James Wood was born in 1891 in Buckley Flintshire. The 1891 census records him as a baby living with his family in The Square, Argoed, Buckley, Flintshire. The family consisted of the father Henry Wood aged 37, a general labourer who had been born in Staffordshire, his wife Annie 33 and their 7 children George W 12,  Arthur 10,  Martha 8,  Lizzie 6,  Job 4,  John 2 and finally James C 1 month.

The next census of 1901 found the family living in Stanley Road Buckley. Henry, then aged 45 was a brickworks labourer. His wife Annie was 44 and the children listed were  George William 23 a coal miner, Job Henry 14 and a labourer at the brickworks, John 12, James 10, Bessie 7, Annie 4

Ten years on in the 1911 census, the family was still living in Stanley Road, Buckley. Listed at the house were Henry 55. He was a labourer at the Waterworks. Annie was 53, John 22 and a labourer at the brickworks, James was 20 and a collier (waggoning),Bessie  was17 and a domestic servant and Annie was 14. Also with them was brother in law John Davies a 65 year old widower a labourer (bricksetter).

James married Catherine Hughes in 1913. The newspaper cutting below tells us they had three children. Catherine’s brother Robert William Price Hughes (R W Hughes) was also killed in the war, is listed on the Mold memorial and has his own page on this website.

It is Catherine who signed his Flintshire Roll of |Honour card (County Archives Hawarden). This card confused us as the regimental number and the death date were slightly different from those given in official sources.

James Wood is also named on the Buckley Memorial.

Many thanks to Lisa Powell the great grandaughter of James Wood for pointing us in the right direction with this family story.

County Herald 2nd February 1917

County Herald 2nd February 1917