William Reece Jones
PFC William R. Jones was reported to have drowned at sea while in transit aboard a Liberty ship.
He was declared dead on 28 January 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 367010
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 18, 1924
at Aliquippa, PA
Parents
Hayden Couzens Jones, Sr.
Genevieve (Temple) Jones
separated 1927
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
January 21, 1942
at Washington, DC
Home Of Record
312 Highland Avenue
Aliquippa, PA
Next Of Kin
Guardian, Mr. Frederick W. McReynolds
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
D/1/7th Marines
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Jones served in the South Pacific as a member of Dog Company, 7th Marines, and saw combat on Guadalcanal. In October 1943, as his regiment prepared for the New Britain Campaign, Jones was shipped to Oro Bay, New Guinea, and a staging area at Cape Sudest. The Americans were intermittently bombed by Japanese aircraft, and some fell sick during their stay. Jones was evacuated on 20 October 1943 – the reasons are unclear, but muster rolls point to his own misconduct being the cause.
Jones was sent to an Army hospital in Brisbane, Australia, and on 21 December was deemed fit to return to his unit. He was attached to the Casual Company, 1st Marine Division for transit, and departed Australia aboard the Liberty ship SS Frederick Billings.
On 28 January 1944, Jones was sitting on a railing on the Billings’ aft deck when PFC William C. Martin fell overboard. Jones threw life preservers to Martin, then jumped into the water to assist. An escort vessel arrived on the scene and picked up PFC Martin, but failed to find PFC Jones.
Jones was initially reported as missing, but “circumstances attendant upon his disappearance at sea justify a conclusion that he is dead.”
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains lost at sea.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of guardian, Mr. Frederick McReynolds.
This was a government building containing, among others, the juvenile court and child welfare offices. Mr. McReynolds was chairman of the Board of Public Welfare.
Location Of Loss
PFC Jones drowned at an unknown point in the Coral Sea after departing from Brisbane.