James Wells (1888-1917)

Post date: Feb 21, 2017 2:50:13 PM

James Edward Wells was born in 1888. In 1891 his family was living in Old Road and his father was a "Brewhouse labourer".

James attended Wateringbury School and apart from his entry on the school's list of WWI dead the only known school records of him are one from the School log 1898-June 20th:

"In spite of my efforts to do away with habits of cheating & copying there are still many boys especially in Std IV given to this bad habit. Several boys were punished for this on Friday & I spoke to the boys again on the matter, but notwithstanding James Wells (Std IV) was again guilty of copying & I therefore caned him & kept him in school during the dinner hour."

and from the school log of 1900-May7th

"Punished J. Wells for bad language in the dinner-hour. The first case I have had for a very long time."

By 1901 the family had expanded with two daughters and another son and they had moved to Broomscroft Cottages, Canon Lane where they had 4 rooms and James was at age of 13 had evidently left school and is described as an "ordinary agricultural labourer" like his father.

By 1911 there were a further 3 children, two sons and a daughter. The 1911 census shows Isabel had 11 children of whom 3 had died by 1911. But James had left home by then and had enlisted in the 1st Battalion RWK and was located at Bordon Barracks in Hampshire. His military record is not available but by the time of his death he was in the 2nd Battalion RWK. The 2nd Battalion was based in India before the war but had been moved to Iraq early in 1915.

Britain had captured Baghdad in March 1917 but the 2nd Battalion RWK were not involved. They were moved to Baghdad from Nasiyra (or Nasiriyah, on the Euphrates some 225 miles to the SE of Baghdad) in mid-June. The battalion is recorded by the RWK's historian Captain C.T. Atkinson as having a an uneventful 1917. The Commonwealth War Graves Commision shows the date of James' death as 11th July, the height of summer, in Iraq. He is buried in Baghdad North Gate Cemetery along with 4,160 other Commonwealth WW1 casualties and a further 2,729 unidentified soldiers.

His service number was L8285 and he remained a private after at least 6 years in the army.

News of his death reached home quickly as on 5th August 1917 the parish magazine reported

" Evensong was preceded by a Memorial Service for Private James Edward Wells, Royal West Kent Regiment, who died of heat-stroke in Mesopotamia on July 11th, and for Private Albert Thomas Herbert, Duke of Connaught's Light Infantry, killed in action at Guillemont, Sept. 3rd, 1916, reported missing till last month."