SOUTHALL, James

James Southall came from Cradley and had probably been a regular soldier in the Worcesters. He served in the 2nd Battalion which was part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914. In 1915 they were in Artois and involved in the battles of Festubert in the Spring and Loos in the Autumn. They moved to the Somme for the second phase of the battle, fighting at Bazentin on the 14th July and High Wood. They returned to the trenches at Delville Wood and were part of a minor attack on the 21st August in the confused remains of the woodland. Private James Southall was killed on the 23rd August during an enemy counter-attack. He is buried in Lonsdale Cemetery, Aveluy, (VI A 3) and is commemorated on the Cradley and Halesowen Memorials.