About William Jonas
Lived 1890 – 1916 (aged 25–26). William Jonas was a British association football player.
Career Starting his career with Jarrow Croft, Jonas scored twice in a Gateshead Charity Cup Final and turned down an offer from Barnsley before moving to Havanna Rovers in 1910. Jonas was known for his quickness and passing ability on the pitch. He once filled in at goal for an injured Jimmy Hugall in a match versus Nottingham Forest. He scored 68 goals in his two seasons with Havanna, and moved to Clapton Orient in June 1912 on advice from his friend and fellow Orient player Richard McFadden.
At Orient, Jonas could play in almost any position, even making several appearances in goal. He was sent off during a match at Millwall in January 1915 for fighting with the home goalkeeper Joseph Orme, an incident which started a riot among the 16,900 crowd that had to be quelled by police on horseback.
Jonas was very popular with the female supporters at Clapton Orient – so much so that he was getting a bags of fan mail from the ladies by the week. Things got so bad that he had to put an official request in the Orient programme for the letters to cease as he was "very happily married to his dear wife Mary Jane". Having no known grave at the war's end, he was commemorated on the Commonwealth Thiepval Memorial.
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Important facts
People in William Jonas's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped William Jonas's
Frequently asked questions
Who was William Jonas?
English footballer (1890-1916)
When was William Jonas born?
William Jonas was born in 1890 in Cambois.
When did William Jonas die?
William Jonas died on 27 July 1916 in Somme.
What was William Jonas's occupation?
William Jonas was an association football player.
What nationality was William Jonas?
William Jonas was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Jonas. https://biography.guide/william-jonas/
MLA: "William Jonas." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-jonas/.
Chicago: "William Jonas." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-jonas/.
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