2nd Lieut James Francis Lee

 

On the 05th September 1889 his father, John, died aged 47, he was buried at St Helens Churchyard, Sefton Church. 

 

The 1891 Census shows the family are living at 23 Church Road, Walton, Liverpool. His mother, Ann, is a 41 year old widow living on her own means. She has nine children declared in the household; Edwin C. is an 18 year old provision merchant's apprentice, Alfred H. is 17 and a timber merchant's apprentice, George S. is 15 and a general merchant's apprentice, Ida is aged 13 and a scholar, Gertrude is 11 and a scholar, Percy is 7 and a scholar, Lucy is 5 and James is 3. They employ two servants.  

 

The 1901 Census shows the family have moved to 3 Green Bank, Seaforth.  His mother, Ann, is a 51 year old widow, living on her own means. She has six children in the household; Amy is 30 years of age, Gertrude is 21, Harriet is 19, Lucy is 15,  James F. is 13, and Arthur G. is 11. The family also has two boarders living with them. 

 

He went to school at Christ Church Waterloo and was a member of the football and cricket teams.

 

The 1911 Census shows the family are living at 46 Cambridge Avenue, Great Crosby. His mother is 61 and again living by private means. She has three children and a grand-daughter in the household. Amy is 40 years of age and living on private means,  James is  aged 23 and a produce brokers clerk for a sugar salesman for J D Brunt & Co., Arthur is 21 years of age and is a distillers clerk, Ida Patricia Gordon is aged 7 and the grand-daughter. His mother advises that she has had 11 children, all fo whom ahve survived. 

 

Frank had worked for J D Brunt & Co. since 1907 but he had also worked at Vavoline Oil Company and had also worked as a Bank Clerk in Halifax, Canada.

 

On 02nd September 1914 he enlisted as Private 16974 at St George's Hall in Liverpool, joining the 18th (Pals) Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. He was decribed as being 5 ft 10 ins and weighed 153 lbs. He stated his religion as C.of. E.

 

In his will he left £50 to his fiancee Gladys Mary Gracie of Hoscote Park, West Kirby.

 

He went to France with the Pals on 07th November 1915.

 

His service record shows:

 

Attached to the 3rd Army Mortar School on 04 January 1916.

 

Joined the 21st Bde Light Trench Mortar Battery on 10 January 1916

 

Awarded a good conduct badge on 02 September 1916.

 

Leave in the UK 20th November to 30 November 1916.

 

Appointed Lance Corporal on 01 May 1917

 

Promoted to Corporal on  04 July 1917 

 

On 20th August 1917 he was commissioned and returned to the U.K. as an officer cadet on 13th September 1917 and commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion (Irish) of The King's Liverpool Regiment on 26th March 1918.

 

He returned to France on 17th August 1918. 

 

On 11 September 1918 he was killed in action, aged 30. 

 

His death was reported in the local press:

 

 

Official intimation has been received that Second-Lieutenant James Francis Lee, of the King's, has been killed in action. He was the fifth son of the late Mr John Lee of Blundellsands and Mrs Lee, 1 Mossley-avenue, Sefton Park and was in his 31st year. He won his commission after fighting services with the "Pals" returning to the front after a very short spell at home. He was educated at Christ Church School, Waterloo, and at Balliol and Christ Church college Oxford. Latterly he was with Messrs. J.D. Brunt and Co. the city sugar and produce brokers. He was a good athlete.        

 

There was an obituary to him with his photograph (now shown on the website) in the Liverpool Post and Mercury on 19 September 1918 under the heading:

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the 20th September 1918 his name featured in the Roll of Honour in the Liverpool Echo:

 

LEE - September 11 killed in action, Lieutenant James Francis (Frank) LEE King's Liverpool Regiment, fifth son of the late John Lee, Blundellsands, and Mrs A. Lee Mossley-avenue, Sefton Park.         

 

Frank's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he is commemorated at the Vis En Artois Memorial. 

This Memorial bears the names of over 9,000 men who fell in the period from 8 August 1918 to the date of the Armistice in the Advance to Victory in Picardy and Artois, between the Somme and Loos, and who have no known grave. They belonged to the forces of Great Britain and Ireland and South Africa; the Canadian, Australian and New Zealand forces being commemorated on other memorials to the missing.

The Memorial consists of a screen wall in three parts. The middle part of the screen wall is concave and carries stone panels on which names are carved. It is 26 feet high flanked by pylons 70 feet high. The Stone of Remembrance stands exactly between the pylons and behind it, in the middle of the screen, is a group in relief representing St George and the Dragon. The flanking parts of the screen wall are also curved and carry stone panels carved with names. Each of them forms the back of a roofed colonnade; and at the far end of each is a small building.

The memorial was designed by J.R. Truelove, with sculpture by Ernest Gillick. It was unveiled by the Rt. Hon. Thomas Shaw on 4 August 1930.

Probate was granted at Liverpool on 01st November 1918:

LEE James Francis of 1 Mossley-avenue, Sefton Park, Liverpool, second-lieutenant 8th battalion King's Liverpool regiment died 11 September 1918 in France. Probate Liverpool 01 November to John Dainty Brunt merchant. Effects £212 0s 4d. 

James is commemorated on the following Memorials:

 

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 65 Left 

 

Garston War Memorial 

 

St Mary's Church, Waterloo

 

St Matthew's and St James's Mossley Hill