1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
James Thomas Davis was born in the parish of All Saints, Gloucester in 1874.
James enlisted into the Gloucestershire Regiment and was initially posted to the 3rd Battalion which was a Reserve Battalion. However, his experience was required in France and he was soon posted to the 1st Battalion and probably in reflection of his past experience was appointed to be a Lance Corporal.
He was the son of James and Elizabeth (née Cooper). In 1904 he married Clara Ann Porter and by the time of the 1911 census the couple had four children (Lillian Clara E born 1904; Ellen Violetta born 1906; James Frederick B born 1909; George Edwin born 1911) and it is possible that a further child was born between 1911 and the start of the Great War.
The family lived at 8 Jersey Road, Gloucester and James’ occupation was stated to be a carter with the Midland Railway Company.
Unfortunately no Army Service Record has survived for James, so we have to rely on information contained in a report of his funeral in the Cheltenham Chronicle of 29 May 1915, with regard to his military service.
James was a former regular Army soldier, who had served throughout the South African War, around the turn of the century and had been awarded both a Queen’s and King’s Medal for service in that campaign.
After leaving the Army he was a founder member of the Gloucestershire National Reserve. The National Reserve was formed in 1909, originally as the Veteran Reserve, and was made up of old retired soldiers, both officers and men: it numbered about 350,000 by 1914. When war broke out many of its members joined the Regular Army or Territorial Force or (particularly the older men) formed the nucleus of the Royal Defence Force.
He went to France on 11 November 1914. The Cheltenham Chronicle stated that he died of wounds sustained in the ‘recent fighting in France’ which was almost certainly a reference to the Battle of Aubers Ridge, which took place on 9 May 1915.
The British attack was a costly failure due to the intensity of the German machine gun fire and poor artillery support. The Glosters losses, killed, wounded and missing totalled 11 officers and 257 other ranks. Lance Corporal Davis was almost certainly amongst their number.
His wounding was followed by evacuation to the UK. The casualty list in the Cheltenham Chronicle of 10 July 1915 records James’ name. He was admitted to the 2nd Southern General Hospital, Southmead, Bristol, where he died of his wounds on 23 May 1915, aged 42.
He was buried with ‘semi-military honours’ and a detachment of the 3/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment was in attendance, in Gloucester Old Cemetery, where a standard CWGC headstone now marks his grave.
Researched by Graham Adams 3 March 2017