James Hugh Fairgrieve Kersell
ID # 5126, (1922-1944)
| Father | James Kersell (1884-1960) |
| Mother | Ella McLean Meikleham (1888-1967) |
| Birth | James Hugh Fairgrieve Kersell was born on 12 November 1922 at Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario. |
| Death | He died on 11 August 1944 at France at age 21. |
| Burial | He was buried at Bretteville-sur-Laize, Cintheaux, France. |
| Note | James is recorded on the gravestone with his parents in section 3 of Mountview Cemetery. His inscription reads: Gdsm. J. H. F. Kersell / buried at Bretteville-sur-Laize, Cdn. War Cemetery, Cintheaux, France, 1922-1944. At present, census and birth records are not available late enough to record other children for James and Ella, but a footstone at the plot reads 'Father', so there was probably at least one other child. Library & Archives Canada provides the following information for James: Surname:KERSELL Given Name(s):JAMES H. F. Age:21 Date of Birth:12 Nov 1922 Date of Death:11 Aug 1944 Rank:Guardsman Unit:Governor General's Foot Guards, R.C.A.C. Force:Army Service Number:B134649 Reference:RG 24 Volume:26250 Extra Information:Son of James and Ella M. Kersell, of Hamilton, Ontario. Item Number:18538 Ancestry has an image of James' attestation papers, 1942. This shows his full name as James Hugh Fairgrieve Kersell. He signs this papers as Hugh Kersell, so he was probably known as such to his familiars. Hugh's place of birth is shown as Hamilton. He is 1st year pharmacy apprenticeship at McMaster University, and a Presbyterian. His father's name is given as next of kin and the family's residence as 210 Hillcrest Avenue, Hamilton, Ont. Beyond this, Find-a-Grave has a transcription of James' grave in France. It appears to have been entered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It shows the cemetery as noted above, but adds that the cemetery is in the Departement Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. It records his place of burial in the cemetery as Plot: VIII. F. 10 Although the unit is shown as 'Foot Guards', by the time it went to France it was an armored united. |
| Last Edited | 5 Aug 2018 |