7 December 1917: Pte James Shuttleworth

James Shuttleworth was born at Cowling, Yorkshire in 10 October 1878

Location of Cowling, Yorkshire in the north west of England (cc OpenStreetMap)

James was born in Cowling, Yorkshire to parents John (a worsted weaver) and Ann. He was one of 13 children, 10 of whom lived beyond childhood (he had 3 brothers, Christopher and Gladstone who died in their first, William when he was 8). James went to work in the local cotton mill. He attended Cowling Infant School then went to work as a cotton weaver from the age of 13. 

In April 1905, age 26, he married Emily Gardwood. 

At the time of his enlistment James Shuttleworth was living in Skipton where he worked at Belle Vue Mills. He was by then a father of two: Vera (born March 1906) and Percy (born March 1914).

Recruitment poster for the Army Service Corps © IWM Art.IWM PST 7821

He was conscripted into the army in April 1917 and, after training and allocation to the Army Service Corps, was sent to join the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

He hadn't been in Egypt very long when he fell ill with dysentery and died on 7 December 1917.

Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. (c) CWGC 2021

James is now buried in Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.

Pension Record Card from the WFA digital archive on Fold3 by Ancestry

T/358722 Pte James Shuttleworth, 109 MT Coy Army Service Corps

7 December 1917 died from dysentery on this day

Initial research by David O'Mara with further research by Jonathan Vernon. 

Sources: English Census 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, Cowling School Register, Ickornshaw, Cowling; CWGC and The Western Front Association Pension Cards and Ledgers digital archive on FOld3 by Ancestry.