Son of Harry and Ellen Inch, of 18 Hawarden Crescent, Chester Road, Sunderland.
Linda Gowans has submitted the following:-
James William Inch was born at Wallsend in 1899, to parents Harry (born Brigg, Lincolnshire) and Ellen (born Winlaton). In 1901 he is at 27 Rochdale Street, Wallsend: his father is Foreman Engineer in a shipyard and there are four older siblings, all born in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales. In 1911 the family is at 13 Co-operative Terrace, Sunderland: father Harry is described as Amalgamated Engineer Delegate, brother John is a Clothing Outfitter with the Co-Op, and James is at school.
Information about his war service is very sparse indeed. We know simply that he enlisted at Sunderland, initially with the number 126490 in a Territorial battalion, and by the time of his death was with the 9th Battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Official policy (not always followed) did not allow service overseas before the age of 19, so it may be that he spent only a short time in France before being killed in action so close to the end of the war.
During 1918 his Battalion was engaged in action on the Western Front, including the Battles of St Quentin, Bapaume, Messines, the Aisne, Albert, Epehy, Cambrai and the Selle. The latter took place from 17th to 25th October 1918, and seems likely to have been the battle in which Private Inch was killed. This was the time of the Hundred Days Offensive, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from August 8th to November 11th 1918.
The village of Vendegies-au-Bois (Nord) is east of Cambrai. The cemetery holds 43 casualties, all from the UK.
James William Inch is remembered at Sunderland on S140.009, S140.010 and S140.048 part 4
