207200 Pte. James Wilson British Army 4th Battalion The Royal Fusiliers from:Bromley-by-Bow, London (d.11 Nov 1914) James was born in Gale Street, Poplar, East London, which was not a nice place in 1884. He came from a poor family who had just arrived from Liverpool, his father Edward a Galvanized Roofer and his Mother Mary.
In 1901, James was incarcerated under Reformatory Act Victoria 29-30 on the Reformatory ship "TS Cornwall" which was moored off the River Thames at Purfleet, West Thurrock, Essex. On his release he joined the 2nd Battalion of the London Regiment and served in Jubbulpore, Central Province, India.
At the outbreak of the First World War, James returned and was sent to France as part of the BEF II Corp, 3rd Division, 9th Brigade, 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers. He fought at Mons before arriving at Ypres. He was on the front line on the Menin Road when the German 4th Guard Grenadiers attacked on what became known as the Battle of Nonne Boschen Wood in the First Battle of Ypres. James was killed during the main attack which overwhelmed the 4th's lines on the 11th November 1914. As with many that day, his body was never found and his name appears on the Menin Gate Panel 6 and 8. His medal card states that his father requested his 1914 Star.
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