William Charles James 1889--1938

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
OF MY DEVOTED HUSBAND, AND 

OUR LOVING

DADDY
BORN 15-1-1889 DIED 5-1-1938

***
QUICK AND SUDDEN WAS THE CALL,

HIS SUDDEN DEATH SURPRISED US ALL,

ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE LOST CAN TELL

THE LOSS OF OUR LOVED ONE WITHOUT 

A FAREWELL

(Stone with name broken, missing)

WILLIAM CHARLES JAMES

According to La Martiniere College, Lucknow 

records William Charles James had served

on the staff of the institution for 21 years

as teacher, house master and scout master

among other positions.

I, the blogger, had heard of the tragic death

several time from my dad. I have since learnt

that the College records

did not mention that William was shot

 accidentally by his teenage son while 

hunting wildboar among the thickets on

the vast grounds of the institution, probably

on the other side of the lake.

 Then in 1970 or '71 Mr Patrick James came

to Lucknow from Tonga, where 

as I recall it mentioned, he was 

British High Commissioner. I was privileged to
meet him when he visited an old
friend from the past where I
was a visitor.

He was accompanied by his wife, a woman

of Polynesian descent...

Patrick James as
a young man

(Unedited)

Patrick could have been as young as 15 re: his father dying on the 5th Jan 1938 & buried on the 6th. Patrick's full baptism records isn't available on line at the moment.

I don't think I've heard of or read La Martiniere Record, so I must have come across this story somewhere else, but not recently.

The James family is quite prominent in Lucknow and Allahabad, I wonder if they are related to you via Thomas William James and Elsie Kathleen Shepherd?

I can't find Patrick named on La Martiniere Registers on FIBIS, though a parent, W. C. James appears in 1933, so this is likely to be Patrick. Mr. Malcolm Speirs photographed the registers of La Martiniere boys & girls, together with records from some local churches years ago, but his indexing is rather odd. Copies of the photographs can be obtained from him. He also photographed Patrick's baptism in 1922 and likely his sister, Barbara Olive James in 1924. I obtained some photographs re: the Anthony family a few years ago. Perhaps the College Archivist maybe able to find more information re: school registers, inquiry / coroners reports etc.

I haven't found anything online re: Patrick being a High Commissioner in Tonga, which is a shame.

Researched by Susan Penn-Berkeley