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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Pte. James Rhodes
British Army 9th Btn Lancashire Fusiliers
from:Romiley, Cheshire
(d.5th Dec 1916)
James Rhodes was born in January 1892 in Bredbury, Cheshire to Catherine (nee Hunter), age 34, and Thomas Rhodes, age 30. James's father, Thomas, was a building contractor and publican. In 1911 James was 19 and worked as a boot-maker and clogger in Bredbury and, by the time he signed up, his family were resident at the Craven Heifer Inn. Catherine is known to have died on 24 May 1913, aged 56. Thomas died only a few days before his son, on 30 November 1916, aged 58. They are buried locally in St Chad’s Churchyard and their headstone also includes the inscription “In loving memory of James, their son, who was killed in action in France, Dec. 5th 1916, aged 24 years (at rest in a far off grave)â€.
James originally enlisted into the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (service number 22470). However, this does not appear on his medal entitlement records at the National Archives, confirming that he never served abroad with the KSLI. No doubt, he was transferred to the Fusiliers when he had completed his training.
After a period in reserve, the Fusiliers moved back into the front line near the French village of Thiepval on 1st of December 1916. The village was in the centre of the Somme battlefield that had been the scene of so much fighting throughout the summer and autumn. Eventually the British had made headway, but at a very high cost in lives and the major attacks had petered out in November. The Battalion’s War Diary for the 4th & 5th December records only “Quiet on our frontâ€. Quiet would always be a relative term and the British lines would always be subject to sniper and artillery fire. This day was no exception and eight men, including James, were killed.
James Rhodes is listed as a private in the 9th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers (37309) who was 'killed in action' in France and Flanders on 5 Dec 1916. The Division engaged in various actions on the Western Front including the capture of the Wundt-Werk (Wonder Work), the Battle of Flers-Courcelette and the Battle of Thiepval. James's body was not found and he is remembered by an inscription on the Thiepval Memorial.
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