Prior to joining the Royal Naval Reserve James was with the Mercantile Marine. James died instantaneously when "H.M.S. Mavis" was struck by a German torpedo from U-boat UC29 in the English Channel. He was on watch at the time. The Mavis was damaged but not sunk. In his 18 months with the Navy two of the ships he served on were torpedoed. After the First World War, an appropriate way had to be found of commemorating those members of the Royal Navy who had no known grave, the majority of deaths having occurred at sea where no permanent memorial could be provided. An Admiralty committee recommended that the three manning ports in Great Britain - Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth - should each have an identical memorial of unmistakable naval form, an obelisk, which would serve as a leading mark for shipping. The memorials were designed by Sir Robert Lorimer, who had already carried out a considerable amount of work for the Commission, with sculpture by Henry Poole. The Chatham Naval Memorial was unveiled by the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII) on the 26th April 1924. See Newspaper clipping (1) for letters sent to James' mother from Buckingham Palace, Engineer Lieutenant W D Connelly and Assistant Paymaster Vyvian Coles. John's name on the Chatham Naval Memorial donated by Mick McCann at the British War Graves website who supply photos FREE OF CHARGE
here. He is also remembered on the Coatbridge Technical College, in the St. Augustine's Parish (book) and Stewarts and Lloyds Rolls of Honour (see photos). See photos for his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Chatham Naval Memorial, the Royal Naval Reserve Cap Badge and Newspaper clippings x 5 (Coatbridge Leader x 3 and the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 2).
