Name
James Wells
15 December 1885
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/05/1916
30
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Leading Stoker
K/15248
Royal Navy
H.M.S. "Queen Mary."
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Navy Star, British War Medal and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
Panel 17
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary's Church Memorial, Apsley End,
Not on the Tring memorials
Pre War
James Wells was born on 15 December 1885 in Tring, the son of John and Elizabeth Wells and the youngest child of twelve children.
His father died in 1889 aged 56 or 57, leaving his mother to care for the family alone.
On the 1891 Census he was living with his widowed mother and four siblings at 26 Henry Street, Tring where his widowed mother was looking after her family of five children, no occupation was given for her but the older siblings, Emma and William were working. His sister, Emma, aged 26, was working as a general domestic servant and his brother, William was an omnibus driver, and they were providing the only income for the household. Sister Annie, aged 10 and brother Sidney, aged 8 were at school with James.
By the time of the 1901 Census, James was the only child living at home with his mother at 38 Charles Street, Tring, when he was working as a Carter on a Farm.
By the 1901 Census, James was the only child at home with his 60 year old mother. They were living at 33 Charles Street, Tring and he was working as a Carter on a Farm.
James then moved to Apsley to work as a Groom and was living there when his mother died in early 1907 aged 66. He then decided to join the Royal Navy and enlisted on 18 October 1907 for a term of five years.
He gave his date of birth as 15 December 1887, rather than the true date of 1885, making his age 20 rather than 22, and was sent to HMS Nelson for basic training as a Stoker 2nd Class. He was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in June 1912 at which time he signed on for seven more years and was transferred to Victory II. After two months he joined the HMS Queen Mary as Leading Stoker in September 1914.
He married Kathleen Young on 23 January 1915 at the Register Office in Portsmouth, Hants. She later lived at 63 Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
Naval records confirm his marriage and she was living at 63 Apsley End, at the time of his death.
Wartime Service
James was already a serving seaman at the outbreak of war, having served on the Queen Mary from 4 September 1913 as a Stoker, progressing to Leading Stoker on her, as HMS Queen Mary, 8 July 1915.
He first saw action as part of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron when HMS Queen Mary was engaged in attempting to intercept the German Navy which had attacked the towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December 1914 resulting in 593 casualties and 137 deaths.
James was killed in action, aged 30, whilst serving on board the HMS Queen Mary in the Battle of Jutland which began on 31 May 1916. HMS Queen Mary was hit first by the German Battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz and twice more by SMS Derfflinger. Queen Mary's magazine exploded and the ship sunk in six minutes. James was one of 1266 crew who were lost. Only 18 crewmen survived, the majority being picked up by British destroyers and two by German ships.
His body was not recovered for burial and his name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild. www.hemelheroes.com., www.hemelatwar.org., www.dacorumheritage.org.uk
