Additional Information
James enlisted in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion before heading to France with the 2nd Battalion. James arrived in France on the 11/11/1914 till the 03/02/1915. He was at home from the 04/02/1915 till the 16/08/1915. He then returned to France and was with the 10th (Service) Battalion till he fell. They were part of the 26th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. The Battle of Bazentin (the Bazentin Ridge), 14th - 17th July 1916 : The objective of the battle was to take the high ground of Bazentin Ridge, between Bazentin le Grant and Longueval. This also included taking control of the ridge road, and Deville Wood behind Longueval village. By doing so, the British forces would occupy the high ground on the ridge and expose German positions to our artillery. In detail, the objective was : To advance from the British front lines to Longueval village 2.5 miles away. To continue into and through Deville Wood a further 0.3 miles and to then extend the line eastwards a further 0.35 miles along the ridge road. The 8th Black Watch, alongside with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, was with the 26th Brigade of the 9th (Scottish) Division, on the east flank. Also with the 9th was the 27th Brigade, including the Royal Scots, on the west flank. At 0300 hours on the 14th July 1916, under cover of darkness 26th Brigade move through 'No Man's Land' to within 400 yards of the German first line in front of Longueval. At 03.25a.m the attack begins and by 10.00a.m Longueval village is taken. The southeast corner holds out until 17.00p.m. At 13.00p.m patrols of Delville Wood are met with resistance (the second line) and fall back to the village. German bombardment of the village continues throughout the night. SEE PHOTOS FOR BATTALION WAR DIARY. This Battle was part of the Battles of the Somme, 1st July - 18th November 1916 : A Franco-British offensive that was undertaken after Allied strategic conferences in late 1915, but which changed its nature due to the German attack against the French in the epic Battle of Verdun, which lasted from late February to November. Huge British losses on the first day and a series of fiercely-contested steps that became attritional in nature. For all armies on the Western Front it was becoming what the Germans would call “materialschlacht”: a war not of morale, will or even manpower, but of sheer industrial material might. The 15th September 1916 saw the first-ever use of tanks in the step known as the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. The British army in France is now approaching its maximum strength in numbers but is still developing in terms of tactics, technology, command and control. The Battalion War Diary states casualties on the 14/07/1916 were 35 KILLED, 153 WOUNDED and 48 MISSING. James was reburied in the Caterpillar Valley Cemetery (see Reburial Form). He is also remembered in the St. Augustines Parish (book) Roll of Honour, the Drogheda War Memorial (see photos x 2) and the Stewards and Lloyds Roll of Honour plaque (British Tube Works section. See photos x 2). See photos for James' Medal Index Card, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report, his name in the Ireland Casualties of WW1, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects (2 sisters mentioned and older brother), the 1901 Ireland Census, his Service Record x 18, Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Cap Badge and James' Service Records x 18. Finally, SEE PHOTOS x 28 FOR THE 9th (SCOTTISH) DIVISION BOOK 1st - 15th JULY 1916, PHOTOS x 12 FOR THE 9th (SCOTTISH) DIVISION ORDER OF BATTLE (the Division James was with when he died), PHOTOS x 14 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY 1st - 14th JULY 1916, another photo of James' grave, Caterpillar Valley Cemetery taken by myself in July 2023 and a Poppy Cross placed by myself at James' grave in July 2023 (see main grave photo).
