James Graham Oldham – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Indefatigable

Ordinary Seaman James Graham Oldham – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Indefatigable

Early Life and Family

James Graham Oldham

James Graham Oldham was born in 1889 in Leeds, Yorkshire, the son of Albert Oldham and Hannah Corner Jefferson, who had married in 1887 at Holy Trinity Church, Westminster. He spent his early childhood in Headingley, where his father worked as a professional dentist.

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the Oldham family living at 5 Brudenell View, Headingley with Burley, Leeds. Albert, aged 27, was employed as a registered dentist, while his wife Hannah, also 27, cared for their young son James, then two years old. Also present was Harriet E. Jefferson, aged 11, a niece. The family suffered a loss in 1895 when Hannah died, leaving Albert a widower.

1901 Census

Albert remarried in 1898, taking Ellen Bingley as his second wife. By the 1901 Census, the family were living at 88 Queens Road, Headingley cum Burley, Leeds. Albert, aged 37, continued his work as a dentist, while Ellen, aged 31, managed the home. The children were James Graham (12), Lavinia (9), and Charles Albert (1). Albert’s sister, Emma Oldham, aged 25, was also living with them.

1911 Census

By 1911, the Oldham family had moved to Wales and were residing at 38 Bryn Road, Swansea. Albert, now 47, was practising as a Dental Surgeon, and Ellen, aged 41, remained at home. Their children were James Graham (22), recorded as a Dental Student; Lavinia (19), also a Student; and Charles Albert (11), who was still in school. James appeared to be preparing for a professional career alongside his father before the outbreak of war changed the course of his life.

Enlistment and Naval Service

Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services

According to the Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services, James enlisted in the Royal Navy in January 1916. He served as an Ordinary Seaman, one of the most junior ratings aboard ship, but a role that placed him directly in the line of danger during naval operations.

Loss of H.M.S. Indefatigable

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

The British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records confirm that James lost his life on 31^st May 1916 while serving aboard H.M.S. Indefatigable during the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval engagement of the First World War.

HMS Indefatigable

During the battle, the battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable, commanded by Captain Charles Sowerby, became locked in a gunnery duel with the German battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann. A German salvo was observed to strike Indefatigable amidships, causing her to lurch out of line to starboard. Moments later, a second salvo struck squarely. It is believed that one of the shells penetrated the X turret, igniting the cordite charges inside; the resulting flash travelled down into the aft magazines. It is also possible that a shell penetrated the magazine directly.

The ship was enveloped in smoke, and when it cleared, Indefatigable was sinking rapidly by the stern and listing heavily to port. She sank within seconds, taking 1,017 members of her crew with her. Only two men survived. Ordinary Seaman James Graham Oldham was among those lost in this catastrophic explosion.

Commemoration

James Graham Oldham
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

As he has no known grave, James Graham Oldham is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours Royal Navy personnel lost at sea during the First World War. His name stands among those who gave their lives in one of the most devastating moments of the Battle of Jutland