234196 Pte. James Thomas Clee MSM.British Army 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment from:Bradley, Bilston James Clee was a serving member of the South Staffordshire Regiment when war broke out, stationed in South Africa. He arrived in France in October 1914. He was an army boxer and won many boxing medals in service. James survived a gas attack in the early part of the war and this affected him greatly in his later years. He was machine gunned in his leg and captured by Germans, not sure when but think it was during the battle of the Somme in 1916. German doctors inserted metal plates into his leg which saved him losing it.He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, in May 1919, for devotion of duty and valuable services rendered whist a prisoner of war, as recorded in the London Gazette, January 1920, as well as the Pip, Squeak and Wilfred medals. (British War Medal, The Victory Medal and The 1914 Star). After the war he returned to Bradley, Bilston, then part of Staffordshire, but because of injuries sustained from the war was never able to work properly again. James died from lung problems in 1949 aged 55 years.
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