FROST James

James Frost was born in Unstone on 22 February 1893. His parents were James Frost and Annie (Wright) Frost, James was the third child for the couple.  He attended St Mary’s School at Unstone and according to the Admission log he was living at Hundall.  He transferred schools on 30^th November 1900.

James would have been 7 years old when he was transferred, possibly to a Junior school.

By 1901  James had been joined by three younger siblings and the family were still living in Hundall.

Two more children were born Cyril 1904 and Clara in 1907.

There were sad times for the Frost family when Annie died in 1908 at the young age of 40, she was buried in Old Whittington churchyard on 22^nd February, and James senior was left with small children to bring up on his own.

By 1911 the family had moved to Manor Terrace at Unstone Green and young James was now 18 years old and working, like his father, in the pit. James senior was a hewer and James junior was a loader. Prior to joining up James worked at Avenue pit Clay Cross.

The hewer is the actual coal-digger. Whether the seam be so thin that he can hardly creep into it on hands and knees, or whether it be thick enough for him to stand upright, he is the responsible workman who loosens the coal from the bed.

The loader was the man who loaded the coal into carts at the coal face.

In 1915 James married Annie Tyler and they had two children, Elizabeth born in 1916 and James born in December 1918. The family home was 348 Railway View Whittington Moor.

I am not exactly sure of the date that James joined up, his obituary seems to indicate he joined up in April 1918. His regimental number was 49665 and he joined the 6^th Battalion the Leicester Regiment.

6^th Battalion was attached to 110^th brigade, 21^st Division. The obituary would also suggest that James arrived in France on the 5^th September 1918. His medal card would confirm that he did not serve overseas until after 31^st December 1915.

James would arrive at the front at a time when the German army were starting to show weaknesses in strength and determination however, the British army had suffered heavy casualties already in 1918 and Sir Douglas Haig had decided to delay the allied advance for a short time.

On September 12^th the Third army managed to take Havrincourt village from the Germans and this spurred Haig on to rethink his plans. The Battle of Epehy was to commence on September 18^th and involve 21^st Division, which included  6th Battalion Leicesters.

The war diary for the Battalion for the 5^th – 18^th September paints a picture of what James life in France would have been like.

5^th September – Battalion in rest. Division relieved 38^th Division.

6^th September – Battalion marched by march route to Sailly Saillisel via Le Transloy. Brigade in reserve. Battalion bivouacked at NW end of village.

7^th September – Battalion still in reserve moved by march route to wood 1500yds NW of Manancourt via Le Mesnil-en-Arrouaise. Battalion bivouacked.

8^th September – 4am Battalion marched to Equancourt via Manancourt and Etricourt.

8^th September – 9pm Marched to Heudecourt via Fins Brigade relieved 62^nd Brigade            6^th Leicester relieved 1^st Lincolns in reserve.

9^th and 10^th September – The battalion were in close support to 64^thBrigade.

11^th September – Battalion in support. 7^th Leicesters took the Yellow line. (this refers to the different colour lines on the trench map in this case the front line) Brigade relieved 64^th Brigade.

12^th September – 9pm Relieved the 7^th Leicesters in the left sub sector of the front line.

13^th September – 10am Enemy attack. A deserter warned us of this barrage prevented attack developing on the Battalion front. Enemy attacked 1^st Wiltshire regiment on our left with Flammenwerfer (German Flamethrower operated by one man) but was driven off.

14^th September – In left front sub sector.

15^th September – Relieved by 1^st Queens regiment, 33^rd Division at night. Battalion moved back to camp 800yds east of Manancourt.

16^th September – In camp east of Manancourt. Camp shelled in the afternoon. 4 casualties.

17^th September – 8.30pm Moved off to assembly positions in yellow line via Equancourt, Sorel-le-Grand, Heudecourt.

18^th September – 6.20am. Zero. Battalion attacked in conjunction with troops either side.                                                                                                                                  

Thus commenced the Battle of Epehy. The Battle was a British success the Germans were forced back three miles, but not without cost.

James died from his wounds on 18^th September 1918, he was 25 years of age. I have no definite confirmation he was wounded at Epehy, however his Battalion took part in the action and I am assuming James was involved. He would have been taken to a Casualty clearing station near to Beaulencourt (of which there were three) and was later buried in Thilloy Road Cemetery Beaulencourt.

Thilloy Road cemetery (ww1cemeteries.com)

More information on Thilloy Road cemetery can be found at

James died leaving a young widow and two children, his son James born in December 1918 would never meet his father!

He was awarded the British War and the Victory Medals.

James is remembered on the Brushes War memorial at Old Whittington and his death is recorded in the Leicester Regiment database at

James Frost obituary Derbyshire Times 28^th September 1918.