James Kippax was born in Hatton on 23rd January 1895 and baptised at Daresbury on 18th August that year. He was the son of Lewis James Kippax (born Norley) and his wife Mary (nee Thompson) who was also born in Norley.
In 1901 the family were living in Hatton and included James, Jack (7) and Martha A (2). Lewis Clarke, who was the father’s cousin, aged 21, also lived with them, as did the widowed grandfather, John Kippax, aged 74 years. James’ father was an agricultural labourer on a farm.
Ten years later 15-year old James was working as a farm labourer and living in Hatton with his family which now also included Nellie (9 months). His father was a woodman on the estate.
James appeared on the 1915 Roll of Honour in Daresbury Church, having joined up on 2nd September 1914 at Bradford, at the age of 19 years and 2 months. He was described as having black hair, dark brown eyes and a dark complexion and was 5’9’’ in height. His occupation at the time was as a garden labourer. He was assigned to the Army Service Corps as a Driver with the service number T1/780. He went to serve in France a month later, sailing with the British Expeditionary Force on the SS Australind. Having served in France throughout 1915, he was posted to India where he was treated for a bout of scabies for two weeks in the December. He was admitted to the hospital in Lucknow and then re-joined his unit.
He carried on serving until the end of the war in 1918, but did not leave the army until June 1919, being recorded as an absent voter in Hatton in 1918 and spring 1919. By this time he was in the 1st Cavalry Reserve of the Royal Army Service Corps. He had been examined at Valenciennes in France and was found not to be disabled due to military service. On demobilization he was transferred to the Class Z Army Reserve. He was deemed to be of good character, honest, sober and industrious. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in the Great War.
On June 13th 1919 he applied for a position as a goods porter at the goods office at Warrington station, for the London and North Western Railway.
In the summer of 1921 he married Catherine Cunningham of St. Helens and they had three sons, James Bernard in 1923, John Kenneth in 1924 and Roy in 1933.
The 1939 Register recorded the family as living on Walton Road in Stockton Heath, James being employed as a farm carter. Later they moved to Orford and James and his wife attended St. Stephen’s R.C. Church in Orford and enjoyed the social club there as well as at Sacred Heart.
James worked for 17 years as a process worker at Crosfields, the soap powder manufacturer in Warrington, until his retirement.
James Kippax died in September 1967, pre-deceasing Catherine by nearly 15 years. After a service at St. Stephen’s Church, he was buried at Warrington Cemetery. He was 73 years of age.