James Ross was born on 26 April 1884, the son of John Ross (b.1852) and Ann Ross née Sweeney (b.1849).
He enlisted in the Northamptonshire Regiment and as his service number was 6525, it would mean that this would have occurred in 1900. Having served in a regiment that was posted abroad for a number of years, probably twelve - as no trace can be found of him on either the 1901 or the 1911 England and Wales census returns, he would have been discharged and placed into the Army Reserve.
He was appointed as a postman in November 1912 and on 21 December 1912 he married Edith Bullock (1886-1978) in the Parish Church of St Marylebone, Marylebone Road, Westminster, London, where in the marriage register he is shown as aged 28 years, a bachelor and a postman residing at 105 Lisson Grove, Marylebone, the son of John Ross, a tailor, whilst his wife is recorded as aged 25 years and a spinster, living at the same address, the daughter of James Bullock, a farmer.
Their daughter Dorris Edith Ross (1913-2008) was born on 12 November 1913 and when she was baptised on 15 February 1914 at St Mark's Church, Notting Hill, London, the baptismal register shows that the family was residing at 275 Cornwall Road, Notting Hill, and that his occupation was a postman.
On the outbreak of World War One he was recalled to his regiment and entered France on 12 September 1914. He was serving in his regiment's 1st Battalion when he was killed in action, aged 33 years, on 1 March 1918 and his body was buried in Plot 4, Row B, Grave 3, in the Duhallow ADS Cemetery, Diksmuidseweg, 8900 Ieper, Belgium. On 11 April 1918 his widow was sent his £94-6s-10d gratuity payment for his 5 years, 3 months Post Office service by Royal Mail. By 16 August 1918 his army effects totalling £9-3s-9d were also sent to his widow and on 3 December 1919 she was sent his £20-10s-0d war gratuity.
He was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star with the '5th Aug-22nd Nov 1914' Clasp, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is shown as 'ROSS, J.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website, on the A Street Near You website, on the London WW1 Memorial website, on the Royal British Legion's Every One Remembered website and on page 326 of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Remembrance 1914-1920.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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