Colvill-Jones, R
(1896 - 1918)
Key Facts
DATE OF BIRTH:
27th September 1896
YEARS ATTENDED THE COLLEGE:
1910 - 1910
HOME ADDRESS WHEN AT THE COLLEGE:
Ashdown Park, Coulsdon, Surrey
REGIMENT
Royal Air Force
FINAL RANK:
Captain
DATE OF DEATH:
4th November 1918
AGE AT DEATH:
22
WHERE HE DIED (or was wounded)
Ypres
LOCATION OF GRAVE OR MEMORIAL:
Ghissignies British Cemetery. B 25
Captain Robert Colvill-Jones
Robert was born on September 27th 1896 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest son of a British couple, Abbie and Robert Colvill-Jones. In April of 1910 the family came to England and he, along with his younger brother Thomas, came to Dulwich, where they spent around nine months as pupils at the College, boarding in The Orchard. Following this they went on to both spend time at Victoria College, Jersey before, in the summer of 1912, the family returned once more to South America.
Upon the declaration of War in September 1914 Robert signed up almost straight away, returning to England and taking up a position as a 2nd Lieutenant in The Rifle Brigade. He spent much of the next three years fighting on the front in France, although he was invalided out on three occasions, being promoted to Lieutenant in August of 1916, and the following summer being awarded the Military Cross in honour of his bravery. In early 1918 however he was wounded for a fourth time; the most serious of his injuries, this was to result in him no longer being allowed to fight in the trenches. He was unwilling to take the administrative role offered in the Army, instead asking to be transferred to the newly renamed Royal Air Force, with whom he subsequently completed his training to be a pilot, and returned to France in order to serve as an observer. It was whilst serving in this role that he was killed in action on November 4th 1918, aged just 22. His younger brother Thomas, a fellow OA and member of the R.A.F., had been killed earlier that year.
