Geburtsdatum: 23/02/1897

Geburtsort: Wigan, Lancashire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Beruf: Spinner

Land: England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Truppe: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Driver

Dienstnummer: W/5413

Einberufung ort: Wigan, Lancashire, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Einheiten:  —  Royal Field Artillery, "C" Bty. 121st Bde.  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Sterbedatum: 12/08/1917

Sterbeort: Dozinghem Casualty Clearing Station, Westvleteren, Belgien

Todesursache: Verwundet

Alter: 20

1914-15 Star Medaille — 12/08/1919

British War Medal Medaille — 14/01/1920

Victory Medal Medaille — 14/01/1920

James Blackledge was born in 1897. He was the youngest child of Ann and Thomas Blackledge of Wigan, Lancashire. According to the 1911 Census, James worked as a spinner. Barley of age he enlisted in 1915 in his hometown of Wigan. By the time of the Battle of Passchendaele, James served as a driver with the Royal Field Artillery "C" Battery, of the 121st Brigade Royal Field Artillery, part of the Divisional Artillery of the 38th (Welsh) Division.

On 31 July 1917 the opening day of the offensive the 121st Brigade RFA supported the attack of the Welsh Division on the village of Pilkem. It fired among other on a German positions at Cactus Avenue, Cactus Reserve, Caddie Reserve and Caesar Reserve. The attack was a success and the Infantry was able to reach the Steenbeek stream at Langemark. According to the War Diary of the 38th (Welsh) Division the pioneers of the 19th Welsh Regiment made a track for field guns to the neighbourhood of Boche House, a farm on the outskirts of Pilkem village. The track was later extended to Iron Cross. The Batteries were well positioned at Boche house. They were out of sight from German observers, as they were shielded by the Pilkem Ridge. But the German artillery still managed to locate the guns. On 2 August 1917 Batteries below Pilkem Ridge were shelled and on 4 August 1917 the German artillery targeted the wider region of Pilkem village.

Driver James Blackledge was mortally wounded during the first days of August 1917. Possibly due to shellfire near Boche House. The 20-year old succumbed to his wounds on 12 August 1917 at the Dozinghem Casualty Clearing Station near the village of Westvleteren. He was buried on the adjacent Dozinghem Military Cemetery.

121 Brigade Royal Field Artillery. (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2546/3). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Weitere Quellen

McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), p. 31-33. Verwendete Quellen

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/619936

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=c1039a82-44c6-4200-ab2b-357a509fac84

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/369447