James Delargey Lavelle likeness

James Delargey Lavelle cap badge2nd Lieutenant James Delargey Lavelle

12th (Service) Battalion Highland Light Infantry
Service No: N/A

James Delargey Lavelle grave

1749

3

4

0

11
Click here for a frameable A4 print
Personal details

Family Information

Eldest son of John Lavelle (1858 - 04/08/1933) and Alice Hamilton McKay Lavelle (28/10/1862 - 21/01/1953) of Brankle House, Blairhill, Coatbridge. John Lavelle was Provost of Coatbridge from 1917 - 1922 and died at his home (Brankle House). James' younger brother Captain Patrick Lavelle of the 1/5th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers was Killed in Action on the 04/10/1918. Another younger brother Thomas was an Officer with the Royal Flying Corps. From the 1891 Census - Address - 2 Weir St, Coatbridge - John Lavell aged 33, Alice Lavell aged 28, James Lavell aged 8 months, servant Bridget Hughes aged 23. From the 1901 Census - Address - Brankle House, Coatbridge - John Lavell aged 42, Alice Lavell aged 35, James Lavell aged 10, Alice Lavell aged 9, Annie Lavell aged 8, Patrick Lavell aged 6, John Lavell aged 4, Thomas Lavell aged 3, Margaret Lavell aged 1, servants Sarah Feenan aged 24, Jessie Reid aged 19, Fanny Reid aged 12. James had another younger brother, Charles Edward Lavelle who died on the 03/12/1900 aged 2. His younger sister Annie Marie Lavelle died on the 19/05/1902 aged 9.

Born / Resided

Coatbridge / Coatbridge.

Died

Killed in Action on the 20/08/1915 by a bursting shell during a relief near Les Brebis, Mazingarbe

Enlisted

Troon 1914

Employed

Civil Mining Engineer with Messrs Gilbert, Thomson and Ferguson, Bath St, Glasgow.

Age

25 / DOB - 08/07/1890

Buried / Remembered

Loos British Cemetery (XVI. G. 15), Pas de Calais, France.

Cemetery / Memorial Information

he village has given its name to the battle of the 25th September - 8th October 1915, in which it was captured from the Germans by the 15th (Scottish) and 47th (London) Divisions, and defended by French troops on the 8th October. The cemetery was begun by the Canadian Corps in July 1917, and the graves then made are contained in Rows A and B of Plot I and Row A of Plot II. The remainder of the cemetery was formed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields and smaller cemeteries over a wide area North and East of the village. There are nearly 3,000, 1914-18 and a small number of 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, two-thirds from the 1914-18 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to two soldiers from the United Kingdom and four from Canada who are known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of 44 soldiers from Canada and 12 from the United Kingdom, buried in other cemeteries, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire.

Additional Information

James and the 12th (Service) Battalion arrived at Boulogne on the 10/07/1915 and were part of the 46th Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division when James was killed along with Lance Corporal J. Nelson (19012) from Glasgow from James' Battalion and Sapper Sidney James Cotton (89593) of the 91st Field Company, Royal Engineers when a shell burst close to them during a relief. James was leading his men from their billet to the trenches when a shell burst nearby. He then ordered his men to walk single file ten yards apart. A second shell landed at his feet killing him and the 2 other men instantaneously. Sapper Cotton was working on the roadside at the time. The Battalion War Diary states - LES BREBIS 20th AUGUST : "Relief of 7 K.O.S.B. in W.2. in daylight starting at 2.30pm. During the afternoon enemy shelled main road and one shell pitching in the entry of the road 200 yards west of GRENAY CHURCH killed 2Lt. J. D. Lavelle, a Lance Corporal and a Sapper, and wounded one more man. Several other platoons had narrow escapes. The Battalion move in half platoons from the level crossing to W.2. via the main road". ALL 3 MEN KILLED ARE BURIED NEXT TO EACH OTHER AT LOOS BRITISH CEMETERY (see photos). SEE PHOTOS x 14 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY JULY - AUGUST 1915. James was educated at Stoneyhurst College, Lancashire and enlisted as a Private in the 17th (Service) Battalion Highland Light Infantry (3rd Glasgow) when war broke out. He received his Commission 2 months later and was transferred to the 12th (Service) Battalion. He was well known in cricketing circles (see Newspaper clippings for more information). Also see clippings for letters to James' father from Captain Shaw and Private G. Goodwin and also an extract from a letter sent home by Lance Corporal Lewis Davidson who being off duty one night went out for a walk with his Airdrie chum. They came across James' grave whom he knew well. This was published in the Coatbridge Leader on the 25/09/1915. THIS WAS THE SAME DAY LANCE CORPORAL LEWIS DAVIDSON WAS KILLED IN ACTION AT THE BATTLE OF LOOS (see Directory for Lewis' page). James' last letter arrived in Coatbridge the day before he died. See Directory for James' younger brother Patrick's page. Main grave photo and 2nd additional grave photo kindly donated by Thierry Dericbourg and James' 1st additional grave photo donated by Mick McCann at britishwargraves.co.uk. James is also remembered on the Drumpellier Cricket Club Roll of Honour, Coatbridge Technical College Roll of Honour, St. Augustine's Church Roll of Honour (with his brother Patrick) and at the Family Plot in Airdrie (St. Joseph's) R.C. Cemetery (see photos). James and the two other men were reburied in Loos British Cemetery (see reburial form). See photos for James' Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clippings x 6, his Record of Officers' Effects, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report x 2, his listing in the Scotland National Probate Index 1916, Loos British Cemetery, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2 and the Highland Light Infantry Cap Badge. His grave inscription reads "ON WHOSE SOUL SWEET JESUS HAVE MERCY".

Photos
James Delargey Lavelle Medal Index CardJames Delargey Lavelle newspaper clippingJames Delargey Lavelle newspaper clippingJames Delargey Lavelle newspaper clippingJames Delargey Lavelle remembered at homeJames Delargey Lavelle remembered at homeJames Delargey Lavelle remembered at homeJames Delargey Lavelle remembered at homeJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photoJames Delargey Lavelle additional photo

Creative Commons License

We have made this information and the images available under a Creative Commons BY-NC license. This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement: © coatbridgeandthegreatwar.com

Comments

There are no comments yet for 2nd Lieutenant James Delargey Lavelle. Be the first to leave one.

Do you have any information about or memories of 2nd Lieutenant James Delargey Lavelle that you would like to share?

Or even if you would just like to leave a message to say you've been here, please leave a comment below.

*Please note that all comments are verified by a moderator before appearing on the site. All fields are required except links to photos.