Photo: James Pasby
M/279454 Private
J. Turner
Royal Army Service Corps
29th September 1919.
Jacky Cooper has provided the following:
James was the eldest child of Robert Turner and Isabella Ford who are thought to have married in Berwickshire around 1895. Robert was a joiner, and Isabella gave birth to James around 1896 in Coldingham, Berwickshire. The family was living in Coldingham in 1901 when the census was taken, and James had both a younger brother and sister. In 1904 when their next daughter was born Robert and Isabella were living in Byker, Newcastle, and they had moved to Dunston on Tyne by 1906 when Isabella gave birth to another son.
In 1911 the family was living at 19 Stephen Street (sic), Dunston on Tyne. Fifteen year old James had left school, and was working for a local builder as an apprentice joiner.
James enlisted in the army on 6 May 1912 as a territorial soldier. He was posted to 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and issued with service number 1344. In August 1914 the battalion was on summer camp in Wales when the order came to return home to prepare for war. There followed an extended period of training, including digging trenches in Gateshead. On the morning of 19 April 1915 the battalion entrained at Newcastle en route for Boulogne, and within the week the men were on the front line fighting in what became known as the 2nd Battle of Ypres.
The men would soon get used to the routine of being in the front line, in reserve and resting. Christmas 1915 passed by apparently unnoticed, and on New Year’s Eve they were in the trenches at Sanctuary Wood. The battalion war diary reports: ‘Being New Year’s Eve our artillery, machine guns and grenadiers ‘strafed’ the enemy at 10.55 PM and at 11.55 PM with apparently good effect they made no reply except with four bombs - one of which exploded in a Bay of B4 opposite the Birdcage and killed one man and wounded three others.’
The battalion remained in the Ypres Salient area until August, before moving south towards the fighting around the Somme. On 9 January James was transferred to Army Service Corps (ASC) and issued with the new service number M/279454. The M prefix in James’ service number tells us that he was in the Mechanical Transport section. It is not known whether his service in the ASC was at home or in France. The depots in England were used as transport hubs as well as for organising ammunition, ordnance and men. James spent the remainder of the war with the ASC, and was discharged unfit for further service on 25 June 1919. He had little more than three months after his discharge, and died on 29 September.
For his service to his country James earned the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
James's younger brother was accepted as a nominated immigrant in Australia in 1914, sailing to Queensland aboard SS Paparoa. He settled there, and on 7 November 1924 was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace. His youngest brother Robert sailed aboard SS Orsova arriving in Queensland on 24 November 1924. The rest of the family, who had still been living at 19 Stephenson Street, Dunston, also emigrated to Australia, leaving England aboard SS Hobsons Bay on 3 August 1926.
James Turner is remembered in Dunston on D38.07
