James Garnett

James Garnett was born into an impoverished family in Bolton, Lancashire, in 1881. By the time he was just five-years old he had lost both of his cotton-mill working parents, his mother and father died within three months of each other.

His elder sister Eliza Jane, eighteen years his senior took James and his other sister Nancy to live with her own poverty stricken family. Tragically, Eliza died in her late 20’s when James was just 11-years old. It was then up to Nancy four years his senior to look after him, the devoted young brother and sister, still both children, had to fend for themselves until Nancy lied about her age to get married.

As soon as he could James joined the Militia, the fore-runner of the Territorial Army, now the Army Reserve in his mid-teens. At eighteen he joined the Regular Army in 1899. James went on to serve in China and India until he was time-discharged after eight years, he remained for a further four years on the reserve. From 1907 to 1914 James, a real character was well-known in his home town, he worked on the market selling fruit and vegetables and also as a door-to-door salesman. Whenever he could, he helped poor people by giving them free food, he never forgot his own experiences of poverty.

In 1914, James, the experienced soldier, didn’t hesitate to join up at the beginning of WW1. By January 1915 he was in France on the Western Front in the trenches and fought in a number of bloody battles. James was seriously wounded, he suffered a gun shot wound to the head that partially blinded him. Despite this huge setback, the Army retained James to take up another role.

James became a mentor to young conscripts within a training battalion as the war was coming to its bloody end. The boys looked upon him as an Uncle, they revered him as he took away their fears. During this part of his active service he developed the deadly disease Pulmonary Tuberculosis. The Army officially discharged James on a short-term six months pension as they knew and he knew he wasn’t going to survive.

In scenes of abject poverty and destitution in the only lodgings he could find and after the expiry of his pension, James died alone with his devoted sister Nancy at his side as he took his last breath. He was taken away and without ceremony was placed in a communal, unmarked paupers’ grave that was given no headstone.

James died as a result of disease contracted whilst on active service for his King and country, he is therefore entitled to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. The evidence we have is overwhelming. James Garnett who never asked for anything but gave everything he had awaits this final act of dignity. His case now lies in the trusted hands of the CWGC.