William James Byard was born and grew up in the area of Derbyshire around Chesterfield. His father, Thomas, was from Wingerworth and gave his occupation as farmer when he married Mary Ann Powell in 1898. Mary Ann, who was known as Annie, was a Sheffield native so the marriage took place at St Mary’s Church in Walkley. By 1901,Thomas and Annie had two sons, William James who was born early in 1899 and Tom Lewis who was born a year later but died in October 1903. William James was baptised at St Philips church in Netherthorpe in March 1899, the nearest church to Mary’s parents house on Infiormary Road. Two further children were born to Thomas and Annie: Robert Alfred (1903) and Elsie May (1905). William James was admitted to the school at Old Brampton in September 1902. He had arrived from Stone Edge which is a small village about five miles south of Old Brampton and his address was the Royal Oak. There is a further note that he left the district in March 1908. These locations tie in with the places of birth recorded for William James’ siblings.
Moving to Fulwood
By 1911 the family was at Whiteley Wood farm (the census records this as ‘Yard’) where Tom was a general farm hand. This suggests either that the family’s fortunes had worsened in the ten years since the previous census or that he enhanced his job description during the previous years. Given that the children were born in different villages it seems more likely the latter was the case. Thomas’ father had been a farmer of 146 acres but there was a gap of 20 years between Thomas and his elder brother, so there was little likelihood of him inheriting the farm. Thomas’ family’s frequent change of address was probably due to the need to move to where work was available.
Moving off the Land
Some time after 1911, Tom changed occupation completely: he was employed as a snuff mixer in the Snuff Mill at Porter Brook (1921) and the family and moved into a house on Bramwith Road. At the outbreak of the Second Word War, Tom, Annie and their daughter, a school teacher, were living on Renshaw Road at High Storrs.
War Service
William James was employed a plumber after he left school. He was called up just before his 18th birthday although his service was reckoned from June 1917. The medical officer noted that William James was 5ft 6in tall weighed 8 stone. and had a scar on his right hand along with a mole on his abdomen.
His first posting was to the 246th Infantry Battalion in May 1917 and in November 1917 was transferred to the 51st Notts and Derby Regiment, based at Doncaster.
William James, by now in the 2nd Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers, was in France from February 1918. At the end of March he was wounded in his neck and was in hospital for six weeks. Soon after rejoining the Battalion he was gassed and in then contracted Influenza. Perhaps unsurprisingly, late in the summer of that he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized at Etaples. His Casualty Form records that he was diagnosed with Neurasthenia and later suffered from hysteria. He rejoined the battalion at the end of January 1919.
William James was not immediately released from service when the War ended. He spent some time in Germany before being demobbed in November 1919
After the War
In 1921 William James married Constance Cartwright. They had three children, Constance Julia (1922), Celia (1924) and Malcolm (1936). In 1939, William James and family were living on Middlewood Road just beyond Leppings Lane. William James was the foreman plumber at Middlewood hospital, his eldest daughter was a clerk.
William James died in 1985