Name
James Colclough
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
9292
Royal Dublin Fusiliers
2nd Battalion
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Abbots Langley memorials Not on the Leavesden Green memorials
Biography
James Colclough was born on 5th September 1888 at Clapton, Middlesex. He was one five children born to Robert and Thirza Colclough (three sons and two daughters. By the time of the 1891 Census the family was recorded living at 160 Tewkesbury Road, Tottenham where Robert worked as a General Labourer. It appears that the family may have moved regularly as in 1880 a son was born at Aldershot, and in 1884 another son was born at Birmingham, and a daughter was born in 1887 in Ireland.
In the 1901 Census the family was recorded living at the Keepers Lodge, Home Park, Hampton Wick, where Robert was employed as the Park Keeper. On 27th January 1905 James enlisted at London with the British Army and joined the 5th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. At the time of the 1911 Census he was registered serving with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in Ceylon.
When War was declared on 4th August 1914, James had left the Army, and was employed as an Asylum Attendant at the Leavesden Asylum. He was recorded in the Leavesden Parish Magazine in October 1914, shown working at the Asylum and it was also noted that he was a Reservist. As a reservist he would have been mobilised immediately War was declared.
He re-joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (RDF) and was posted to the 2nd Battalion and mobilised at Harrow before arriving at Boulogne on 22nd August to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The German Army had advanced rapidly through Belgium and northern France, and the BEF was rushed forward to try to stem the tide. On 24th August the RDF was taken by train to the village of Le Cateau, and marched north-westwards towards Cambrai. Two days later, on 26th August, the battalion was surrounded by the on-rushing German Army, and out-numbered by three to one. Many men, including James Colclough were cut-off and taken prisoner on 27th August, and subsequently spent four years in captivity at Limburg in Germany.
James was released soon after the Armistice on 11th November 1918, and in December of the same year married Florence Webb at Kingston.
Additional Information
Prisoner of War
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org, Cavan McDonald
