Private. D Company, 1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment.
Regimental numbers 1548 and 59289.
Early life:
James was born in Hull on 6th July 1894. His parents were James Turnbull and Ada Turnbull née Langley, who were married at Hull the previous year. His father James was a tanner and James would follow in his footsteps into the same trade.
He was one of four children in the 1901 census when they were living at 26, South Parade, Kingston Upon Hull. Apart from six year old James, they were Wilson aged five, Elsie aged three and George aged two.
By the time of the 1911 census they had moved to Keighley and their father James was employed as a tanner and currier, Their home was at 3, Marlow Street, Dalton Lane in Keighley. James senior was 39 and Ada was 37. They had been married for 18 years and had 8 children, 7 of whom were still living. They were James aged 16 and a tanner’s labourer; Wilson aged 15 and a setter in a worsted mill; Elsie aged 13 and a spinner in a worsted mill, George aged 12 and a scholar and part time doffer in a worsted mill. Henry was aged 9, Ada aged 7 and Lucy was just 6 months old.
James married Emma Elizabeth Murgatroyd at St. Mary’s Church, Eastwood on 3rd October 1914. He was just 20 and Emma was the same age. James was described as a bachelor and labourer living at 8, Marlow Street and Emma was a spinster and living at 12, Marlow Street.
War service:
James was already serving in the Territorial Army and had enlisted with them on 23rd March 1911 (Probably the 3rd or the 6th Battalion, West Riding Regiment at Keighley). He was called up early in the war and served with the 1/6th Battalion, West Riding Regiment.
He is listed in the Keighley Town Clerk’s 1914 enlistments record and also Keighley’s Gallant Sons which is a separate list of early volunteers, published in the Bradford Daily Telegraph in 1915.
James and Ada had a daughter named Winnie, who was born on 12th January 1915 with her birth being registered at Keighley in the first quarter of the year.
James was listed in the nominal roll for the 1/6th Battalion which went out to France in early 1915, landing there on the 14th of April.
Extracted from the war diary WO 95_2801_1 – Apr to Dec 1915
July 1915:
The battalion was serving in the trenches at the Yser Canal Bank, North of Ypres. This was varied by stints at Elverdinghe Chateau, Hull, Sarragossa, Pelissier and Modder Farms,
The next couple of months were a period of mutual attrition, which were spent enduring enemy artillery and bombing attacks. These were returned of course but it was a stationary fight with no movement of the front lines. Several men were wounded and killed during these periods. When not in the trenches they were in divisional reserve when it was of course rather quieter.
At the Divisional rest Camp, they were inspected by General Sir Herbert Plumer KCB, commanding 2nd Army on 1st September, he was accompanied by General H. Mends (secretary West Riding County Association) and Lord Scarborough, (Chairman of the West Riding County Association and Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire.)
This was followed a few days later by an inspection by Lt. General Sir J. L. Kier KCB, commanding Fourth Corps but for this the men remained in the camp lines and were inspected there.
The battalion remained in the same trench positions throughout September and October with the usual periods as reserves in the rest camps, having been relieved mostly by the 1/7th Battalion West Riding Regiment. Occasionally they suffered prolonged heavy bombardments causing a lot of trench damage and casualties which included a number of men from the Keighley area.
A number of drafts of men were added to the battalion strength during this period, mostly coming in groups of between twenty and thirty NCOs and men.
On the 27th October a selected number of 1/6th Battalion officers and men were inspected by His Majesty The King, although Sgt Rowland Hill was not named in the lists.
By the end of October they were serving in the trenches at ‘The Farms’ and suffering occasional casualties from snipers and artillery attacks.
By mid November 1915, the weather and bombardments having causing several parapet slippages, the men had to endure waist deep water and mud, many suffering from trench foot. Platoons were relieved every 24 hours with hot meals being served but the conditions appear to have been awful and regular changes of socks were mentioned in the war diary pages. Some men suffered from pneumonia and had to be evacuated.
The battalion was located at ‘Farms’ a general location to the North of Ypres and West of the Yser Canal. On the 26th of November he suffered a gun shot wound in the right hand and was named in the Battalion war diary, dated 26th November 1915. The text of the war diary on the day he was wounded reads:
WO-95/2801/1. 1/6th Battalion West Riding war diary:
TRENCHES. 26/11/1915:
Wind NE. Situation quiet. Germans from noise, appear to be very busy working on their front line.
Very little sniping or rifle fire, artillery and trench mortars active, aeroplanes of both sides active.
Casualties:-
7.15 am: No. 1548. Private J. Turnbull, D Company. Bullet wound right hand, in sap 35.
8.45 am: No. 3131. Private W. J. Morrison, D Company, killed bullet wound in head in F34.
SFM Capt.[initialled]
Note: Private W. J. Morrison was also from Keighley. His story is linked from his name above.
He was treated and transferred to the 25th (Works) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry which was a works battalion and they remained in England throughout the war, eventually becoming the 7th Labour Battalion of the Labour Corps.
He was then transferred to the ‘W’ Army Reserve and sent back to civilian life. This reserve was for men whose civilian occupation was considered to be more important to the war effort than serving in the Army, but they could still be recalled to the colours if required. He was issued with a Silver War Badge (no. 400653) and discharged on 2nd April 1918 at the age of 24. As James was a tanner by trade, he would have been working in the production of leather goods, probably for the Army, for example, leather horse tack, saddlery and other equipment.
James was admitted to Keighley War Hospital on 14th April 1919 and discharged from Army service nine days later on 23rd April. He stayed in ward N and was described as ‘W’ for wounded and this was just a short stay, perhaps for further treatment and examination of his hand before discharge.
The Blighty wound:
James’s initial wound was not serious enough to kill him but it meant that for him, the war was over. He’d got a ‘Blighty One’ which meant his wound was significant enough to send James home for good and may have even saved his life.
The famous singer of the time Vesta Tilley, sang about getting a Blighty wound in 1919 and you can listen to it here: Vesta Tilley, ‘A Bit of a Blighty One.’
Post war:
They had another daughter Lily, who was born on 26th April 1919 and her birth was registered in Keighley in the second quarter of the year.
James was issued with a weekly allowance from the Army due to his disability and it was acknowledged as attributable to the war with a 60% degree of disablement, entitling him to an allowance for himself of 24s per week and 10s 6d for his wife and children. This ran from 31st March to 1st June 1920 and then 2nd June to 31st May 1921. On 1st June 1921 his disablement was reassessed to 40% and his allowance reduced accordingly to 16s per week and 7s per week. This ran until 29th May 1923 and a further period until 27th May 1924 when it appears to have stopped. There are further annotations running up to 1929 but no amounts indicated.
James received medals for his war service. These were the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal; and the Victory Medal.
In the 1921 census James aged 26, Emma aged 26 and their two daughters Winnie aged six and Lily aged one were living at 4, Cobden Street in Keighley and he was employed as a foundry labourer for Walter Slingsby and Sons who made malleable and cast pipe and fittings on Woodhouse Road, Keighley.
Their daughter Joyce was born in 1925, Registered at Keighley in the third quarter of the year.
Their daughter Audrey was born in 1932, registered at Keighley in the first quarter of the year.
In the 1939 register James and Emma were living at 24, Cedar Street off Hainworth Wood Road, Keighley. James was a social club steward and Emma was on domestic duties (unpaid.) There are two redacted entries for their address which are likely to be the youngest two girls, Joyce and Audrey. Their other two daughters Winnie were by now married and had moved out of the family home. Winnie Arkwright was living at 26, Broughton Grove and Lily Best was living at 40, Mornington Street.
We could not find a definitive death record for James but he may the James Turnbull who died aged 59 in 1953 with a date of birth of 1894. The registration being in Bradford in the third quarter of the year.
James’s wife Emma Elizabeth Turnbull died at the age of 99 in 1993. Her death was registered in Keighley in August of that year.
Information sources:
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
1921 England Census.
1939 England and Wales Register.
West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1840-1962.
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
Silver War Badge Records, 1914-1920.
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
Keighley Town Clerk’s 1914 enlistment registers at Keighley Library.
Keighley’s Gallant Sons at Keighley Library.
Keighley War Hospital Register at Keighley Library.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.
England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2023.
1939 England and Wales Register.
The Long, Long, Trail website.
