgh
City Of Edinburgh
Lothian
EH12 5AW
Scotland

OS Grid Ref: NT 24131 73500
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
Brass plaque in a granite background. It has a border with branches and a flower in each of the corners. On the centre is the Royal Arms badge. Lettering in black and red.
Inscription
IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ ROBERT JAMES THOMAS DIGBY JONES/ LIEUTENANT ROYAL ENGINEERS, 23RD FIELD COMPANY, KILLED IN ACTION 6TH JANUARY 1900,/ AGED 23 AFTER SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDING WAGGON HILL WEST (LADYSMITH) NATAL/ FOR MANY HOURS WITH A FEW MEN UNDER DESPERATE CONDITIONS./ EXTRACT FROM SIR GEORGE WHITE'S DESPATCH 11TH DEC. 1899. "LAST NIGHT LT COL METCALF, 2ND RIFLE BRIGADE, WITH 500 MEN OF HIS/ BATTALION, MADE SORTIE TO CAPTURE SURPRISE HILL AND DESTROY 4.7 HOWITZER MOUNTED THERE. THEY REACHED THE/ CREST OF THE HILL UNDISCOVERED AND DROVE OFF THE ENEMY. THE GUN WAS DESTROYED BY GUN COTTON SUCCESSFULLY, BY/ LIEUTENANT DIGBY JONES, ROYAL ENGINEERS."/ HONOURS GAZETTE, APRIL 19TH, 1901. "MEMORANDUM, LIEUTENANT ROBERT JAMES THOMAS DIGBY JONES, ROYAL ENGINEERS, WOULD/ HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED TO HIS MAJESTY FOR THE VICTORIA CROSS HAD HE SURVIVED, ON ACCOUNT OF HAVING DURING THE/ ATTACK ON WAGGON HILL (LADYSMITH), 6TH JANUARY 1900 DISPLAYED CONSPICUOUS BRAVERY AND GALLANT CONDUCT IN/ LEADING THE FORCE WHICH RE-OCCUPIED THE TOP OF THE HILL, AT A CRITICAL MOMENT JUST AS THE THREE FOREMOST/ ATTACKING BOERS REACHED IT, THE LEADER BEING SHOT BY LIEUTENANT JONES."/ THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY HIS PARENTS AND BROTHERS WHO THANK GOD UPON EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF HIM./ THE VICTORIA CROSS REFERRED ABOVE WAS AWARDED/ BY KING EDWARD VII ON HIS CORONATION DAY.
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Digby Jones, Robert James Thomas
See details
Commemorations
  • Boer War; Second (1899-1902)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, forenames, rank, regiment, manner of death, place of death, date of death, decorations, additional
    Order of information: Undefined
  • VC or GC Recipients
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, forenames, rank, regiment, manner of death, place of death, date of death,decorations, additiona
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plaque
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Brass
  • Backboard
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Reference
  • Cathedral Brasses and Memorials - St Mary's Cathedral

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-74136

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