9064, Private, James Alfred FORDHAM
Aged 19
7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Killed in Action on Wednesday 9th August 1916
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Born in Newmarket in Q3-1896 [Newmarket 3b:532 ]to James Thomas and Julia FORDHAM (née FROST) of 15 Stanley Road, Newmarket.
1901 census...James [4] was at Stanley Road, Newmarket with his father James [38] tailor born Newmarket; his mother Julia [29] born Walsall, Staffs, and brother Albert [9] and sisters Lily [11] and Ethel [5]. All the children were born in Newmarket. 1911 census...James [14] an errand boy was at 41 Granby Street, Newmarket with his father; brother Albert and his uncle Alfred FROST. His mother and both sisters were servants for William Walters at Albert House Stables, Newmarket. The pension card has the family home at 15 Stanley Road, Newmarket. His mother died 4-6-1926.
His elder brother Albert died in 1917 in the Army in Canada. see here |
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In the August of 1916 the Pozieres area witnessed the severest fighting as British and Australian troops pushed doggedly towards Thiepval
along the route of the old German Second Line. A series of parallel trench lines was pushed out from Pozieres towards Thiepval and by the
8th August 7th Suffolks and other troops of 12th (Eastern) Division occupied the fifth line of trenches – Fifth Avenue or Ration Trench.
Here they were subjected to repeated and fierce German flammenwerfer (flamethrowers)and bomb attacks, the War Diary reporting..... "2am -
Hostile fire becomes very intense and enemy assaulted Ration Trench unsuccessfully. 5am - Attack renewed and about 70 yards of Ration
Trench captured by the enemy”. Later that evening and on into the early hours of the next morning the trench was retaken, the Regimental
History recording ..... "Capt Isham’s company attacked with great dash and gained an additional two hundred yards.”
The Suffolks lost 52 men killed on 9th August 1916, of which only 8 have known graves, the rest are named on the Thiepval Memorial Other 7th Battalion lads from Newmarket killed this day were Glen Marshall and Arthur Nash |
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details