Year of birth: 1882

Place of birth: Thundridge, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Profession: Accountant

Country: England, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 10526

Enlistment date: 09/12/1915

Enlistment place: Camberwell, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Units:  —  Honourable Artillery Company, 2/1st Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 09/10/1917

Place of death: Jubilee Croft, Beselare, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 35

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Private James William Brooks served in the Honourable Artillery Company 2nd/1st Battalion, part of the 22nd Brigade, of the 7th Division. The 7th Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. It advanced with the 22nd Brigade from east of Polygon Wood towards the village of Beselare. The Brigade’s attack was carried by the 2nd Hounourable Artillery Company and the 2nd Royal Warwickshires; the 9th Devons were in reserve. The task of the 2nd Hounourable Artillery Company was to capture the hamlet of Reutel and gain touch with the 5th Division, on the right flank, about Juniper Cottage. The 2nd Warwicks on their left flanks had to capture Judge Copse and Judge Cottage.
The 2nd Hounourable Artillery Company had already suffered heavy casualties due to German shellfire, while assembling for the attack. Over 40 men were either killed or wounded before the attack commenced. When the assault commenced at 5.20. a.m. the German artillery opened up a barrage on the advancing troops, causing considerable damage and heavy machine-gun fire from Judgse Copse enfiladed the troops. Before 6 a.m. only isolated parties reached their objectives. It was not until midday that the Battalion had reached their final objective in the hamlet of Reutel. It cleared part of the cemetery east of the hamlet, but was held up short of Juniper Cottage by machine-gun fire. During the night three platoons of the 9th Devons cleared Judge Copse, thusly securing all the 7th Divison’s objectives. The Germans kept on shelling the captured positions during the rest of the night, but they didn’t counter attack and the positions were further consolidated on the next day.
Private James William Brooks was killed on the 9th of October 1917. He was initially buried near Polygon Wood, between Jetty Wood and Jubilee Croft. The place of his initial grave may suggest that he was killed due to the heavy German shellfire prior to the attack. Private James William Brooks’ remains were exhumed after the war and interred at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.

"The honourable artillery company in the Great War : 1914-1919", Walker G., London, Seeley Service & Co., 1930, pg. 322-325. Sources used

"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995, pg. 57. Sources used

Ancestry http://home.ancestry.co.uk/ Further reference

CWGC http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/480133/BROOKS,%20JAMES%20WILLIAM Sources used

The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used

War Diary HAC 2nd Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference