(Words and Pictures kindly donated and reproduced with permission by Mr Jeffrey James)

2220 Private George Francis James

 

My Father ( who was born in 1894) enlisted in the 1st Battalion  Monmouthshire regiment in 1914 (August/September?). His number was 2220. He embarked for France with the battalion in February 1915. He was wounded on the 8th May during very heavy fighting at Frezenburg Ridge (2nd Ypres). His wound in 1915 could not have been serious as he continued with the battalion until 1918. He told me he went to Egypt with the battalion. He was badly wounded in 1918 - I remember deep holes in one of his legs and he carried shrapnel fragments around with him for the rest of his life - this was the end of his military service. It is said that he was picked up by his uncle Capt. Edgar James MC ( who was also enlisted as a private soldier in 1914) who took him to an American Field Medical station.

 
In the post war period ( at some time he returned to a military hospital for further treatment) he served an apprenticeship as a carpenter in Merthyr  - I believe this was under a government supported scheme. He married Florence Murphy on 26th July 1924
 
There were three children - one died in childhood.
 
George James worked as a carpenter in the building trade for the rest of his life.
During the 1930’s he worked in London. During the second world war he again worked in London - repairing bomb damage. He did not retire he was still working in 1969 when he became ill. He died on December of that year.
 
 
In the above photograph he is seated in the front row at the far right.
In this photograph with nurses he is in the front row third from the right.
Below he is front row extreme right
I have also attached a photograph of a regimental reunion which must have taken place in the mid to late 1960's - my father is the man in the foreground facing the camera. NB the copyright of this photograph is owned by the South Wales Argus.
George's Medal Index Card
'Gone but not forgotten'