James Gerrard

James Gerrard

James Gerrard was born on 27 December 1876, in Utkinton, Cheshire. His parents were John and Ellen, from Horton Hall and James was educated at Tarvin Grammar School.  On the 1901 census, James is recorded as being married to Elizabeth. They had two children and were farming in Barton, near Wrexham.  The 1911 census shows that they had 3 sons and 5 daughters, and 3 further children were born in the years following.

By 1911, the family had moved to Keckwick, where James was a teamster at Manor Farm, Moore. He worked for John L Jones.

An extract from the Warrington Guardian, dated 13 January 1915, gives some information about James’ military service.  He had served for 12 years with the Shropshire Imperial Yeomanry.  At the outbreak of the first world war, he again joined the Yeomanry and was called up for training in September 1914.

The 1939 register records him as living in Thelwall with his wife and one daughter, Dorothy, but he is described as being ‘incapacitated’.

James died in 1949, aged 72 years.