Chester-le-Street Chronicle 18/06/1916
Newcastle Chronicle 1915
Chester-le-Street Chronicle 18/06/1915
Chester-le-Street Chronicle 18/06/1915
Menin Gate Memorial
James Fish was born on the 4th January 1887 and baptised at Pelton Parish Church on the 9th February. Son of John and Margaret, the address was given as “Ouston Pit” and his father’s occupation was a Boilersmith. James was one of a family of eight children: William, Margaret, Robert and John (twins), Alexander, Jane, James and Frederick although two of his siblings, Margaret and John, died in their teenage years.
James married Elizabeth Charlton on the 20th August 1910, at Pelton Parish Church. He was working as a miner and he was living at 60 Hylton Terrace (Pelton). The couple had a son, also called James, who was born on the 3rd October 1910 at the same address.
In the 1911 Census the family are found living at King’s Buildings, Pelton with their baby son James aged 6 months. James is employed as a coal miner (hewer) and at the time of his death in May 1915 they had moved to 84 C Street East, Perkinsville.
James enlisted in Newcastle, and arrived in France on the 3rd May 1915. He was killed a short time later on the 25th May 1915, age 28. He was awarded the Victory Medal, The British War Medal and the 1914/15 Star and is remembered with honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
One of the battles the 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers took part in was the 2nd Battle of Ypres (22nd April – 25th May 1915), which marked the first mass use by Germany of poison gas on the Western Front.
Chester-le-Street Chronicle 18/06/1915 carried report under the heading:- LOCAL CASUALTIES, 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, KILLED, Pte. J. Fish, Perkinsville. PERKINSVILLE SOLDIER KILLED
Information has been received of the death of Private James Fish, 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers of 84C Street East, Perkinsville. He had transferred from the Durhams, left Newcastle for France on May 3rd and was killed on May 25th. He was twenty-eight years of age and leaves a widow and one child..
Also the Newcastle Evening Chronicle 1915 FISH – Killed in action France, May 25th 1915 Private James Fish 21021 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers, dearly beloved husband of Elizabeth Fish, 84, C Street East, Perkinsville, and son of Margaret and the late John Fish, Pelton. Deeply mourned by all.
Research: Jean Atkinson
James Fish is remembered at Pelton on P26.01
