Born in 1886 at Poplar, son of James (House Painter} and Rebecca Simpson. By 1891 his father was dead and the Census shows James and older brother William living with the Sisters of Charity, St Agnes Orphanage, Church Road, Leyton. Sisters Jane and Rebecca were at the Sacred Heart Convent and Orphanage, Hassett Road, Homerton. His widowed mother and youngest sister Frances were boarding with Norah Sullivan, another widow, at 35 Wells Street, Poplar. It is believed that he is the James Simpson who in 1901 is recorded as a pupil at St John the Baptist Ophthalmic School in the Manor House Chigwell.
In 1911 James was a Carpenter, boarding with William Holmwood, an Asylum Attendant, at 4 Havis Cottages, Brunel Road, Woodford Bridge. In 1915 he was a Carpenter and Painter living at 2 Fern Cottages, Brunel Road, which was also the address of his mother. He enlisted under the Derby Scheme on 11th December 1915 at Woodford, and was placed in the Army Reserve before being mobilised on 18th April 1917. He was serving with the Essex Regiment Reserves at Harwich where he became ill and was confined to Felixstowe Military Hospital for five weeks.
On 23rd September 1917 he travelled from Folkestone to Boulogne and on 25th September joined 2 Essex at Swindon Camp 1 mile north of Poperinghe. Transfer followed on 2nd October 1917 to the Durham Light Infantry, joining 20th Battalion in the field at Middlesex Camp on 12th October 1917. This Battalion then served in Italy, returning to France in March 1918, and becoming caught up in the German Spring Offensive which began on 21st of that month.
On 23rd March they were in the line to the rear of Vaulx when waves of Germans began attacking their two right hand Companies from 08.00, but the attackers were beaten back by rifle and machine gun fire, as were their subsequent assaults. The Durhams held their ground overnight until 24th March. From then on they conducted many fighting retreats as the relentless German advance pushed the British Lines further and further back.
At 01.00 on 25th March they received orders to move from their line at Favreuil to new positions at Sapignies, and on arrival they dug in to the right of the village. At 08.00 the Germans attacked the village from the left and seized it. From about 09.00 the Durhams conducted another fighting retreat to the ridge along the Bihucourt-Sapignies Road and dug in. By 13.15 they were moving to the rear of the slopes of the ridge, north west of the road. They were ordered off this line at 14.00 and sent to support 42 Division at a location to the east of Longest Wood.
There followed a familiar scenario when at about 19.00 troops in front of the Durhams began to retreat, and the Battalion was ordered to withdraw to Gommecourt, which it did successfully and there reorganised. However, by the time they arrived, James Simpson had been Killed in Action at some stage during that chaotic days fighting.
Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian
Sources:
Ancestry.com
FindmyPast.co.uk