Private James Skelly

Private James George Ditchburn Skelly, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He died of wounds in France on 18th June 1915, aged 42 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France. He had been born in Berwick and was the son of William and Jane Skelly and the husband of Margaret Tait ( formerly Skelly ) of 25 Church Street, Berwick. At this time the Battalion were holding front line trenches in the Hooge sector of the Ypres Salient and much heavy trench fighting took place with artillery and snipers very active. The photograph shows the impressive Memorial raised to commemorate the fallen of the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918 when it was transferred to the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division as the Pioneer Battalion. It was erected near the village of Weiltje where nearby on 26th April the Division had fought its first action of the War during the Battle of St Julien only days after landing on the Continent.