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PERSONAL DETAILS. Pte. James Vamplew who was the second eldest son of Mr. & Mrs. Vamplew of Tumby Woodside Mareham Gate had been missing since the 26th September 1915. He was engaged as a Baker for Mr. W. Watkinson, New Bolingbroke. At the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the Lincolnshire Regiment, and was training at Halton Camp. He came home for a short leave in August 1915, and was drafted to France shortly afterwards. He would have been just 21 years old. SERVICE DETAILS. After enlistment, James found himself drafted to the 8th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, which was being formed at Lincoln. This was a Kitchener Battalion. The formation of Kitchener's third new army was authorised by Army Order 388 of the 13th September 1914. This sanctioned the raising of 6 more divisions that were to be numbered 21 to 26. The senior division, the 21st, was commanded by Lt. Gen. Sir E.T.H. Hutton and its original infantry brigades numbered 62nd, 63rd and 64th. The 8th Lincolns was part of the 63rd Brigade. Having moved from its original assembly area in Hertfordshire to Aldershot in July 1915, the Division began to move to France on the 2nd September 1915 and by the 13th was concentrated at St. Omer. After additional training in trench warfare, the Division soon took part in its first major battle when, on the 25th September it went into action at Loos, where James went missing. He had been in France less than 3 weeks. |
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