Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | May 6, 1888 |
Place of Birth | Christchurch, Hampshire |
Country | England |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | Noah James, Jasmin Cottage, Broadway, Dorset, England |
Trade / Calling | Baker |
Religion | Church of England |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 439040 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 3rd Field Bakery |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Army Service Corps |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Date of Enlistment | February 22, 1915 |
Age at Enlistment | 25 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | May 5, 1939 |
Age at Death | 51 |
Buried At | Riverside Cemetery, Thunder Bay, Ontario |
Plot | Sec 15 Plot 1227 |
Henry Edward James (known as ‘Harry’) was born on 06 May 1888 in Christchurch, Hampshire, England. He was the eldest son of blacksmith, Noah James and Augusta ELLEN Elliott. His siblings included Nellie ‘Ellen’ (b. 1887), Arthur Frederick (b. 1889), Ernest Walter (b. 1891) Reginald Wilfred (b. 1896), Margaret May (b. 1897) and Winifred Maud (b. 1903).
Henry was educated in England and immigrated to Kenora, Ontario, Canada in 1911. He gained employment as a baker at the flour mill in Keewatin. Two brothers, Arthur and Ernest followed him to Kenora.
With the outbreak of WW1, Ernest, Arthur and Henry all enlisted with the 52nd Battalion in Kenora. Ernest and Arthur signed up on 18 December 1914 and Henry joined on 22 December 1914. By June of 1915 the three brothers were in Port Arthur, Ontario for training. Ernest and Henry headed overseas with the 2nd Reinforcing Draft of the 52nd Battalion on 04 September 1915, embarking from Montreal aboard the S.S. Missanabie. Arthur was discharged from service on 22 October 1915 as he was declared medically unfit.
Ernest and Henry continued to train in England until March of 1916. By this time Henry had gained the rank of Acting Corporal. Both brothers were transferred to the Canadian Army Service Corp and in March of 1916 were sent to France assigned to the #3 Field Bakery with Henry as a baker and Ernest as a helper.
Henry continued to work as a baker until February of 1919 when he returned to England. He made his way back to Canada in May and received his official discharge from service on 15 May 1919 in Port Arthur due to demobilization. His rank at discharge was Corporal.
Henry remained in Port Arthur after the war. In 1932, he and his brother Ernest visited England. Travel documents indicate that Henry was still single at this time and working for the Department of Trade and Commerce. Voters lists from 1935 show that Henry was a ‘government weigh man’, living in Port Arthur, still single. He made a pilgrimage to Vimy in 1936. Henry was active in numerous fraternal organizations and served on the executives of several sports leagues.
Henry died on 05 May 1939 in Port Arthur.
While Henry and Ernest both returned home from the war their youngest brother, Reginald Wilfred was not so lucky. He had served as a private in the British Inniskiller Regiment and was killed in action on 25 Jun 1918.
Obituary courtesy of the Thunder Bay Public Library. Grave marker photograph provided by Linda Piilo, findagrave.com.