Born on the 10th March 1883 James was the third son of James and Fanny Bradley of Husbandman’s End, Shipston-on-Stour and was baptised in St Edmunds on the 29th July 1883.

On the 11th October 1886 James enrolled in the Infants School, moving up to the Boys School on the 15th July 1889. It is not recorded when he left education but it would probably have been in early March of 1896, just before his thirteenth birthday.

By the time of the 1901 census James was working in a dairy and the family had grown to include nine surviving children, James’ older sister Silve having died in infancy.

In the summer of 1908 James married Frances Miriam Arthur who was born in Honington in late 1885. Frances’ father worked in Honington as an Estate Carpenter. At the time of James’ death Frances lived in Elm Terrace, Shipston-on-Stour, Worcs. 

Given his age, 36 when he died in 1919, it is assumed that James was called up slightly later in the war and his death certificate records his job as being a cashier at the Post Office.

James served with the 241st Company of the Royal Army Service Corps, which was No. 40 Horse Transport Reserve Park, which was formed in February 1915 and remained at home for the duration of the war.  The T4 element of his service number confirms that he would have worked with horses. The job of a Reserve Park was to maintain sufficient supplies to support an infantry division with rations for 2 days. If serving overseas each Park was equipped with 59 General Service wagons, 2 forage carts, 1 light Maltese cart and a water cart. To pull these, 359 draught and riding horses were allotted to each Park. It is assumed that the home based Parks were similarly structured.

From his death certificate, it appears that James died from cancer in his tibia that had also spread to other areas of his body. He died on the 10th July 1919. The death certificate also records that his residence was in Tredington.

James is buried in Colchester Cemetery, remembered on the Town Memorial.  

Mike Wells