Daniel was born in 1885 and he lived in Mold with his father John (an auctioneer’s assistant) and his mother Hannah. In the 1891 census the family lived at number 6 Conway Street and there were 7 children living at home at that time. (John 17, Emma 15, William 10,, Edith and Agnes 4 and Robert 2).
By 1901 the family lived in number 13 Conway Street and only three of the children were still at home. These included Daniel who was listed on the census as a 16 year old cellar man – a bottler.
In 1906 when he was 21 Daniel married Sychdyn girl Catherine Whitley.
The census of 1911 records this married couple still living in the James family home of 13 Conway Street, Mold. Head of the household was the 62 year old mother Hannah. Daniel and Catherine had three children, Agnes born 1906, Daniel jnr born 1908 and John born 1909. Daniel who was then 26, was listed as a hewer of coal. Daniel’s younger brother Robert was also resident.
Thanks to relative, Billy James, we know that Daniel and Catherine James had a daughter Annie who was born on the 14th December 1912 and the address on the birth certificate was Church Lane Mold. The youngest child – Ernest was born in 1915
We know from family information that the family later moved to Chapel Walk in Sychdyn. What is not clear is whether or not Catherine moved back to Sychdyn with her children after her husband joined the army or after he died in India. We are not sure if Daniel ever lived there. The Commonwealth War Grave Commission includes Daniel on their data base. It includes the following information. Driver 190628 Driver James of 1094 th Btty The Royal Field Artillery died on 7th July 1918, aged 33 son of John and Hannah James, husband of Catherine James of Chapel Row Sychdyn.
Daniel’s name appears on the war Memorial in Mold as well as on Sychdyn’s but he is not included on the Northop Parish memorial.
The Memorial in Khadki commemorates all British servicemen that died in India during The Great War.