The medal group of a World War II-era tank commander photographed with Winston Churchill has been purchased by the Tank Museum, with support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. The eight medals belonged to Lt. Col. Stewart Inglis Howard-Jones of the Royal Tank Regiment, who served in Normandy and commanded a battalion at the Rhine crossing.
Joining the British Army as a private in 1933 to indulge his love of sports, Howard-Jones earned his commission in ’38 and quickly established teams in the 8th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps.
His actions in Normandy in 1944 earned him a Military Cross. He “led his squadron with such skill and daring that they were able to destroy three Panther tanks, one Tiger and one Mk IV German tank, without hardly losing a man.”
The recommendation goes on to detail Howard-Jones’ “personal courage in every attack,” which “undoubtedly led to the success of many of these brilliant actions.”
The medal group also contains Howard-Jones’ Distinguished Service Order (DSO), which he received after successfully ferrying troops across the Rhine without losing a single vehicle, despite the “heavy enemy shell and mortar fire.” His actions enabled the success of the infantry’s assault and ensured they could make quick contact with the airborne forces who were dropped ahead of them.
That same month, Churchill was carried across the river in one of Howard-Jones’ vehicles, along with other tank greats Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and Maj. Gen. Percy Hobart.
Later in the conflict, Howard-Jones was one of the first Allied soldiers to enter Bergen-Belsen. He stayed with the RTR after WWII, continuing his sporting career, and retired in 1961.
The Tank Museum tells the stories of tanks and the people who served in them and houses the best collection of armored vehicles in the world. The medal group, as well as a larger collection from Howard-Jones, was purchased at auction with support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.
Collections Manager Marjolijn Verbrugge said in a press release, “Thanks to purchase grants and public donations, our museum is able to grow our collection and widen the stories we tell. With this collection, we will be able to tell his story and through him the story of bravery and dedication of the soldiers of the Royal Armoured Corps’ amphibious vehicles.”
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The honors will be able to be viewed by the public as part of the Tank Museum’s ongoing redisplay of its medal collection.