James William Wills 1900 – TBC
James was the son of James William and Louisa (née Hall) and was baptised on 11th March 1900 in Shepherdswell. His father was a labourer in the brickfields when James was born and by 1911 was a colliery labourer.
At the outbreak of War in 1914, James would have been 14 years old. In 1915, the Dover Express mentions him in relation to the Shepherdswell Band of Hope, and the Dover Directories of 1917 and 1918 show the family is living in Church Hill.
To date it has proved impossible to trace James’ War records. Not only were there several men of this name but also it is possible that James may have given confusing information if he joined when he was underage. The other possibility is that the man mentioned was James senior born circa 1866 in Challock, Kent, but no records for the War can be attributed to him either.