James Francies Durham, or 'Jimmy Durham', was born in the
Sudan about 1885. His father was killed at the
Battle of Ginnis, December 1885 and he was with his mother on a boat on the River Nile, attempting to return to their home in Berber, about 500 miles to the south. The boat was attacked by the
Mounted Infantry of the
2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry in January 1886 and Jimmy was left on board with a wounded man, while the other occupants fled to avoid capture. The soldiers picked the child up and looked after him, giving him the name James Francies Durham, after the men who cared for him.
The original intention was to place Jimmy in a mission school in Cairo, but the sergeants who were looking after him were upset at the idea, and promised to continue to care for him.
Jimmy went with the 2nd Battalion to India and Burma and, when he reached the age of 14, he enlisted into The Durham Light Infantry as a bandsman. He moved to Aldershot in 1902 and Ireland in 1905.
He married, in 1908, Jane Green of Bishop Auckland, whose brother was a Quartermaster Sergeant with The Durham Light Infantry.
Jimmy died, of pneumonia, on 8 August 1910, while stationed at Fermoy, Ireland. Shortly afterwards, his daughter, Frances, was born. She lived in Bishop Auckland until her death in 1998.
To find out about Jimmy's fascinating life story, click on the links in the navigator on the left.
