Ethan Edwin Henry James, D.C.M. – Royal Welsh Regiment, 25th (Montgomery and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Battalion (Territorial Force)

Company Serjeant Major Ethan Edwin Henry James, D.C.M. – Royal Welsh Regiment, 25^th (Montgomery and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Battalion (Territorial Force)

Birth and Family Background

Ethan Edwin Henry James

Ethan Edwin Henry James was born in 1882 in Cardiff, the son of William Henry James and Agnes Carne Ball, who were married in 1861 at Redruth, Cornwall.

Marriage

Official civil records for Ethan are scarce. He married Louisa Rose King in 1909 in Swansea.

Early Military Experience

According to a contemporary newspaper account, Ethan had earlier served in the South African War, gaining valuable military experience before the First World War.

First World War Service

Attestation Papers

At the outbreak of the First World War, Ethan joined the Welsh Horse Yeomanry on its formation and later served with the Royal Welsh Regiment, 25^th (Montgomery and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Battalion (Territorial Force).

He rose through the ranks to become Company Serjeant Major, a senior non-commissioned appointment involving leadership, discipline, and the organisation of men under active service conditions.

While serving in the Palestine campaign, Ethan was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (D.C.M.) for gallantry in action, a decoration granted only for exceptional bravery in the field.

Transfer to the Western Front

In May 1918, the battalion was transferred from the Middle East to France, where it became involved in operations on the Western Front during the final months of the war.

Wounds, Death, and Burial

South Wales Daily Post

Ethan Edwin Henry James, D.C.M., died of wounds on 19^th September 1918, sustained while serving in France. His death was reported by the South Wales Daily Post on 15^th October 1918, which highlighted both his earlier service in South Africa and his distinguished record during the Great War.

Ethan Edwin Henry James
Doingt Communal Cemetery Extension, 
Somme, France
credit - findagrave

He is buried at Doingt Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France.

Ethan Edwin Henry James’s military career spanned two wars and multiple theatres of conflict. His rise to Company Serjeant Major and the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal stand as lasting testimony to his courage, leadership, and devotion to duty