Major Arnold Anthony EGERTON-JONES
A Company, 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment

Date of birth: 24th July 1911
Date of death: 21st June 1944

Killed in action aged 32
Buried at Hottot Les Bagues War Cemetery Plot XI Row C Grave 1
He was born in Cornwall on the 24th of July 1911 the younger son of Captain Arnold Egerton-Jones, master at the King's School Canterbury, and Edith (nee Harrison) of Carlyon Bay, St Austell in Cornwall.

He was educated at the Junior King's School from September 1921 and at the King's School Canterbury from January 1925 to July 1930. In 1929 he was a monitor in the Day Boys house and he played for the Cricket XI in 1928, 1929 and 1930.He was a member of the Canterbury Golf Club and of the St Lawrence Cricket Club.

From school he went on to the Royal Military College Sandhurst and on the 1st of February 1934 was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Dorsetshire Regiment. From 1936 to 1937 he saw service in Palestine and in September 1939 he went to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force where he served on the Staff of 1st Division. During that campaign he was mentioned on despatches and was eventually evacuated through Dunkirk in May 1940.

In May 1941 he was posted to the Middle East serving with the Durham Light Infantry and the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) through North Africa and on to Sicily. In June 1943, while in Sicily he returned to the Dorsetshire Regiment with the 1st Battalion and was given command of A Company, serving with them in Italy.

On the 6th of June 1944 the 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment was to land in the first wave of the invasion at Gold Beach. A Company was to be in the vanguard of the attack and boarded the LSI "Empire Spearhead" at Southampton. They were to have been briefed on the night of the 4th of June for a landing the following day but the invasion was postponed for 24 hours due to the weather and the date for the invasion was reset for the 6th of June.

At 5.45am on the morning of 6th of June 1944 the assaulting companies of the Dorsets scrambled down the nets into their landing craft for the run in to the beach. At 7.25am they landed on the beach some 600 yards to the east of where they were supposed to have been. A Company pushed forward and gained the road running east from Le Hamel. Although opposition was slight a shell landed in the command group and Arnold Egerton-Jones, Lieutenant Ellis and Company Sergeant Major Howell were all wounded with command of the company passing to Captain Royle.

By 9.05am the company had established itself at Les Roquettes as planned and at 5pm they attacked a German position killing a number of the enemy and taking 40 prisoners. All the objectives which had been set for them in the plan of attack had been achieved by nightfall.

Casualties for the battalion on D-Day were four officers killed with ten wounded and seventeen other ranks killed, eighty eight wounded and nine men missing. Arnold Egerton-Jones returned to duty shortly after he was wounded.

Over the following days the battalion pushed forward through the Normandy countryside with casualties mounting. On the 14th of June B and A Companies were caught by a British barrage which caused a number of casualties to both companies although their attack that day, against La Senaudiere, met little or no enemy opposition. By the 19th of June enemy resistance was stiffening and A Company had a fierce fight for some farm buildings during the day. The battalion was also involved in running battles with German tanks and infantry suffering a number of casualties including the battalion's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Norie.

On the 20th of June they were in a position known at Point 113 and suffered a number of casualties from increasing amounts of enemy shelling. On the 21st of June 1944 all companies pushed patrols forward from Point 113 while the bulk of the battalion suffered mortar fire and at 6pm the battalion headquarters area was hit by six Nebelwerfer rockets.

Arnold Egerton-Jones was killed during the afternoon by the explosion of a mortar shell.

P.G.R. wrote:-

"Those of us who knew Tony Egerton-Jones when he was a small Parrot with an extensive knowledge of the names, averages and exploits of County cricketers, have been watching his army career with pride and anxiety. He came to us once when on leave and told us a little of his experiences. He was the same in spirit as ever, cheery, sound and ready for anything. We knew he would be among the first to lead in battle and we hoped his good luck would hold. We can only say to his parents "We too have lost Tony.""

A brother officer wrote:-

"I have known Tony ever since we joined the Regiment together and a finer friend I could not have had. He was adored by his men and respected by all who knew him. Completely fearless, his cool and calm manner inspired the greatest confidence in peace as well as in war and his passing has left a big gap in our ranks. He will always be remembered but never be replaced."
Day Boy

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