Resident of France Seeks Info On WWII Rockland Soldier

Do you know a soldier named Private James Jones who came from Rockland County? A gentleman from France is trying to find out as much information as he can about Jones to keep his memory and his sacrifice alive.

Fabrice Martin is a Frenchman who helps care for the graves of Allied soldiers killed in World War II. He has sent one Rockland County resident a photograph of Jones’ final resting place, which is marked by a white cross and commemorates his death as June 15, 1944. His resting place is located in St. Laurent, France which overlooks Omaha Beach and it contains the remains of 9,387 American soldiers.

Jones’s story came to light thanks to Martin, who works for a software company in France. He is part of a group called Les Fleurs de la Memoire which is dedicated to honoring and cleaning the graves of American servicemen who freed France from Nazi occupation. Martin
had reached out to Rockland County resident and author Linda Zimmermann seeking information about the life of Jones.

“I have been interested in the history of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy for many years,” said Martin in an e-mail conversation with Patch. “I used to go to ceremonies remembering D-Day and the Normandy landings.”*

Decades later, he would meet the American soldiers who survived the invasion.

“These ceremonies were always emotional for us; I was always fascinated that so many of them were young men when they left their homeland to fight in a land that was not their own. Many of them died and they need to be honored,” said Martin.

He was particularly moved by Jones’ tomb and he wanted “to do something to say thanks.” Martin also wanted to learn more about Jones’s life before coming to France.

“When I received the e-mail from Mr. Martin about what he wanted to do, I was deeply touched,” said Zimmermann. She explained, because she authored “Rockland County Century of History,” Martin had e-mailed her seeking to find information about Jones.

According to Martin’s research, he found that Jones had been born in 1907 and he was 35 years old when he enlisted at Fort Jay Governor’s Island. He landed in France during the Normandy Invasion on D-Day on June 6, 1944 as part of the 12th Infantry Regiment. However, his records were destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973—yet he is listed on the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War Memorial outside the Rockland County Courthouse in New City.

The Jones family had been residing at 124 Ramapo Road in Garnerville. His parents, Irving and Bertha, are buried in Mount Repose Cemetery in Haverstraw.

However, Jones was killed in a battle of nearby Montebourg city which Martin described as a “bloody step towards the capture of this port.” And it wasn’t until Jan. 1945 that his parents received his personal effects. In a letter sent to the family on behalf of the Army, the family received his wallet and pocket knife.

“I was genuinely interested in knowing what life was like in Rockland County in the 1940s before James Jones was sent to the front,” said Martin. “I would be honored to thank his family for their sacrifice. I have two children myself, and I can’t imagine the horror of
losing a child the way Irving and Bertha Jones (Jones’ parents) did.” He said his goal is to learn everything he can about Jones because he has earned Martin’s “respect, remembrance and friendship.”

Zimmermann is asking for assistance to help connect Martin with Jones’ family. She is hoping to find photographs, stories or anything that can be shared with Martin.

“Just check out the news and sometimes countries can butt heads, but I wanted to share this, because here is a case of one person reaching out from one culture to another to say thank you for their assistance in the past,” said Zimmermann.

Martin said the people of France were “grateful to the people of America and to the people of Rockland County.”

“However, time passes and we need to build or make new relationships to keep the memory of this period alive for present and future generations," said Martin.

If you have information about James Jones, please contact Linda Zimmermann at lindazim@optonline.net.

* Note: Originally Mr. Fabrice Martin’s quotes were written in French, but he had translated them via a webpage translator (similar in nature to Babelfish) into English. Due to the structure of the translation, the quotes were rephrased to reflect conversational English.