Clifford Raymond James – The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), 1st Battalion

Private Clifford Raymond James – The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), 1st Battalion

Early Life and Family Background

Clifford Raymond James was born in 1912 in Morriston, Swansea, the son of David James and Mary Hannah Rees, who had married in Swansea in 1907.

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the James family living at 45 Clydach Road, Morriston, where David, aged thirty‑six, was employed as a tin‑work labourer with the Glanregon T.P. Company in Clydach. Mary Hannah, aged thirty‑four, managed the household. Their children—Margaret Hilda, aged thirteen; David John, aged ten; Clifford Raymond, aged nine; Lillian, aged six; and William Thomas, aged three—were all present, with the older four attending school. The census offers a clear picture of a young Morriston family rooted in industrial labour and the rhythms of early twentieth‑century Swansea life.

Military Service – The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)

As an adult, Clifford entered military service and became a Private in The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), 1st Battalion, a unit with a long history of service across the British Empire and in both world wars. The regiment’s battalions were deployed in home defence, overseas garrisons, and active theatres during the Second World War.

Clifford Raymond James
Morriston Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

Clifford Raymond James died on 8 May 1941, during the second full year of the war. His death brought an end to a life shaped by Morriston’s industrial community and the service traditions of his family. Clifford was buried at Morriston Cemetery, where his grave stands among the many soldiers, sailors, and merchant seamen who lost their lives during the conflict.