Rfn
James Vance
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 06/06/1894 |
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Place of birth: Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Factory Worker/ Footballer |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: 19236 |
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Enlistment place: Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Rifles, 13th Bn. (1st County Down) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Somme - Wiesengut, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 140A |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 5
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Sports club | ||
| #4 | Enlistment place | ||
| #5 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
James Vance was born on 6 June 1894 at Upper Movilla Street, Newtownards, and was a son of James and Annie Vance. Before the outbreak of the Great War, James worked in a factory. He also played as an inside forward for Ards Football Club.
He enlisted in Newtownards and served with the 13th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, B Company, part of the 108th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The Division took part in the opening day of the Battle of Langemarck, which began on 16 August 1917.
On that day, the 36th (Ulster) Division took up positions just south of the village of Sint-Juliaan. The Division advanced with two brigades: the 109th Brigade on the left of the divisional front, and the 108th on the right. The 16th (Irish) Division was positioned to the right of the 108th Brigade. The battalions of the 108th Brigade involved in the attack were the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers and the 13th Royal Irish Rifles. The 12th Royal Irish Rifles were in support, while the 11th Royal Irish Rifles were held in reserve.
At 4:45 a.m., the attack began. The 13th Royal Irish Rifles advanced under cover of a creeping barrage but struggled to keep pace due to the boggy terrain. The battlefield was riddled with waterlogged shell craters and flooded trench remnants. On top of this, the leading waves came under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from bunkers near Somme Farm. The men eventually passed Somme Farm but failed to secure it, forcing the companies to dig in nearby. B Company, positioned on the left of the battalion line, suffered heavy casualties while entrenching.
Supporting troops and reserves were sent forward to reinforce the attack, but their advance was halted by intense machine-gun fire from Gallipoli, Hindu Cottage, and Aisne Farm on the right, and from Pond Farm and Hindu Cottage on the left. One hour after the assault began, the battalion fell back to its original jump-off line. There, the surviving troops regrouped. Reinforced by men from Battalion Headquarters, they attempted once more to storm Somme Farm — to no avail. The attack was quickly broken up by unrelenting German crossfire, and the men withdrew again to their start line. The battalions of the 108th Brigade were now scattered and intermixed along their original front. Officers reorganised the troops and began to consolidate the line. The 108th Brigade was relieved the next day by the 107th Brigade.
The attack was a complete failure. The two Irish divisions made little to no progress. No further attacks were carried out by the 36th (Ulster) Division on 16 August.
James Vance, aged 23, was killed in action during the assault on Somme Farm. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
He enlisted in Newtownards and served with the 13th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, B Company, part of the 108th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The Division took part in the opening day of the Battle of Langemarck, which began on 16 August 1917.
On that day, the 36th (Ulster) Division took up positions just south of the village of Sint-Juliaan. The Division advanced with two brigades: the 109th Brigade on the left of the divisional front, and the 108th on the right. The 16th (Irish) Division was positioned to the right of the 108th Brigade. The battalions of the 108th Brigade involved in the attack were the 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers and the 13th Royal Irish Rifles. The 12th Royal Irish Rifles were in support, while the 11th Royal Irish Rifles were held in reserve.
At 4:45 a.m., the attack began. The 13th Royal Irish Rifles advanced under cover of a creeping barrage but struggled to keep pace due to the boggy terrain. The battlefield was riddled with waterlogged shell craters and flooded trench remnants. On top of this, the leading waves came under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from bunkers near Somme Farm. The men eventually passed Somme Farm but failed to secure it, forcing the companies to dig in nearby. B Company, positioned on the left of the battalion line, suffered heavy casualties while entrenching.
Supporting troops and reserves were sent forward to reinforce the attack, but their advance was halted by intense machine-gun fire from Gallipoli, Hindu Cottage, and Aisne Farm on the right, and from Pond Farm and Hindu Cottage on the left. One hour after the assault began, the battalion fell back to its original jump-off line. There, the surviving troops regrouped. Reinforced by men from Battalion Headquarters, they attempted once more to storm Somme Farm — to no avail. The attack was quickly broken up by unrelenting German crossfire, and the men withdrew again to their start line. The battalions of the 108th Brigade were now scattered and intermixed along their original front. Officers reorganised the troops and began to consolidate the line. The 108th Brigade was relieved the next day by the 107th Brigade.
The attack was a complete failure. The two Irish divisions made little to no progress. No further attacks were carried out by the 36th (Ulster) Division on 16 August.
James Vance, aged 23, was killed in action during the assault on Somme Farm. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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13 Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2506/3). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Further reference |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 52-55. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/825358 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=c820e6de-e24c-4cb0-9896-af3ae777d1bd |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4547031 |