James Charles Patrick KINSMAN (1879-1958)

James Charles Patrick Kinsman (1879-1958) was a colleague of George Sladden in the 15th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Prince of Wales’ Own, Civil Service Rifles).

James Kinsman was born on 27th April 1879 at Pembroke Dock, Wales, the eldest of three children of James Byrn Kinsman, a clerk at the Royal Dockyard, and his wife, Margaret Kennedy.  He was baptized on 28th May 1879 at St John, Pembroke Dock.  The Kinsman family was living in Worthing in 1891 and Richmond in 1911.

James trained as a lawyer and was a member of the territorial force of Civil Service Rifles, becoming Lieutenant on 16th March 1912.

Shortly after the start of the Great War, the Civil Service Rifles were sent to St Albans where Lieutenant Kinsman was the officer in charge of 47 men, 15 waggons and 50-60 horses in the infantry Transport Section.  George Sladden described him as “one of the very best of our officers as regards personal qualities of temper and breeding and we all like him immensely ….  He has an engaging but nervous manner, with a slight stammer, and he is very keen on his work.”

On 19th September 1914 James married Dorothy Mary Furze at St Stephen’s Church, Kensington.  George revealed that he had had two days’ leave in order to get married.  On his marriage certificate he put his profession as barrister at law, rather than as an army officer.

Lieutenant Kinsman was very keen to get abroad on active service (indeed, his fiancée had said she would refuse to marry him unless he went to the front).  At the start of the war, members of territorial forces had the right to opt out of overseas service (though that was later withdrawn in 1916).  Along with George Sladden, Lieutenant Kinsman went to France in March 1915.

In January 1916, Captain Kinsman (as he then was) left the Transport Section in France to take up a staff post.

James had two sons:  John Charles Keith McCulloch (1918-1942) and Richard James Douglas McCulloch (1926).

James died at The Sheiling, Hamble, Hampshire, on 11th April 1958, aged 79.