In Niederzwehren Cemetery Kassel, Germany is the Commonwealth War Grave of 42102 Private Reuben James, serving with the “A” Company 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers who died 10/06/1918.
The son of Reuben and Dorcas James, of Sunderland and the husband of Rosetta James, of 17, Clive Street, Southwick on Wear, Sunderland.
Soldiers Died in the Great War states that he was born an enlisted in Sunderland and lived in Southwick. He had previously served with the Army Service Corps with the service number 2708.
Derek Haynes has supplied the following:
Reuben and Rosetta James (nee Emmerson) were married in the December Q 1906 in Sunderland.
The other five children were:
Reuben born December Q 1906
William, born March Q 1909
Hilda Ann born March Q 1911
Henry Hepburn born December Q 1912 (Died December Q 1912)
Joseph Henry Hepburn born March Q 1914
John Cain Emmerson born December Q 1916
All the above births and the one death were registered in Sunderland.
Reuben and Rosetta were both from Sunderland. However, they were in the Tynemouth area at the time of William’s birth, which must have been connected to Reuben’s employment. Working in the mining industry, it is most likely Reuben had been seeking employment, perhaps looking for better conditions or higher earnings. By 1911 the family had returned to Sunderland and were residing in two rooms at 45 Railway Street, Hendon. Not only the parents and three children (aged five and under) were residing there but Reuben and Rosetta had taken in a boarder, Thomas Conlon.
1914 saw the outbreak of World War 1. No records have been found so it is not known when Reuben enlisted, but we do know he served in A Company 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (No. 42102). At some time he was taken prisoner and sadly died on the 10th June 1918, leaving Rosetta with five young children to raise whose ages ranged from 2 years to 12 years.
Reuben was laid to rest in Section 11. G. 18 of Niederzwehren Cemetery, Kassel, Germany.
We know Reuben was a POW from information obtained from the www.greatwarforum.org which explains that every soldier buried in Niederzwehren was a POW.
His son William James died in 1941.
Reuben James is remembered in Castletown on C124.04, at Southwick on S130.22 and in Peter Gibson’s book.
