| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
James Melbourn was born in Beverley the 18 Nov 1882, one of eight children born to Isaac and Mary Melbourn (nee Tann), they married at St Mary’s Church on 14 May 1874. James was baptised there on Christmas Eve 1882. Isaac worked as a maltster’s labourer, their home was 14 Silvester Lane, Beverley. James became a farm waggoner and in the 1901 census was recorded as working at Leconfield Park, near Beverley. By 1911 he had moved back into Beverley and worked variously as a bricklayer’s labourer and as a rulleyman (carter). He was unmarried.
James enlisted in the Army at Bradford on 16 Jan 1915. He joined the Army Service Corps (Horse Transport Section) and served as a driver transporting food, supplies and equipment to front line. He remained in the UK until 10 Aug 1916 when he left Devonport on board the ship, Cestrian, bound for Salonika in Greece where he arrived on 23 Aug 1916, initially serving in 238 Company. James had two bad bouts of malaria in Aug 1917 and 1918 as well as emphysema, spending some time in hospital. James also had a number of disciplinary issues, including in Jul 1917, the “creating a disturbance in tent lines after lights out”. He was awarded the War and Victory Medals and returned to the UK via Marseilles and France in Sep 1919. He was given a pension of 5s 6d due to effects of malaria.
After the war James remained unmarried and continued to live in Silvester Lane, working as a general labourer. He died at the age of 63, in 1947
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |