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James Atkinson served initially as a Private in the 5th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment and was wounded in action, in 1916 at the Somme in France, which cost him the sight of one eye. Unfit for frontline duties he was then transferred to the Army Labour Corps as a Private. He was awarded the War and Victory Medals. James' brothers, Albert and Arthur, also served in the army during the war.
James was born in Beverley on 13 Nov 1884 and baptised in St. Marys church. His father James Atkinson of Beverley married Elizabeth Hullock. Arthur had three brothers: Charles, James and Albert and two stepsisters. The family lived in Beverley but had spent a short time in Leeds.
On the death of his father in 1888 his mother remarried to John W Lawson of Little Weighton, and had three further children George, John and Robert. The family are recorded as living at Hind's Yard, Keldgate in the 1891 census and then Meaux in 1895 and Thixendale in 1901.
James was a farm worker, he was briefly a regular soldier in 1902 when he enlisted in the 3rd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment at Beverley but bought himself out after only 76 days service. He then became an industrial manual worker and in 1911 was recorded as a "mill hand at an oil and cake manufacturer". On 31 May 1908 he married Ethel Marrett Britton at St Mary's Church. They moved to the Beckside area in 1908 and in 1911 were living at 3 Foster's Yard, Beckside. They had five children: Stanley,Lillian, Amy, Olive and James. Moving to 42 Conington Avenue in Beverley.
Despite his war injury James continued to do manual jobs and the 1939 census notes that he was employed at a Whiting Works as a "heavy labourer". His daughter, Amy was employed as a "wire rope machinist" and Olive was a wire winder. James, his son was an apprentice bricklayer.
James died on 5 August 1961 at Westwood Hospital in Beverley
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |