L/Cpl 24610 James Clarence Ethelbert Scholes

• Age: 26
• From: Torquay
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 1st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Peronne Rd Cem Maricourt
  Panel Ref: III.E.40

24610 Lance Corporal James Clarence Ethelbert SCHOLES 18^th Battalion KLR.

Born in St Mary Church, Torquay, Devon in late 1889, James Clarence Ethelbert Scholes (known as Bert) was the only son and second of three children born to Richard Dutton Scholes, and his wife Emily (nee Pearson), who married in 1881. 

He was baptised in the parish church of Ellacombe (a district of Torquay), on 17th November 1889, his parents’ residence St. Marychurch Road, and his father’s occupation grocer. His father, born in Bolton, and his mother, in Timperley, Cheshire, married in St Peter, Bolton in 1881. Their first child, daughter Reubena Damaris was born in 1882 in Bolton, where his father worked as a provision dealer. Another daughter, Hilda Pearl Redford, was born in Torquay in 1892.

At the time of the 1891 census, the family is living at 2 Bedford Terrace, St. Marychurch.

His father is aged 34, a grocer and tobacconist, mother is aged 34, and their two children, Reubena Dameris aged 9, and James who is one year old. They also have a domestic servant living with them.

In 1900 his father, then the owner of a grocery business, purchased a poulterer business in Victoria Parade.  The business was run by a manager, his father not knowing anything about the poultry business, and was sold two years later.

The 1901 census finds them at 15 Victoria Parade, Tormoham (also called Tormohun, part of Torquay) with three children and a domestic servant.  His father is described as a 43 year old poulterer, working at home, whilst his mother is 44 years of age. Reubena Dameris is aged 19, and employed ass a commercial clerk, James C.E. is 11 and Hilda Pearl Redford is 8 years of age.

By 1911 they are back at 2 Bedford Terrace, St. Marychurch Road.  Both parents are 54, his father is a tobacconist, his mother and sister Hilda Pearl Redford, 19, assisting in the business.  James Clarence Ethelbert, 21, is listed as a structional draughtsman (iron). His sister Reubena is married and living in Torquay. His parents advise that they have been married for 30 years and have had three children. 

James served a three year apprenticeship with Messrs. John Booth and Sons at their Hulton Ironworks before leaving to spend time in America.

Days after the census, on 10th April 1911, Bert was initiated into the Grand Lodge of Freemasons, Jordan Lodge, Torquay.

A few weeks later, on 01st July 1911, he left Liverpool for New York on the Carmania.  He is found returning from New York to Plymouth on SS American on 17th May 1913, his age 23, and occupation draughtsman. 

He made another trip, sailing again from Liverpool to Boston on 9th September 1913 on the Arabic, giving as next of kin his father in Avenue Road, Torquay.  It is not known when he returned. However, when he returned to England he took up a position with Messrs. McIntyre and Jones Engineers of 9 Albert Buildings, 12 Preesons Row, Liverpool.

James enlisted in Liverpool on 05th January 1915 joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 24610.

He was originally billeted in the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

He crossed to France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta on the 07^th November 1915.

Bert was killed in action during the attack at Montauban on 01^st July 1916 and having attained the rank of Lance-Corporal.

18^th Battalion Diary

At 6.30am the artillery commenced an intensive bombardment of the enemy’s trenches. Zero Hour – 7.30 am – the battalion commenced to leave their trenches and the attack commenced. The attack was pressed with great spirit and determination in spite of heavy shelling and machine gun enfilade fire which caused casualties amounting to 2/3rds of the strength of the Battalion in action. The whole system of German trenches including the Glatz Redoubt was captured without any deviation from the scheduled programme. Consolidated positions and made strong points for defence against possible counter attacks.

Graham Maddocks provides more detail concerning the events of the day:

As the first three waves began to move forward towards the German reserve line, known as Alt Trench and then on to the Glatz Redoubt itself, they suddenly came under enfilading fire from the left. This was from a machine gun which the Germans had sited at a strong point in Alt Trench. The gun itself was protected by a party of snipers and bombers, who, hidden in a rough hedge, were dug into a position in Alt Trench, at its junction with a communication trench known as Alt Alley. These bombers and snipers were themselves protected by rifle fire from another communication trench, Train Alley which snaked back up the high ground and into Montauban itself. The machine gun fire was devastating and it is certain that nearly of the Battalion’s casualties that day were caused by that one gun.  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Henry Trotter  wrote in the conclusion of his account of the days action:

I cannot speak to highly of the gallantry of the Officers and men. The men amply repaid the care and kindness of their Company Officers, who have always tried to lead and not to drive. As laid down in my first lecture to the Battalion when formed, in the words of Prince Kraft:

“Men follow their Officers not from fear, but from love of the Regiment where everything had always and at all times gone well with them”.    

Joe Devereux in his book A Singular Day on the Somme gives the Casualty Breakdown for the 18^th Battalion as Killed in Action 7 Officers and 165 men and of those who died in consequence of the wounds 3 Officers and 19 men a total of 194 out of a total loss for the four Liverpool Pals Battalions of 257.

James now rests at Plot 3, Row E, Grave 40 in Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt.

Maricourt was, at the beginning of the Battles of the Somme 1916, the point of junction of the British and French forces, and within a very short distance of the front line; it was lost in the German advance of March 1918, and recaptured at the end of the following August.

The Cemetery, originally known as Maricourt Military Cemetery No.3, was begun by fighting units and Field Ambulances in the Battles of the Somme 1916, and used until August 1917; a few graves were added later in the War, and at the Armistice it consisted of 175 graves which now form almost the whole of Plot I. It was completed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields in the immediate neighbourhood and from certain smaller burial grounds.

There are now 1348, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, 366 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 26 soldiers from the United Kingdom known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves could not be found.

The cemetery covers an area of 3,787 square metres and is enclosed on three sides by a low red brick wall.

His death was reported in the Bolton Journal on 21st July 1916:

Mr. R.D. Scholes, formerly of Bury New-rd.,Bolton, and now of Babbacombe,Torquay, has received information, although not official, but very reliable, that his son, Lance Corporal J.C.E.Scholes, King's Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Pals) was killed in action on July 1st. Pte.Scholes enlisted five months after war broke out, and went to the front in November last. He served his apprenticeship with Messrs.John Booth and Sons, Hulton Ironworks, after which he spent three years in America, subsequently coming back to England to take up a situation with Messrs.MacIntyre and Jones, Liverpool, in whose employ he was at the time of enlisting. He is a nephew of the late Mr.J.C.Scholes, author of the "History of Bolton," etc. 

CWGC gives his date of death as 02nd July 1916 (however the date is shown as 01st July in Soldiers’ Effects and SDGW and family gravestone).  

Bert’s death “in the great advance in France” was reported in the Western Times on 18th July 1916: 

TORQUAY. 

Lance-Corpl. J. C. E. Scholes of the King's Liverpools, and Private J. Bassett of the Devons, both belonging to Torquay, have been killed in the great advance in France. 

His name was amogst the casualties in the Western Times on the 26th August 1916: 

ROLL OF HONOUR 

WEST COUNTRY CASUALTIES 

King's Liverpool Regt. - L-Corpl. J. C. E. Scholes(Torquay);  

Bert was buried close to where he fell and, after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in t Plot 3, Row E, Grave 40 in Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt where he now rests. He headstone bears the simple heartfelt epitaph: 

“BELOVED”

Maricourt was, at the beginning of the Battles of the Somme 1916, the point of junction of the British and French forces, and within a very short distance of the front line; it was lost in the German advance of March 1918, and recaptured at the end of the following August.

The Cemetery, originally known as Maricourt Military Cemetery No.3, was begun by fighting units and Field Ambulances in the Battles of the Somme 1916, and used until August 1917; a few graves were added later in the War, and at the Armistice it consisted of 175 graves which now form almost the whole of Plot I. It was completed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields in the immediate neighbourhood and from certain smaller burial grounds.

There are now 1348, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, 366 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 26 soldiers from the United Kingdom known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of three soldiers from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves could not be found.

The cemetery covers an area of 3,787 square metres and is enclosed on three sides by a low red brick wall.

Bert earned his three medals which were offered for auction in 2014 for £100-£150.

He is commemorated on the Torquay war memorial.

Soldiers’ Effects, giving his rank as unpaid L/Cpl, shows that his Army effects and a War Gratuity of £6 went to his father. 

No pension card has been found, indicating that Bert had no dependents.

His parents both died in 1927, both aged 70, his father in May  (“After much suffering, rest”) and his mother two months later in July (“A life of self-sacrifice and devotion”). 

Bert is also remembered on the family gravestone in Torquay Cemetery -

In Loving Memory 

ALSO OF 

THEIR BELOVED ONLY SON

JAMES

CLARENCE ETHELBERT

(BERT)

WHO WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED

AT THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

JULY 1ST 1916,

AGED 26 YEARS

O, VALIANT HEART

WHO TO YOUR GLORY CAME

His parents both died in 1927, both aged 70, his father on May 23rd (“After much suffering, rest”) and his mother two months later on July 23rd (“A life of self-sacrifice and devotion”).  

We currently have no further information on James Clarence Ethelbert Scholes, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.