SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND
IN HISTORY
"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"

Private JAMES W BULMER.

27828, 27th (Tyneside Irish) Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers

who died, age 38, on the 7th October 1917.

Son of Annie Bulmer, of 6 East Parade, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Yorks and the late Joseph Bulmer.


Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres.
[Shown by kind permission of ww1cemeteries.com].

The census of 1901 shows James Bulmer, age 22 living at 52 Back Lane, Skelton.
He was working in the Ironstone mines as a Blacksmith above ground.
His father Joseph, also a Blacksmith in the mines, came from Loftus, N Yorks and his mother, Ann, from Ormesby, N Yorks.
He had four younger brothers Charles 21, who was a footman, Joseph 16, an assistant Blacksmith, John 14, an assistant saddler and Francis 9.
His sister Charlotte was 12.


James' battalion was formed at Newcastle, January 1915, by the Lord Mayor and City in June 1915.
It was attached to 103rd Brigade, 34th Division on the 10th August 1917.

Armentieres, where James is buried, is a town in the Department of the Nord, on the Belgian frontier, 14.5 kilometres north-west of Lille.
From the town of Armentieres take the D945 to Estaires. Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery is signposted off this road just before Erquinghem-sur-la-Lys.
His Division had fought in the Arras offensive in the Spring of this year [see History pages].
It seems James was killed in the day to day, sniping and shelling that was the Western Front.

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