Pte 57421 James Faulds Hunter

• Age: 24
• From: Paisley
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 20th September 1917
• Commemorated at: Tyne Cot Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 31-34

James Faulds Hunter was born in 1893 in Paisley, Scotland, the son of John and Janet Kelso Hunter, of 63 Oakshaw St, Paisley. He was educated at the John Neilson Institution and was a member of St George's Parish Church and YMCA. Prior to the outbreak of the war he was employed with Coat's Central Agency, Glasgow. 

There is some confusion over the spelling Faulds/Foulds.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 31 Oakshaw Street, Paisley.  

The father John is aged 50, born 1851 and is a house painter and was born in Kilmarnock, Renfrewshire. His wife Janet is aged 51, born 1850 no occupation and was born in Paisley as were all of their children. Christina aged 27, born 1874 a painter’s shopkeeper, Agnes aged 25, born 1876 is a pawnbroker’s assistant, Kate aged 23, born 1878 is a housekeeper, Finlay aged 21, born 1880 is a house painter, Maggie aged 19 born 1882 is a fancy goods seamstress, Jessie aged 17, born 1884 is a painter’s shop keeper, John aged 15, born 1886 is a house factor’s clerk, William aged 13, born 1888, Mary aged 10, born 1891 and James aged 7, born 1894 are at school.

He enlisted in Glasgow and was formerly 152626 with 3/1st Battalionn. Lowland Division Cyclists and was was serving in the 19^th Battalion “B” Company, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 57421 when he was killed in action on the 20^th September, 1917 aged 24 during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele).

Details of the attack in which James was killed are recorded in the battalion diary:

19^th September 1917 – In support in Denys Wood.  Battalion relieved 17^th KLR in front line. Relief complete about 11 p.m.   

20^th September 1917 – A raid was carried out by a party of the battalion of 25 OR under Capt. C. Laird, just before 6 a.m. on The Twins. Enemy machine gun fire, however, proved too much for them, although several attempts were made to reach the objective.  Capt. C. Laird was killed in the operation, also 6 OR, and 14 OR were wounded.

Graham Maddocks in “Liverpool Pals”, p.178, explains:  “The remainder of September was fairly uneventful for the rest of the Pals Battalions, except for two trench raids made by the 19^th Battalion on 20 September 1917, which, elsewhere on the Salient, was the opening day of the phase of the offensive later referred to as the Battle of the Menin Road. These raids were made for two purposes. The first was an attempt to confuse the enemy as to the intensity and direction of the main attack, and the second was to try to capture two blockhouses known as ‘The Twins’, which commanded the 19^th Battalion’s trench front, and thus was able to dominate all its movement. The raiding party, consisting of Captain C. Laird, and twenty-five other ranks left the British front line at 6.00 a.m. and moved into No Man’s Land. However, it was soon spotted, and machine guns opened fire from the blockhouses. Despite a most determined effort to carry the objectives, the situation was hopeless from the start, and Laird and six other ranks were killed and fourteen more soldiers were wounded.”

He was reported killed in the Weekly Casualty List 23rd Oct 1917.
               

James has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after August 16th 1917 are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war.

The Tyne Cot Memorial now bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Joseph Armitage and F.V. Blundstone, was unveiled by Sir Gilbert Dyett on 20 June 1927.

The memorial forms the north-eastern boundary of Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was established around a captured German blockhouse or pill-box used as an advanced dressing station.

He is also commemorated on the Paisley Roll of Honour.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Janet

His father John died ten days after his son on 30th Sept 1917 aged 66

His mother Janet died 19th Sept 1923 aged 75.          

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

The family headstone at Woodside Cemetery, Paisley, shows James and sister Christina have middle name FOULDS.