JAMES ERNEST COURTMAN
1 February 1886 - 22 October 1917
At School 1897 -
Pte 47838 23rd Manchester Regt
James was born in Hulme, Manchester and in 1891, aged 5, was living at 261 Stretford Road, Hulme with father James, an Estate and Insurance Agent, mother Percy Ann, older sisters Anne, Lillian and Ada and younger brothers Percy and Albert. James' mother was related to the Percy family, hence the unusual Christian name. By 1901 the family had moved to 491 Stretford Road, and James senior is now described as an Estate Agent and Tax Collector. In 1911 the family was at 562 Stretford Road and the three sons were working as Estate Agents clerks, presumably in their father's business. James senior is now described as a Tax Collector first and Estate Agent second!
James' service records do not survive but from similar service numbers of Manchester Regiment recruits it is likely that James was conscripted in mid 1916 into the 3rd Manchester Battalion, which was a Reserve Training Battalion based in Cleethorpes. After training, the 3rd Manchester intake was sent to the Western Front in mid January 1917, embarking from Folkestone to Calais or Boulogne and proceeding to Etaples where they were posted to one of the Manchester Pals Battalions. James was posted to the 23rd Manchester Battalion, (35 Division 104 Brigade) which at that time was in reserve at Beaufort, some 15 miles west of Arras, for training and re-equipping. During December and January some 470 other ranks joined the Battalion while 176 left the Battalion as"unfit". The Battalion had originally been a "Bantam" Battalion but in late 1916 it was decided to disband these Battalions and the other ranks who left were part of the scheme of "De-Bantamisation". The war diary reports that training was seriously interfered with, owing to detached working parties, the arrival of drafts and departure of "unfits". On 6th February the Battalion commenced its move to trenches at Chaulnes, about 10 miles south west of Peronne, arriving there on the 20th, taking over the line from the 2nd 414th French Regiment.These trenches were deep in water and mud. In March the Germans made a strategic withdrawal to shorten their line and had set up a powerful trench system, The Hindenburg Line, to take up

every tactical advantage of the ground. The Brigade followed until they reached the German defences, a short distance to the north west of St Quentin in front of Vermand. In May the Battalion moved north to trenches in front of Heudicourt.
Throughout the summer the battalion spent time in the trenches and in reserve providing working parties. In September 1917, the Battalion was in reserve at Villers Faucon for training and then, following another week in the trenches, marched to billets at
Peronne from where they proceeded by train, on 2nd October, to Boesinghe in the Ypres section of the line taking over positions at the front line north east of Langemark on the 16th. After a brief rest in camp at Boesinghe, the Battalion returned to the front line on the 20th in preparation for an attack on the German line.

On 22 October the War Diary reports "At 5.35 a.m. the Battalion attacked, in conjunction with another Battalion of this Brigade on our left and 34th Division on our right, from the line ADEN HOUSE (V 1 c 35.35) to ANGLE POINT (U 6 d 6.4), the final objective being on the line running from SIX ROADS (V 1 b 3.7) to V 1 b 3.8. The first objective running from V1 Central to the road junction at V 1 a 50.15 was reached with slight casualties. from this point however the resistance was more stubborn and very heavy rifle and machine gun fire was experienced from both flanks. All the officers, with one exception who was acting as liaison officer with 34th Division on our right and a large proportion of N.C.O's and men were either killed or wounded and the Battalion was unable to make further progress. the survivors who could be collected, that is about 50 other ranks under a Company Sergeant Major, withdrew to our original line, and later in the morning were relieved

Officers - 1 missing, 8 killed and 5 wounded. Other ranks - 55 missing, 20 killed and 115 wounded." James was one of the missing. His body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, 9 kilometres to the north east of Ypres.
Administration of James' estate was granted in Manchester on 3rd May 1920 to James Courtman, tax collector. Effects £1,519 9s. 7d