Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916

CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916

Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916

Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916

Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918

Pte 50602 Ellis James

Age: 38
From: Llangoedmore
Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
Panel Ref: P21-23

Ellis James was born in 1880 in Llangoedmore, Cardiganshire and was the son of James and Jane (nee Ellis) James. His parents married in 1874 in Cardigan.

On the 1881 Census the family are living in Torjlan?, Llangoedmore. His father, James, is aged 29 and an agricultural labourer born in Tremain, Cardigan, his mother Jane is aged 30 and was also born in Tremain. Thye have three children declared on the record who were all born Llangoedmore; John 5, David 2, and Ellis 11 months.

On the 1891 census the family moved to Tanybyn?, Llandygwydd. Father James is now shown as aged 36 and an agricultural labourer, mother Jane is shown as aged 38. They have eight children in the household; John 12 scholar, David 11 scholar, and Ellis 10 scholar, Sarah 8 scholar b.Llandygwydd, Benjamin 6 scholar b.Llandygwydd, Margaret 5 b.Llandygwydd, James 3 b.Llandygwydd, Griffith 1 b.Llandygwydd.

On the 1901 census 18 year old Ellis is working on the farm of John James in Mount, Holy Cross.

His first marriage was to Catherine Thomas in 1906 at Cardigan.

His mother died in the December quarter of 1908, aged 58.

On the 1911 Census Ellis and Catherine are living in Tremain, Cardigan. Ellis is aged 30, an agricultural labourer, his wife Catherine is 30 and was born in Tremain both are Welsh speaking. They advise that they have been married for 4 years and have no children.

Catherine died probably during the birth of son John Griffith in the June quarter of 1913, aged 32.

For his second marriage Ellis James(father James James a labourer), a 35 year old widower of 5 Kelson St and a Driver in the ASC, married Laura Hutton, a 37 year old spinster of 18 Kelson Street on the 26th December 1915 at St James' Church, West Hampstead.

They had a daughter Annie Eleanor born 30th October 1916.

He enlisted in Cardigan and originally served as T/R/145766, in the Royal Army Service Corps. Following a transfer he was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 50602 when he was killed in action on the 22^nd March 1918 aged 38 during the German Spring Offensive.

22^nd GERMAINE – HAM- MOYENCOURT

The battalion moved up accordingly being in position at 6:30 a.m. About 3pm the enemy attacked the left of our position and advanced on our left flank towards FLUQUIERES. At 4:30 pm an attack was launched on our front and the enemy forced his way through on our right. The remainder of the Battalion was forced to retire to south of FLUQUIERES. During this engagement the Battalion lost 11 Officers and About 21 O.R. The order was given to retire to the defences at HAM. The Battalion by this time was very weak, and passing through the 20^th Division took up positions in HAM, as ordered, getting into position at 2am.

Ellis has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

The Ealing Gazette of 10th November 1917 refers to his wife:

EALING RESIDENTS FINED

For Failing To Notify Changes Of Address:

Anne Hutton and Laura James of 4 St John's-villas, Mattock Lane, 5s each.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to widow Laura, and guardians Anne and Margaret Thomas for children John Griffith (5 Mar 1913), Annie Eleanor James (30 Oct 1916), address 4 St John's Villas, Mattock Lane, Ealing

On the 1939 register Laura James, dob 6th August 1878, is living with daughter Annie E. at 176 Iveson Rd, Hampstead.

She died in the December quarter of 1970, aged 92, her death was registered in Worthing, Sussex.

We currently have no further information on Ellis James, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.

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(110 Years this day)
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