By REBECCA BERRY

Sept. 7, 2013, 4 a.m.

George William Jones was an old-school Maitland cop who was always willing to help others and was someone who could be trusted.

Mr Jones died last Tuesday at his East Maitland home with his devoted family by his side.

He was born on July 31, 1924, in Dudley and lived in Weston until he enlisted in the RAAF on November 18, 1942 as a leading aircraftman.

He fought in New Guinea and was discharged on April 14, 1948.

Mr Jones served with the NSW Police Force from 1948 until 1979.

He was stationed in Sydney, Broken Hill and for the last 17 years of service was a senior ­constable at Maitland.

After his retirement from the police service, Mr Jones worked at Tocal College as the afternoon supervisor for 15 years.

He married Margaret in Sydney in 1960 and had three children – Robyn, Bryan and Mark, and seven grandchildren – Lisa, Justin, Rochelle, Sophie, Nicholas, Abbey and Max.

Mr Jones was a keen lawn bowler, fisherman and supporter of his children’s sports.

He was involved in a number of clubs and associations across Maitland.

Mark described his father as a “larger-than-life ­character.”

“Dad was known wherever he went, especially in Maitland,” he said.

“He loved a beer and a bet with his mates and always had a project on the go.

“Dad was known to be fair and honest in the community and to his family he was a loving,

caring husband, dad and granddad who loved being with his family.”

A funeral service for Mr Jones will be held at East Maitland Presbyterian Church, George Street, at 9.30am Friday.

HIS ROLE IN CRUMP ARREST

The-late Maitland police officer Senior Constable George Jones is recorded in Australia’s history for his part in the capture of two of nation’s most notorious killers – Allan Baker and Kevin Crump – convicted for the 1973 murders of Ian Lamb and Virginia Morse.

Mr Jones received a Queen’s Commendation for bravery and a Commissioner’s Commendation for his outstanding courage and ­devotion to duty at East Maitland on November 13, 1973.

On that day, Senior Constable Jones was a passenger in a police car with his partner Senior Constable John Millward.

The officers were in high speed pursuit of two armed and desperate criminals – Baker and Crump – ­travelling in a stolen car.

Baker fired shots at them from a .308 calibre rifle.

Senior Constable Millward was the driver of the police car and had closed up to the vehicle containing the wanted men despite rifle fire.

He had managed to get within pistol range and Senior Constable Jones fired a number of shots.

A bullet from the high-powered rifle shattered the police car windscreen, hitting Senior Constable Millward in the forehead.

“He had an amazing escape from death but was wounded and forced to give up the chase,” criminal court judge Mr Justice Taylor said at the time.

“These two officers displayed great courage in endeavouring to close with the vehicle of the accused in the face of sustained rifle fire.”

Soon after Senior Constable Millward was shot, another police vehicle received a radio call to take up the chase and Senior Constable Jones took his comrade to hospital before rejoining the pursuit.

A high-speed chase continued with Baker kneeling on the front seat of the stolen car and firing at police.

Many of the shots hit the front of the car containing Detective Senior Constable John Snedden and Detective Senior Constable Wayne Hore.

The officers took evasive action by swerving the car from side to side.

On a number of occasions the car driven by Crump slowed a near halt to allow Baker to take better aim through the back window of the car.

Baker’s and Crump’s car was ­pursued until it ran into a lucerne paddock near the Paterson River at Woodville where they jumped from the vehicle, each carrying a rifle.

Detectives Snedden and Hore chased Baker and Crump on foot.

The wanted men stopped halfway across a paddock and, falling to their knees aimed and fired their rifles at police, who threw themselves to the ground.

Baker and Crump ran into thick bush and scrub along the riverbank and police continued their search, joined by a number of other officers responding to radio calls.

Baker and Crump were found hiding in sections of the river and were arrested.

Mr Taylor commended the four police officers for bravery in an unprecedented gesture by a criminal court judge during an extraordinary sitting of the Sydney Central Criminal Court in 1974.

He said the police had exposed themselves to great risk of being shot when they were armed with service pistols against high-­powered rifles.

“These men displayed bravery and devotion to duty which calls for commendation,” he said.

Baker and Crump were sentenced to life imprisonment ­following their capture by police at Maitland in November 1973.

Mr Taylor said: “You have outraged all accepted standards of the behaviour of men. The description of ‘men’ ill becomes you. You would be more aptly described as animals, and obscene animals at that. I believe that you should spend the rest of your lives in jail and there you should die. If ever there was a case where life imprisonment should mean what it says – imprisonment for the whole of your lives – this is it.”

www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/1758342/obituary-old-school-cop-george-william-jones/