His photographs of life in Nigeria in the 1930s, taken whilst serving as a colonial District Officer, led to an interest in ethnology and a second career as an academic at the University of Cambridge.
[1] Jones was born in Cape Colony and grew up in Chile and England, studying at St. John's School, Leatherhead before winning a scholarship to Jesus College, Oxford.
He then worked for the Colonial Service in Nigeria (1926–1946), serving as District Officer for Bende and the surrounding area.
He became interested in the culture of the peoples of southeastern Nigeria, using a Rolleiflex camera to build up an extensive record of life in the area at the time.
He was a noted scholar on African issues, returning on various occasions to Nigeria for research.