Prescot Roll of Honour

James MORAN

12 Mill Street, Prescot

Private (number not known) 11th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment

James Moran was born in Prescot in 1875, the eldest son of Thomas and Ann Moran, and brother of William Moran.

On 2nd December 1899, he married Catherine Kilgannon, a widow, at Prescot Catholic Chapel. They had six children - Thomas (21st January 1900), Mary (8th August 1902), Joseph (19th December 1904), James (8th July 1907), William (13th October 1910) and Vincent (13th January 1913).

At the time of the 1901 census, the family lived at 12, Mill Street, where 26 year old James recorded his occupation as a Collier - Drawer. By the 1911 census, James was working as a 'Labourer' in the Armouring Cable section at the Wire Works.

On 27th May 1915, James attested for Military Service. He stated that he was a 39 year old married man, and that he worked as a Labourer. Initially assigned to the South Lancashire Regiment, on 25th August 1915 James was transferred to the 21st (Reserve) Battalion of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment, then to the Garrison Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, where he was appointed Lance Corporal a month later. Whilst still based at Knowsley on 30th December 1915, he went absent until he was apprehended by the civilian police on 6th January 1916. His sentence for this offence was to be confined to barracks for 7 days.

On 25th February 1916 he sailed for India, remaining there until 13th November 1917 when he transferred to the Northumberland Fusiliers and was moved to Mesopotamia (Iraq). On 25th April 1918, he was transferred to the Army Service Corps, where he appears to have been assigned to Batman duties. He stayed In Mesopotamia until 16th October 1918 when he sailed for home on leave, arriving back in England on 17th December 1918.

He was demobilised on 11th February 1919 and was entitled to the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Entries from the Medal Rolls showing that James transferred to the Army Service Corps in 1918