Jonas's Story.
Private Jonas Dearneley of the Labour Corps was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Dearneley of 47 Hanover Street, Stalybridge. Before the war he worked as a grocer and later at Carrbrook Printworks. He enlisted on 11 June and proceeded to France on 13 October. An only child, he was 26 years of age at the time of his death. His father, suffering from an affliction of the eyes, was unable to follow regular employment. Dearneley was serving at a base depot in France when he was killed during an enemy air raid on 22 December. Writing to his parents, his commanding officer explained that he had been caught in the open during the attack and killed by the explosion of a bomb, adding that his injuries were such that death must have been instantaneous and painless. The officer conveyed the sympathy of all ranks and expressed the hope that his family would find some consolation in knowing that he had died for King and country no less than if he had fallen in the front-line trenches.
Following his death, Mrs. Dearneley received a letter from the Rev. J. Ellis of the Stalybridge Unitarian Church, who was serving with the YMCA near the front in France. Rev. Ellis recalled one of his final conversations with Dearneley, during which he spoke of how army life had brought him nearer to God and of the value he had found in prayer. According to Ellis, he faced the uncertainties of war with a quiet faith, saying that whatever befell him he would be happy.