Lieutenant Colonel H. Jones

Biography

Herbert 'H' Jones was born on May 14, 1940, in Putney, London, and educated at Eton. He joined the Army and eventually commanded the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment (2 Para), one of Britain's elite fighting units. Jones was known as an intensely energetic and demanding commander, impatient with hesitation and personally driven to lead from the front. He volunteered 2 Para for the Falklands Task Force and was furious when the BBC announced the date of the Goose Green attack — a security breach he believed would cost lives. On May 28, 1982, 2 Para attacked the Argentine garrison at Darwin and Goose Green along a narrow isthmus with little cover. When his men were pinned down by machine-gun fire near Darwin, Jones led a small group in a charge against an Argentine position. He was shot from a trench above him and died of his wounds. His action broke the deadlock and 2 Para went on to defeat a force twice its size. Jones was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously — the highest British military decoration. He is buried at San Carlos. His death, and the debate about whether a battalion commander should have charged a machine gun, continues to be studied in military academies.

Key Battles