Name: James Trainor1
Rank: Private
Unit/Regiment: 10th Battalion, The King’s Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry)2
Service Number: 10926
Date of Death: 3 July 1916
Cemetery: Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt – L’Abbe, Somme
James Trainor (I will use the St Mary’s War Memorial spelling) was born in Batley on 13 May 1894, the eldest son of John and Bridget Trainor.
It was a colourful family background, with James’ County Mayo-born mother serving a prison sentence at Wakefield whilst pregnant with him for stealing a woollen handkerchief from a Batley draper’s shop just before the Christmas of 1893.3
Then in July 1894, a little over two months after James’ birth, she was back in Wakefield prison serving a one-month sentence after being found guilty of stealing two pairs of boots from Alfred Shaw’s boot dealer’s shop on Commercial Street. They had been hung up on display outside his shop when they went missing. The next time Mr Shaw saw the boots they were on the feet of Bridget’s two daughters.4 Aware that Bridget had a very young child, namely James, Mr Shaw did not wish to press the case. The magistrates took this into account when sentencing her.
These were only a couple of the string of offences committed by her, several of which resulted in spells in prison – mainly because she could not pay the fines imposed. These started after her marriage to John Trainor. John ended up in prison a few times too for various misdemeanours, including debt.
Bridget Collins, as she was, married John Trainor at St Mary’s church on 17 October 1885. John came from Batley, though spent some of his early years in Liverpool and Chorlton-on-Medlock, before the family finally returned to the Yorkshire mill town. However in 1877 he joined the army, serving until 11 October 1885. He then went on the Reserve, coming home to Batley to marry Bridget days later.
The following October the first of the Trainor’s seven children was born, a daughter named Ellen. In April 1888 they had another daughter, Mary. And later that year both John and Bridget ended up in prison. At this stage the family lived at Newsome’s Fold, one of the yards off Commercial Street, the same yard where John’s sisters and mother had homes. Their imprisonment came as a result of a long-running family squabble during which John accused his mother and married sister, Mary Gavaghan, of trying to set him against Bridget, who they called “an Irish Grecian.”5 As a result John knocked Mary to the ground, and the dispute spilled over with Bridget assaulting John’s other married sister, Ann Kelly, and throwing a can full of dirt and stones through her window.6
Less than a year later Bridget was back in prison for what was termed as “a cowardly assault” on a partially sighted youth, Simpson Gomersal. Bridget – who stood at a shade over 5 feet – was found guilty of striking him with a prop, whilst another youth hit him around his mouth. The provocation, if reports are to be believed, seemed to be Gomersal suffering a nose-bleed outside Bridget’s house.7
John and Bridget’s next daughter Kate Ann, born in February 1890, only survived for three weeks. Their next daughter, Kate, was born just before Christmas 1891. Followed by James in 1894, by which time the family had moved to Spa Street. Two more sons followed – John in November 1896 and William Edward in January 1899. He died in March 1900, when the family lived at Ambler Street. They were here in the 1901 census.
This census records John working as a mason’s labourer, having previously been employed as a collier and rag grinder. John had also undertaken bar work at the Commercial Inn on Commercial Steet; and, in another sideline which landed him into trouble, he kept an unregistered lodging house described as “a common place of call for tramps”.8
The 1901 census records no occupation for Bridget. However, in 1891 she worked as a rag picker, and this is the occupation given for her in her prison records, including in 1907. She died in April 1909, by which time the Trainor family were living at 17 Spa Street.
The 1911 census also records the family at this address. By now James had left school and worked in the coal mining sector as a hurrier. Subsequent sources name his employers at Messrs. Critchley’s Batley Colliery. However, by 1912 when he enlisted in the Army, he worked in the goods yard at Batley Railway Station. Outside work he was a member of Batley’s United Irish Land League Club.9
James served in the Army as a Private for about a year before the outbreak of war.10 There is some confusion around when he first went out to the Western Front. His medal records indicate 14 November 1914. Newspapers though put the date as far earlier, stating he went to the Front 10 days after the outbreak of war and was wounded in the retreat from Mons, and again in the Battle of the Aisne.11 James did initially serve with the 2nd King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI), and they were amongst the first troops into France, landing at Le Havre, on 16 August 1914. From there they went on to take part in the retreat from Mons and the Battle of the Aisne, all of which took place in August and September 1914. This would seem to tally with the newspaper report.
However, there is a further newspaper contradiction as to when and where he was wounded in the early days of the war, putting the date of his first wound as October 1914. Note though even in this report the timing of him being overseas pre-dates his officially recorded entry into a theatre of war. The source for this information comes on 5 April 1915 when James appeared before Batley magistrates charged with being an absentee from the 2nd KOYLI at Pontefract since 2 April. The report reads:
He explained that he was first wounded last October, and after a period at home he was sent back to the Front in February, and returned to this country five weeks ago, He added that he had been treated like a dog, and was refused permission to leave the barracks, but came home for a change of clothing.12
James then uttered what perhaps were prophetic words, exclaiming:
If they can’t do anything for us now God help us when the war is over.13
The magistrates clearly had some sympathy. The Bench said they had no alternative but to order him to await an escort. But they also promised the substance of his defence would be reported to the military authorities at Pontefract.
A newspaper report in 1916 also indicates James was wounded twice more. The paper appears to point to the fourth occasion being a serious wound to his body which resulted in James being treated at the 2nd Northern General military hospital, based at Beckett’s Park, in the Headingley area of Leeds.14 But again it pays to caution about the muddled reporting regarding James given one piece says he died at Beckett’s Park Hospital.15 In fact after being successfully treated in Leeds he did return to the Front for a fourth time on New Year’s Day, 1916.
In addition to the 2nd KOYLI, James also served during the war with the 1st KOYLI and finally the 10th KOYLI.
It was whilst with this latter battalion he received his fatal wounds. It is not definitive exactly when James sustained these injuries. However the battalion took part in the Battle of the Somme, and it is likely they occurred on the opening day, 1 July 1916, when James was believed to be serving alongside another St Mary’s parishioner, Private James Garner.
That day the 10th KOYLI were involved in the attack towards Fricourt, as part of the 21st Division’s 64 Infantry Brigade. The 10th KOYLI led the 64th Brigade assault.
The Unit War Diary of the day reports in bland terms that they left the trenches at 7.30am, took Crucifix Trench that morning and held it until early the next when they were relieved by the 1st Lincolns.16 The casualty figures in the margin of the diary for the day give more of a clue to the horrors of the engagement – nine officers killed and 16 wounded; 50 other ranks killed, 292 wounded and 135 missing.17 On the 2 July they moved to Sausage support trench and the following day they moved back to Dernacourt, arriving about midnight, where they bivouaced for the night. No casualties are recorded for these two days.18
James died on 3 July 1916 at the 36th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) based at Heilly, on the Somme, about 2 kilometres south-west of the village Mericourt-l’Abbe, and 12 kilometres south-west of the town of Albert. CCSs were part of the evacuation chain for wounded and sick soldiers. Initially the soldier would receive medical attention at the Aid and Bearer Relay Posts, before transfer to Field Ambulance, a mobile medical unit. These established the Main and Advanced Dressing Stations where the casualty was evaluated and further treatment given. From here, if possible the man returned to their unit after receiving quick treatment, or if more serious they were evacuated further down the line to the CCS, manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps. The CCS would be the first large, well-equipped and static medical facility the wounded soldier would receive treatment in. Once here the casualty required a rapid assessment and turn over to ensure the CCS did not clog up. So the serious cases would remain if they were unfit to travel; minor cases who could be very quickly dealt with were treated until they were fit to return to their unit; or the other men were evacuated to a Base Hospital, usually by rail via the Ambulance Train. These large Base Hospitals in France and Belgium tended to be on the coast and near ports in order to easily transport the wounded back to Britain for longer-term treatment if necessary. The efficient functioning of all elements, including as we shall see the Ambulance Trains, was vital.
Some sense of the pressure 36th CCS was under during the first three days of the Battle of the Somme can be gauged from their Unit War Diary entries. On 21 June 1916, prior to the battle, the diary contained an entry stating “Admissions averaging 70 per diem.”19 In contrast, ten days later on 1 July – the opening day of the Battle of the Somme – the entry read:
38 C.C.S. who had been dealing with the first rush of lightly wounded rapidly filled and 1005 wounded men admitted….The Ambulance Trains were not arriving at all regularly or punctually, and during the night the C.C.S. accommodation being over taxed, the D.M.S.20 closed the Heilly C.C.S. and the cases went to CORBIE.21
On 2 July 1,533 wounded were admitted to 36th C.C.S. and on 3 July the numbers were down to 478 British and 24 Germans.22
James was amongst those who did not make it beyond the 36th CCS. He died of wounds there on 3 July 1916 and is buried in Heilly Station Cemetery. The CWGC website points out:
The burials in this cemetery were carried out under extreme pressure and many of the graves are either too close together to be marked individually, or they contain multiple burials. Some headstones carry as many as three sets of casualty details, and in these cases, regimental badges have had to be omitted.23
James’ headstone is shared with a Corporal from the East Yorkshire Regiment who died the same day. Because only two men are here their regimental badges do feature.
James was awarded the 1914 Star with Clasp, Victory Medal and British War Medal. In addition to St Mary’s, he is also remembered on Batley’s town War Memorial.
One postscript to James’ biography is the posthumous birth of his son, James. Conceived on James’ final stay in Batley, and named in his honour, James Riding was born on 7 September 1916. Annie Riding, the baby’s mother, was the sister of James’ brother-in-law Charlie Riding. There was to be no happy ending though. James Trainor was not to live on through his son. Three-year-old James Riding died in 1920.
Footnotes:
1. Trainor is the St Mary’s War Memorial spelling. Elsewhere, including military records, the Trainer spelling is used.
2. The C.W.G.C. record his unit as 11th K.O.Y.L.I. This Battalion did not serve overseas. His military records show he served with the 2nd, 1st and 10th K.O.Y.L.I., and it appears he was with the 10th when he suffered his fatal wounds.
3. Batley News, 29 December 1893 and Batley Reporter and Guardian, 30 December 1893.
4. Batley News, 13 July 1894.
5. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 20 October 1888.
6 Ibid.
7. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 1 June 1889.
8. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 13 April 1889.
9. Batley News, 19 August 1916.
10. The service records for Private Robinson, Service Number 10925 show he enlisted in August 1913. This will be an accurate proxy in lieu of a service record for James. And will be more accurate than the newspaper piece in 1916 which said he enlisted in 1912.
11. Batley News, 19 August 1916.
12. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 9 April 1915.
13. Ibid.
14. Batley News, 19 August 1916.
15. Ibid.
16. 10th KOYLI Unit War Diary, WO 95/2162/2
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. 36th Casualty Clearing Station Unit War Diary, WO 95/344/8.
20. Director of Medical Services.
21. 36th Casualty Clearing Station Unit War Diary, WO 95/344/8
22. Ibid.
23. Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website, https://www.cwgc.org/.
Other Sources (not directly referenced):
• 1871 to 1921 England and Wales Censuses.
• Batley Cemetery Registers.
• British Army Service Records.
• Bond, Reginald C. History of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in the Great War, 1914-1918. London: P. Lund, Humphries, 1929.
• GRO Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes.
• The Long, Long Trail website.
• Medal Index Card.
• Medal Award Rolls.
• Newspapers, various.
• Parish Registers – various.
• Pension Index Cards and Ledgers.
• Prison Registers.
• Soldiers Died in the Great War.
• Soldiers’ Effects Registers.
PastToPresentGenealogy 