Former army sergeant Passes Away at Greek Memorial

Arthur Jones, a former army sergeant, has passed away at the foot of a Greek memorial. He had hiked to the site in the midst of high temperatures, and succumbed to heat exhaustion not long after reaching his destination. The retired army sergeant had originally made his way to the Greek memorial in order to honor cadets from Greece who had lost their lives while fighting the Nazis during the war.

The temperature had been as high as thirty-five degrees Celsius when Jones made his way to the site. He passed away at the age of seventy-three, having spent his years in the army as an instructor, teaching cadets the ways of battle. His family knew that he was going to Crete, but became worried when he never came back. The Greek memorial was dedicated to a number of fallen cadets, and Jones thought it was only fitting for him to pay the site a visit to leave his respects. The last report of his whereabouts before he was found at the site was made by workers at the hotel he was currently lodging in. The workers had seen him leaving that morning, the Mail Online reports.

The day of his passing was not ordinary hot day. For Crete, that day in fact yielded the highest temperatures of the year. Of course, the day of his passing was not the only special day involved in his death. Jones was found at the site of the Greek memorial the same day that the WWI centenary began. His family, though upset over the death of their beloved father and grandfather, found this turn of events to be incredibly moving.

Jones was no stranger to rigorous exercise in high temperatures. It is likely that he saw no danger in going on a long hike on the day that he did. In fact, for the past few decades he has regularly gone on long walks. He was found at the Greek memorial by a local army search party, and they discovered him near the memorial where he had apparently rested near a tree before passing away peacefully under the shade.

The Greek memorial at which Arthur Jones was found dead was likely a personal site of inspiration for him, given his involvement in the instruction of cadets such as those who were being honored. It took six weeks to find him, but his recent discovery near the site of the Greek memorial has brought some closure to his family.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE