Charles Phibbs Jones

General Sir Charles Jones
Jones (left) accepting the surrender of General Ayabe inKuala Lumpur,1945.
Born	(1906-06-29)29 June 1906 Kenmare,County Kerry,Ireland
Died	4 January 1988(1988-01-04)(aged 81) Amesbury,Salisbury,Wiltshire,England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1925–1967
Rank	General
Service number	34845
Unit	Royal Engineers
Commands	Northern Command(1962–63) I Corps(1960–62) Staff College, Camberley(1954–56) 7th Armoured Division(1951–53) 2nd Infantry Brigade(1948–50)
Battles/wars	Second World War Palestine Emergency
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches Order of Leopold II(Belgium) Croix de Guerre(Belgium)
Relations	GeneralSir Edward Jones(son)

GeneralSir Charles Phibbs Jones,GCB,CBE,MC(29 June 1906 – 4 January 1988) was aBritish Armyofficer who reached high office in the 1950s.

Military career

Charles Jones wascommissionedinto theRoyal Engineerson 3 September 1925.He saw service with theRoyal Bombay Sappers and Minersin India between 1928 and 1934 and then becameadjutantfor the Royal Engineers Contingent within the42nd (East Lancashire) Divisionin 1934.

A half-length, seated portrait of Brigadier Charles Phibbs Jones, in uniform, 1945.

Jones served in theSecond World War,initially as brigade major for the 127th Infantry Brigade, commanded by BrigadierJohn Smyth,which formed part of theBritish Expeditionary Forcedispatched to France and Belgium in 1940.Following this, he was an instructor at the Staff College from 1940 to 1941, when he became ageneral staff officerat General Headquarters Home Forces.In 1943 he was appointedCommanderRoyal Engineersfor theGuards Armoured Division.He becameChief of StaffMalaya Commandin 1945 and thenbrigadieron the general staff ofXXX Corpsin North West Europe in 1945.

After the war, Jones was appointed brigadier on the general staff atWestern Commandin 1946.He then went to theImperial Defence Collegein 1947 before being appointed commander2nd Infantry Brigadein 1948.In 1950 he became director of plans at theWar Officeand in 1951 he went on to begeneral officer commanding7th Armoured Division,part ofBritish Army of the Rhine.

Jones wascommandantat theStaff College, Camberleyfrom 1954 to 1956 and then vice attorney general at theWar Officefrom 1957 to 1958.He then became director of the Combined Military Planning Staff at theCentral Treaty Organisationin 1959 and general officer commanding1 British Corpsin 1960.He was general officer commanding-in-chiefNorthern Commandfrom 1962 to 1963, when he becameMaster-General of the Ordnance;he retired in 1967.

Jones was alsocolonel commandantof the Royal Engineers from 1961 to 1972.He wasChief Royal Engineerfrom 1972 to 1977.

His son was GeneralSir Edward Joneswho, like his father, became a member of the Army Board.

Retirement

In retirement Jones was governor of theRoyal Hospital Chelseafrom 1969 to 1975,and National President of theBritish Legionfrom 1970 to 1981.

External links

• British Army Officers 1939–1945
• Generals of World War II