2^nd Lieutenant Herbert James                                   

4^th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment

Herbert James was born at 11 Ingleby Street in Ladywood on 31^st October 1887 (not 1888 as often stated). His father, Walter James, was a Heraldic Engraver, originally from Coventry , with premises at 7 Warstone Lane for some thirty years. His mother’s name was Emily Hephzibah James (nee Danford) and she had come to Birmingham from Walsall . The James family appear on the 1891 Census living at 76 Three Shires Oak Road in Smethwick and are still there ten years later in 1901. The family by 1901 comprised of Walter (50), Emily (41) and their children Evelyn (15), Herbert (13), Beatrice (12) and Doris (5).  James attended nearby Bearwood Road School through infants and juniors before leaving to go to Smethwick Central (at Crockett’s Lane) where he took his advanced certificates of education. He left there to return to Bearwood Road (on 9^th March 1903)  where he worked as a Monitor and then as a Teaching Assistant.

After four years James left Bearwood Road School for a new position at Brasshouse Lane School . His last day at Bearwood was on 8^th November 1907 with a brief note from Headteache rMr Harris that: “Herbert James, who has transferred to Brasshouse Lane Boys, terminates his engagement here today”.  He was though thinking of changing his profession and fourteen months later, on 30^th April 1909 the logbook notes that “Mr H. James terminated his engagement today”.  One of his sisters later recalled this part of his life:

“After he left the Smethwick Central School , where he received his early education, it was decided that my brother should enter the scholastic profession. He became a teacher first at Bearwood Road School and then at Brasshouse Lane School; but he never seemed to care much for teaching. He seemed to be of a roving disposition, and wanted to go abroad; but his father did not wish him to do so. Things went on until he said that unless he was allowed to go abroad he should join the Army and one day he came home and said: “I have enlisted””. “We would not believe him until he convinced us by producing his papers”.  The family, not surprisingly, were extremely concerned by his decision but James assured them that: “I shall come out all right, you need not worry”.

So  he joined the 21^st Lancers at Canterbury as a private soldier. With the Lancers he served in Egypt for about three years and then onto India . During this period he became a keen language student and in fact won a £100 prize for his linguistic abilities. He had by 1914 risen to the rank of Lance-Corporal but once hostilities had commenced he received a further promotion to Lieutenant and a transfer to the 4^th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. Returning to England he underwent officer training before proceeding in April 1915 with the British Expeditionary Force to the Dardanelles . James was amongst the first to land on the Gallipoli beaches and on the second day after the landings he was wounded in the head and was sent to hospital on Malta for six weeks recuperation. He returned back to Gallipoli and the events which led to his award of the Victoria Cross.