AN Australian mother researching her family tree discovered that she was descended from a very famous Royal Regiment of Artillery officer and on her visit to England was entertained at The Royal School of Artillery at Larkhill and saw artefacts relating to her very famous ancestor.

Elaine Joyce, nee Watson, from Adelaide began researching her family tree ten years ago and discovered that her great, great, great-grandfather was Lieutenant Colonel Jonas Watson, the first Royal Artillery Lieutenant Colonel and a noted gunner.

Born in Great Sampford in 1663, Jonas Watson served in Flanders 1694 – 1712, was appointed Chief Bombardier of England by the Duke of Marlborough in 1709 and made Lieutenant Colonel of Royal Artillery on the formation of the Regiment on May 26, 1716.

He was in charge of the Artillery Train at the Great Siege of Gibraltar in 1727 and was killed in action, aged 87, at the Battle of Carthagena in present day Columbia on March 26, 1741. His heart was returned to England and buried at his birthplace.

Mrs Joyce was shown an oil painting of Col Watson that hangs in the dining room of the officers’ mess and, after lunch, saw a memorial plaque outlining his history that had been rescued from the old Royal Artillery Garrison Church at Woolwich, which was very badly damaged by a V1 bomb in 1944 and fell into disuse.

As part of a project to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the regiment, 86 metal plaques and 30 stone tablets have been salvaged from the old church and it is planned, funds permitting, to build a memorial wall to display the plaques and tablets alongside the Larkhill Garrison Church.

The Master Gunner at St James, General Sir Timothy Granville Chapman, a former CinC Land Command and whose appointment is a direct descent from Jonas Watson, has taken a personal interest in the project and it is hoped that Her Majesty The Queen will attend the Anniversary celebrations and open the Memorial Wall in two years time.

“It was very interesting to see my family history,” said Mrs Joyce. “It has been really great and the visit to Larkhill has been the highlight of my trip to England.”