|
|
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Site Home
Help & FAQs
Features
Submissions
Information
Advertisements
World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
James Serginson Kirkby
British Army 1/5th Btn. King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment
(d.3rd May 1915)
James Kirkby was born and enlisted in Carnforth. He died on 3 May 1915 whilst serving with the 5th King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment.The Lancaster Observer of the 14th of May 1915 reported on page 5: "Kirkby J S Sergeant 5th Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment killed in action 3 May, 1915. Secretary of Carnforth F C, and Carnforth Cricket Club and a member of the church choir and Choral Society. First Non-Commissioned Officer in Carnforth to be killed."
Extract from the Battalion War Diary: 3rd May 1915 Frezenberg, Heavily shelled. C Coy in the morning sent to support Rifle Brigade. Lost heavily from shell fire and got held up. Proceeded on left on road. B Coy attached to East Yorks and York & Lancs in afternoon. Proceeded on right of road via Zonnebecke. Got close to trenches laid down and waited for dark. After dark ordered to dugouts as trenches were to be evacuated.
Lancaster Observer of the 14 May 1915 also reported "Private Tom Ryan writing to Mrs Watson of North Road, Carnforth, states that Sgt James Kirby had been killed and his brother Sgt H H Kirby wounded in the head. He also said that Private J Watson, Mrs Watson's husband had again been wounded in the right hand after being wounded in the head on Apr 13; he had only just returned to the firing line.
In a letter to Sgt Kirby's sister at 93 Market Street, Sgt W Simpson, whose home is at Crag Bank confirmed that Sgt Kirby had been killed; he had carried Jim back and buried him in the corner of a small churchyard.
A letter had been received from Sgt Kirby that, on the Sunday before he was killed they were to come out of the trenches and not going in again. Several interesting letters had been received from Sgt Kirby and published in the Observer. He was a prominent footballer and had figured prominently at half back for Lancaster, Carnforth and the Warton elevens. Writing from Ypres to Kirby's sister, Captain Evans said: " . . . . Sgt Kirby was killed whilst assisting in an advance by the Rifle Brigade who were in sore need of help. At the moment of his death he had been treating a wounded comrade; he had been hit in the neck by a shell and had died instantaneously. Colonel Lord Richard Cavendish has asked me to express his deepest sympathy. I cannot express to you any words which measure our sorrow at the loss of a true comrade, hero and friend. We laid him to rest in a soldiers grave in Verlorenbock; the Colonel said a service. It must be some consolation to you that he gave his life to save you all at home from the horrors of this sorrowing land.""
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
The Wartime Memories Project Website
is archived for preservation by the British Library
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.
