Heslop's Local Advertiser
Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
James Jordan was born at Felling, Gateshead, County Durham in 1893, one of 9 children of whom only 7 survived, he was the 2nd of 6 sons and a daughter. His father James Jordan Snr native of Hull, Yorkshire, born in 1868, married at Heworth in 1889 to Alice Burns a local girl born in 1870. James Snr was employed as a general labourer living at 10, Brewery Lane, Felling with his wife and newborn son in 1891. In 1901 the family moved to Middlesbrough just after the birth of their son Thomas, James Snr found employment at the chemical works. By 1911 James Snr had been joined by William (21) working for Sadlers Chemical Works and Tar Distillers, as did their lodger Thomas McCabe, whilst James Jnr (19) was an apprentice riveter at Harkness Ship Yard. His mother Alice Jordan nee Burns died in 1912 aged 43, his father remarried the following year to widow Harriet E Hayes who had 4 grown up children of her own.
James Jordan Jnr had returned to Felling and was living at 2, Simpson’s Buildings, Felling Shore, Gateshead with his sister Isabella Williamson, employed as a labourer, when war broke out. He enlisted at Gateshead December 30th 1914 assigned as Private 22710 Durham Light Infantry joining the Regiment at their barracks at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. January 19th 1915 he was attached to the 10th (Service) Battalion undergoing training at Woking in Surrey before transferring to Aldershot, February 1915.
May 21st 1915 attached to the 43rd Brigade, 14th (Light) Division the 10th Battalion sailed for France disembarking at Boulogne. Three weeks later they were in the front line just south of Ypres in Belgium where they suffered heavy casualties before being transferred to the Ypres salient itself. During the 2nd Battle of Ypres they successfully defended smashed trenches south of the Hooge in late July 1915, still filled with the dead from the previous day. In the fighting they lost 170 men killed or wounded and were attacked for the first time by flamethrowers. They remained on the Ypres salient for the remainder of 1915 participating in day to day trench warfare.
September 29th 1915 Private Jordan “B” Coy 10th Battalion was reported as missing, having last been seen September 23rd as he left with other bombers from the Battalion rest camp at Vlaamertinghe, his next of kin were informed and enquiries began as to his whereabouts. Several members of his regiment were interviewed as to the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Private 12523 J. Dagnall from the Reinforcement Camp at Etaples reported; “He went out with the bombers to make an attack. Then he was seen lying wounded against a crater. We went out to search for him afterwards, and found no trace of him. Our search was both by day and by night in the moonlight. The only way we can account for him is that he was killed by a shell in the meantime. He was in my Platoon and Section and I knew him well”. Another from Private 9917 P. Gallagher also at Etaples stated, “He was a bomber and went out on a bombing party at 4.30 in the morning. They finished about 8.00. I saw Jordan start out but he never returned and no one seemed to know what happened to him”. L/Cpl 12868 A. Bolam reported, “Just as we reached the German trench, a shell burst among my section, of which Private Jordan was one. Only three of us were untouched, Pte. Jordan was one of those hit by the shell, and has not been heard of since”. Detailed copies of the depositions were sent to James’s sister Isabella Williamson at Simpson’s Buildings.
In a letter dated May 11th 1916 the War Office concluded that the report into the death of Private Jordan had been accepted as sufficient evidence for official purposes that the date of death was to be assumed as September 25th 1915 and that next of kin should be informed accordingly. Based upon this Private 22710 James Jordan Durham Light Infantry was stuck off.
The sacrifice of Private Jordan is recorded as one of the 54,395 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, commemorating servicemen from the Commonwealth who died on the salient up to August 15th 1917 and who have no known grave.
His father received all monies due to him along with his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at 84, Shakespeare Street, Middlesbrough.
James Jordan Snr died aged 58 years in 1926 in the district of Stockton, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
His death was reported in Heslop's Local Advertiser 23/6/1916:
"Private James Jordan, D.L.I., killed in action on Sept. 25th, 1915, aged 22 years. Son of James and the late Alice Jordan, Felling Shore."
James Jordan has not been identified on a local war Memorial.
He is remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 262
