James Sanders

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists him as having died (of his wounds) on 19 February 1917: 41906 Private, 10^th (Service) Battalion, The Prince of Wales' Own Yorkshire Regt, 62 Brigade, 21st Division; aged 36, son of Robert Postlethwaite Sanders, gamekeeper, and Hannah of Graythwaite, Lancashire, and husband of Emma Sanders of Westfield Road, Wheatley. He is buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, 30 miles from Arras and the Line. Bethune was still relatively unscathed in 1917, a rail junction and a Corps and Divisional HQ (therefore safe!). 33 Casualty Clearing Station operated there and the cemetery contains over 3,000 Commonwealth graves. The direct cause of his death is unknown - outside the campaigning season, but in a record savage winter across Europe.

James' birthplace was Graythwaite. At the time of joining the Army - with, at first, the Regimental No. 161470 in the Royal Field Artillery - he was living in Pwllheli: the 1911 census finds that the father Robert was then living in Pwllheli and working as a mole catcher; and that James and Emma had also moved to the same area, he too working as a rabbit and mole catcher. The Wheatley Parish Records show that he had married Emma nee Hinton on 7 November 1910. See also reference to him in the Wheatley in a World at War chapter.