1885 - 1916
CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916
Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916
Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916
Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918
Pte 86424 James Innes Davidson
- Age: 19
- From: Edinburgh
- Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
- K.I.A Saturday 30th March 1918
- Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
Panel Ref: P21-23
James Innes Davidson was born in St Andrew, Edinburgh in 1898, the son of Charles Roy Davidson and his wife Mary Murray (nee Annal). His parents were married, also in St Andrew, in 1898, his father was born 1876 in St George, Edinburgh, as was his mother in 1880.
At the time of the 1901 Census the family are living at 3 Antigua Street, Edinburgh. Head of the household is Margaret McGregor aged 53, son John S. A. McGregor aged 26, James W. A. McGregor aged 15, daughter Mary M. Davidson aged 21, grandson James Innes. Davidson aged 2. (In 1891 Mary Annal aged 11 was a step-daughter of Peter and Margaret McGregor).
His father, Charles Roy is on the Electoral Roll up to 1911-12 where the family were living at 38 Cumberland Street, Edinburgh.
The family had moved to Coventry at some point after 1912 as James enlisted in Warwick. No records of James can be found prior to enlistment, or of his family in Warwickshire.
He served initially as Private 3907, in the Queens Oxford Hussars. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he served just over a year, enlisting at the beginning of 1917. He must have lied about his age in order to serve overseas.
A brother, Charles Roy was born in Coventry in the December quarter of 1917.
At some point James was transferred to the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 86424. He was subsequently transferred to the 19th Battalion and was serving with them when he was killed in action on the 30th March 1918 aged 19 during the German Spring Offensive.
As Graham Maddocks points out in his book The Liverpool Pals, the CWGC records 38 men of the 19th Bn of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as killed in action on 30th March 1918 when as the Battalion diary below, shown in bold type, records that the men were actually out of the line and safely on the way to St Valery- sur- Somme.
The composite battalion moved off from ROUVREL at 8.30 am at 50 yards interval between companies, arriving at SALEUX at 3.20 pm where they entrained, detraining at ST. VALERY-SUR-SOMME the same night. The night was spent at ST. VALERY-SUR-SOMME.
Apart from those whose bodies were not found and are commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial all but two have burial sites at Savy British Cemetery, which itself is within a couple of miles of Roupy and contains most of the identified men killed on 22nd March 1918. Therefore, it would appear that the date of death for these men shown as 30th March 1918 is purely an arbitrary one and that they were in fact killed on 22nd March.
James has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.
The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.
The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.
It wasn’t until sixteen months later that his family were officially informed that James had been killed in action.
Coventry Herald on 26th July 1919:
“Mr. And Mrs. Davidson, of 34, Lower Ford Street, have just received news of their eldest son, Pte. James I. Davidson, who was reported missing in March, 1918, is now reported killed. He was 19 1/2 years of age. Before he joined the colours he was employed by the Triumph Cycle Co.”
The 1921 census show Charles R. and Mary Murray Davidson residing in Coventry with their son Charles Roy.
DAVIDSON James Innes, 84424, Pte King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Battn, formerly 3907 Queen's Oxford Hussars 30/03/1918.
His mother died in the March quarter of 1947, aged 67.
His father died in the March quarter of 1950, aged 75.
We currently have no further information on James Innes Davidson, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.
Killed On This Day.
(108 Years this day)Sunday 16th June 1918.
Pte 57615 Fred William Preddy
23 years old
(105 Years this day)
Thursday 16th June 1921.
Captain Leonard George Duncan
43 years old