James was born in about June 1893 in Bromley-by-Bow, Middlesex. He was the son of James Yule Thomson and Annie Jane Thomson (nee Duly). His father was born in Aberdeen and his mother in Bow. In 1901 James was living with his parents at 122, Rosebury Avenue in the parish of East Ham.

                 In 1911 the family was living at 112, Shelley Avenue, Manor Park, Essex.  His father was a “Foreman, Type-writer ribbon manufacturer” and James a “Law Writer apprentice”.

By 1916 James was living at 31, Cliff Street, Plaistow, London, when he attested to enlist in the army on 9th February 1916 aged 22 years and 7 months for the duration of the war. Conscription had been introduced in January 1916 so it is very likely that he was conscripted.

9th Feb 1916        He attested for 14th Battalion of the London Regiment (London Scottish) at the battalion’s headquarters in 59 Buckingham Gate, London and assigned service number 6783. Men in this regiment had to be born in Scotland or be of Scottish descent.

5th Jun 1916         James left Southampton to join the battalion in France.

6th Jun 1916         He landed at Rouen.

18th Jun 1916       Joined the battalion in the field.

The battalion was part of 168th Brigade, 56th Division in France.

1st July 1916        The battalion went into action at Gommecourt   and James was declared “Missing” on this the first day of the Battle of  the Somme.

1st Mar 1917        As part of the Army renumbering system James was allocated a new number of 512843, presumably as he had not yet been officially declared “Dead”.

2nd Apr 1917          The War Office declared James was “Accepted for official purposes as having died”. Death was presumed and his body was never found.

He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial

was conscripted rather than volunteered.

Keith Brain