Named Officer British 1827 Pattern Queens Westminster Rifles Sword

A fine named 1827 Pattern Queens Westminster Rifles Officer’s Sword

An excellent example of a British volunteer rifles officer’s sword named to Major Robert J Jones of the Queens Westminster Rifles. Here is a short history of the regiment.

1859 The Queen’s Rifle Volunteers

1860 Merges with other companies in Westminster to form The Queen’s (Westminster) Rifle Volunteers later the 22nd Middlesex (Queen’s) Rifle Volunteer Corps

1880 renumbered 13th Middlesex (Queen’s) Rifle Volunteers (Westminster)

1891 13th Middlesex (Queen’s) Volunteer Rifle Corps (Westminster)

1908 16th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles)

1914 The 1/16th County of London Battalion (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), The County of London Regiment (Territorial Force) mobilised on 4 Aug 1914 at Queen’s Hall, Buckingham Gate, Westminster.

Arrived in France November 1914 then 18th Brigade, 6th Division.

Major Robert J. Jones served with the Queen’s Westminster Volunteers throughout the 1880’s and 1890’s and was also a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association. He was the owner of James Shoolbred & Co Limited, a furniture manufacturer and repository located at Tottenham House, Tottenham Court Road). Jones had five sons who were all killed during the Great War, Second Lieutenant Eric .A.O. Jones fell on the Somme 18.9.1916. He is described by his commanding officer, Shoolbred, in ‘The War History of the First Battalion Queen’s Westminster Rifles, 1914-1918’, as ‘…one of those happy natures with an infinite gift of seeing the bright side of everything. Not even dirt and other unpleasantness of the Somme checked his overflowing happiness he leaves the Regiment another example of duty most gallantly carried out’ (p123).

The sword comes with an original period photograph of three officers of the regiment – Captain Robert J Jones (as he was then) is pictured in the middle.