E. H. Jones (author) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elias Henry Jones
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|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1883 |
| Died | 22 December 1942 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 British Army |
| Years of service | 22 September 1915 – 11 November 1918 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Lieutenant Elias Henry Jones (born September 21, 1883 – died December 22, 1942) was a Welsh officer in the British Indian Army. During World War I, he was captured by Turkish forces. Along with an Australian soldier named C. W. Hill, he managed to escape from a prisoner of war camp in Turkey. Their amazing escape story was later told in Jones's book, The Road to En-dor.
Contents
Elias Henry Jones: A Daring Escape
Elias Henry Jones was born in Wales. His father, Sir Henry Jones, was a well-known philosopher. In 1906, Elias joined the Indian Civil Service, which meant he worked for the British government in India, specifically in Burma.
Joining the War
When World War I began, Jones joined the Indian Army. He started as a private soldier in an artillery unit. On September 22, 1915, he became an officer in the Indian Army Reserve. He served in a region called Mesopotamia. In April 1916, he was captured by enemy forces and became a prisoner of war. A year later, on September 22, 1916, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
Life After the War
After the war ended, Elias Jones worked for a short time with Lord Curzon, a British statesman. He then returned to Burma. In 1924, he retired from the Indian Civil Service. He moved back to Bangor, a town in North Wales. There, he became the secretary and registrar for the University College of North Wales. He had five children.
The Great Escape Plan
From February 1917 to October 1918, Jones and his fellow prisoner, C. W. Hill, came up with a clever plan to escape. They convinced their Turkish captors that they could talk to spirits using a ouija board. They pretended to be "mediums" who could connect with the spirit world.
For over a year, they tricked the camp's leader. They promised him that spirits would reveal the location of a hidden treasure. Jones and Hill secretly hid "clues" around the camp to make their story believable. However, their plan was eventually discovered. Despite this, they managed to escape. They arrived home a few months before the other prisoners from their camp were released.
His Story Lives On
Elias Jones's book, The Road to En-dor, tells the full story of their incredible escape. In 2008, famous writer Neil Gaiman and magician Penn Jillette wrote a film script based on the book, but the movie was never made.
In 2019, an essay about The Road to En-Dor was included in a book by Mark Valentine. More recently, in 2021, American author Margalit Fox wrote a new book called The Confidence Men. This book retells Jones's escape story with even more details and research.
