Person

The oldest child of Jarrow labourer Alexander Laird and his wife of one year, Mary Anne, James was born on 10th June 1897 in Jarrow. The 1901 census shows them living in Albert Road along with newly born Florence and Alexander’s sister Elizabeth.

In May 1912 the family of Alexander, Mary and children arrived in Quebec on board the SS Teutonic and made for Victoria, British Columbia (BC).

On 12th October 1914, 17 year old James, masqueraded as an 18 year old and enlisted with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Volunteer Reserve in Victoria. He was posted as part of a draft of 200 men to the RCN Station Shearwater, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the other side of the country. There James trained on HMCS Diana (formerly the Advocate) and at the end of the year earned his rating and qualified as “Efficient in Rank”.

Previously a private yacht, the Diana was a schooner, powered by sail, and used initially as a training vessel, but also was used for coastal patrols. She was in port on the day of the Halifax Explosion in 1917 and was damaged beyond repair by the blast.

September 1915 saw Rating Laird promoted to Ordinary Seaman. He was assigned to HMCS Hochelaga, a coal powered vessel, initially owed by the Archduke of Austria before being acquired by the Canadian Navy for use as a coastal patrol boat.

By December 1916 James was posted to RCN Station Esquimalt, BC for “domestic service”, which may have been a compassionate posting following the death of his father in action in France. “Domestic Service” meant he could be called to serve in just about any military task that needed manpower, not just restricted to service at sea.

James was demobilised on 4th July 1918 at Esquimalt and returned home to live with his mother and siblings in Victoria.

Post-war James worked as a crewman for Canadian Pacific Shipping on various coastal ships sailing between Vancouver Island and Seattle, Washington in the USA. He never married and died in the Memorial Pavilion Hospital, Victoria from colon cancer on 6th February 1982. He was cremated at Royal Oak Crematorium, Saanich three days later.

Civil Parish: Jarrow

Birth date: 10-Jun-1897

Death date: 06-Feb-1982

Armed force/civilian: Navy

Residence: 29 Albert Road, Jarrow (1901 census)
9 Howe Street, Hebburn (1911 census)
454 Hillside Avenue, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (enlistment papers)
229 Market Street, Victoria, British Columbia (1921 Canadian census)

Religion: Church of England

Employment: Labourer (enlistment papers), Crewman, Canadian Pacific Shipping (death certificate)

Family: Parents: Alexander Laird, Mary Anne Ruth Laird (nee Wales)
Siblings: Florence Laird, Jane Ann Laird, George Robert Laird, Mary Ann Ruth Laird, Lily Laird, Samuel Laird

Military service:

980
Ordinary Seaman
Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve

Gender: Male

Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham | Jim Busby, Canada