236032 Pte. James Killeen British Army 2nd Btn. Coldstream Guards from:Birmingham (d.15th September 1914) When tracing my family history, I located this man, James Killeen, who was my great uncle. He died, aged 28 years, on 15th September 1914 during the Retreat from Mons whilst serving as a private with the Coldstream Guards. There's an old photograph somewhere in our family of a soldier in a red tunic. I have just a poor photograph of that photograph, and understand no one knew who he was. The configuration of the buttons on the tunic seems to indicate Coldstream Guards.
His age, home, city, address, date of death and marital status all matches. He was apparently married to a lady named Jane, but they had no children. I have no idea what happened to her, she's not known in our family, so far as I know.
James is buried in a church cemetery in the village of Soupir, in France, and I'll make sure I visit next year to pay my respects, take a photo and leave a tribute. I am left with an infinitely sad feeling that he's somehow managed to come home into our family memory after all these years. I am immensely grateful for his sacrifice, courage and our freedom. James won't be forgotten again, and I will research more and make sure of that. We will certainly remember James, and if I can locate the photograph I will try to upload. Additional Information: | Addendum:
I visited the following year, and found that James Killeen isn't buried in the Church yard as I believed, but in the village communal cemetery just a little distance away with a number of comrades from various regiments. All is well looked after by CWGC. I left flowers, a memoriam card, and some tears. I took a much better photo than others available, and anyone who wants is welcome to copy it.Dennis Killeen
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