James William's Story.
James originated from Edgeley and his parents lived at York Street. He had served as a regular soldier, seeing action in South Africa, during the Boer War. After leaving the army, he returned to Stockport and married. He lived with his wife and child at 40 Yule Street, Edgeley. Shortly before war was declared, he had started working as an inspector for the National Amalgamated Approved Society and, before that, had worked as an agent for the Refuge Assurance Co. His original service number, 1814, confirms he was a pre-war member of the Territorial Army and would have been mobilised in August 1914. In mid-1917 he was awarded the Military Medal for "gallantry in the field", but details of his act of bravery are not recorded. On 31 July, he took part in the attack on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele. Afterwards, James was posted as "missing". It was not until May 1918, that the War Office confirmed to his widow that he must be presumed to have been killed. His body was never found and identified.