Brenda Mcmahon has submitted the following :-
James was born in St Nicholas parish of Newcastle in 1889 to John James Crombie and his wife, Mary Ann, (nee Wanless). His father died in 1904.
He had 7 sisters and 1 brother. They were Annie, Matilda, Gertrude, Julia, Bessie, Hilda, Eleanor and Ernest.
The 1911 census shows him living with his mother and younger brother in a one room accommodation at Crossgate, Durham. His trade as a butcher.
James Crombie married Matilda Louisa Stone at All Saints Church at Gosforth on 19 August 1915. The couple lived in the London area.
James previously served for 4 years with 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. He re enlisted at Beverley with the East Yorkshire Regiment on 7 November 1914 so, in fact, very soon after the commencement of the war.
His record shows him as being of 5’6” tall, of slim build, with fair complexion, brown hair and grey eyes. He was a member of the Church of England.
He served from his date of enlistment up to 11 September 1915 with the Expeditionary Force in the Mediterranean He was certainly in Egypt for a while, until he was sent to France in 1916. In February 1917 he was admitted to hospital suffering from impetigo, an infectious skin disease.
In April 1918 his wife wrote to the Army asking for information about her husband. She stated she hadn’t heard from him since 20 March which was very unusual for him. She was obviously very anxious about him.
James appears to have been killed in action aged 29 years after being reported missing. His date of death being assumed as 22 March 1918. On 25 January 1919 the Central Record Office received information from a German list of dead (D21/22). His disc had been sent in and forwarded to the British records office.
James Crombie is remembered at Low Fell on L61.05 /a> at Gateshead in G39.004 and at Durham on D47.054 and D47.125
