9th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (British Army)
Date Of Birth:
11/05/1898
Died:
01/07/1916 (Killed in Action)
Age:
18
Summary
James Cumberland was the son of William John and Mary Cumberland. He was born 11th May 1898 in the Benburb area. His father had been an army man, serving for seventeen years. He was one of ten children. James was a member of the Derrygortreavy Company of the Dungannon UVF and also Kilnacart Orange Lodge No. 295. Both James and his brother John joined the 9th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on the same day. They have consecutive service numbers – James was 11554, John was 11553. Private James Cumberland arrived in France on 5th October 1915. Private James Cumberland and his brother John were killed in the first hours of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916.
Further Information
James Cumberland was the son of William John and Mary Cumberland. William Cumberland and Mary Laney were married on 21st February 1889 in the Dungannon area. Mary’s maiden name is variously spelt Lenny, Leaney, Lainey, Laney and Lavey.
James Cumberland was born 11th May 1898. He was one of ten children, eight surviving, all born in the Kilnacart / Benburb area.
William John Cumberland, James’s father, had also been an army man, enlisting on 13th December 1883. He served for seventeen years.
The 1901 census records James as a 2 year old child, living with family at Roan, Benburb, Tyrone. William worked as a kilnman.
Known family: William John Cumberland, Mary Cumberland, Eliza Cumberland (born 8th November 1890), William James Cumberland (born 7th July 1893), John Cumberland (born 6th June 1895), Mary Cumberland (born 19th July 1896), James Cumberland (born 11th May 1898), Thomas Cumberland (born 16th April 1901, died 19th May 1902), Andrew Cumberland (born 10th June 1903), Mary Cumberland (born 6th May 1906), Evylene Eva Cumberland (born 8th January 1908), Thomas Cumberland (born 8th May 1909, died 2nd October 1910).
The 1911 census records James as a 13 year old child living with family at Kilnacart, Derrygortreavy, Tyrone. James was still at school.
James was a member of the Derrygortreavy Company of the Dungannon UVF.
James also belonged to Kilnacart Orange Lodge No. 295, near Eglish, Dungannon.
Both James and his brother John joined the 9th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on the same day. They have consecutive service numbers – James was 11554, John was 11553.
Privates John and James Cumberland arrived in France on 5th October 1915.
A third brother also enlisted, also joining the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
From the Tyrone Courier dated 2nd December 1915:
Mr W J Cumberland, Kilnacart, has received official notification that his youngest son, Private James Cumberland, 9th Inniskillings, is in hospital at the Western Front suffering from frostbite. All Mr Cumberland's three sons are at the front with the 9th Inniskillings.
Private James Cumberland and his brother John were killed in the first hours of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916.
From the Belfast Newsletter dated 17th July 1916:
Private John Cumberland, Tyrone Volunteers, Kilnacart, Dungannon, missing. Private James Cumberland, Tyrone Volunteers, Kilnacart, Dungannon, wounded.
From the Tyrone Courier dated 20 July 1916: John Cumberland (Brother of James Cumberland)
Private John Cumberland, Transport Section of the Tyrone Volunteers, who is reported missing, is a son of Mr James Cumberland, sen. Kilnacart. He is a member of Kilnacart L.O.L. No 296, and of Derrygortreavy Company of the U.V.F. His father served for seventeen years in the Inniskilling Fusiliers, and in addition to two sons has six nephews serving abroad. His brother, Private James Cumberland, has been wounded and is in hospital in France.
From the Mid Ulster Mail dated Saturday 22nd July 1916:
Private James Cumberland, Tyrone Volunteers, wounded, is a brother of the above named Private John Cumberland. He belonged to Derrygortreavy Company, Dungannon Battalion U.V.F.
From the Belfast Newsletter dated 9th August 1916:
Cumberland, Private John, and his brother Private James Cumberland, Tyrone Volunteers, officially reported missing, are sons of Mr William G Cumberland, Kilnacart, Dungannon.
From the Mid Ulster Mail dated Saturday 12th August 1916: Dungannon Woman's Three Sons
Mr William J Cumberland, Kilnacart, Dungannon, whose three sons joined the Tyrone Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, has received on Tuesday official intimation that his two sons, John and James Cumberland, are missing. Mrs Cumberland also received the following letter from Captain T Robinson of that battalion.
'I am sorry indeed to hear that your sons are wounded and missing. Your three boys were in my company from the time they joined the 9th Battalion up to a couple of months ago when I was sent home from France. Your boys were a great help to me and I always found them smart clean and obedient lads and everything that soldiers ought to be. I trust that you may soon have good news from the one who is missing, and that the one that has been wounded is not seriously injured , and that you may soon have him home with you for a rest. I had all the Dungannon boys in my company and during my 24 years army experience I never found braver or better lads. Dungannon may well be proud of them.'
From the Mid Ulster Mail dated Saturday 19th August 1916: The Cumberland Brothers. Col. Ricardo and 'No Surrender'
Mr William J Cumberland, Kilnacart, Eglish, Dungannon, has received a distressing intimation that his sons Private John Cumberland and Private James Cumberland, who (with a third son), were serving with the Tyrone Volunteers, were killed in action on 1st July. In a letter to the bereaved mother, Col. Ricardo, D.S.O., officer commanding the Tyrone Volunteers says:-
'I fear I have only bad news to send you. Your boys, John and James, took part in the great attack on 1st July, and were last seen gallantly advancing with their company against the German trenches. The Ulster Division got to the place they were told to win, but those on the left and right of us being unable to get forward, we had to come back after holding on for fourteen hours and all our bombs were expended. When the roll was called, both your boys were missing and I greatly fear they must have fallen in the very severe fighting that took place. I doubt if they were taken prisoners for 'No Surrender' was the felling that day in the Ulster Division, and I should be wrong if I encouraged you to hope that they had survived. They were very gallant lads and they helped to bring honour to the Ulster Division. They fell doing their duty to the last and will be an example to their friends and neighbours for all time. Your loss is indeed a heavy one. You have given much to your King and country. Your boys were good soldiers and gallant comrades, and we shall all miss them. Your other boy, in our Transport Section, is in good health.'
The deceased soldiers were active members of Derrygortreavy Company, Dungannon Battalion U.V.F. and belonged to Kilnacart L.O.L. No 296 (Killyman District). Their father was an old soldier having served for seventeen years in the same regiment. In addition to his three sons, he has even nephews at the front.
From the Tyrone Courier dated 17 August 1916: Brothers Killed
Mr William J Cumberland, Kilnacart, Dungannon, has received the distressing intimation that his sons Private John Cumberland and Private James Cumberland, who with a third son, were serving in the Tyrone Volunteers, were killed in action on 1st July 1916. In a letter to the bereaved mother, Colonel Ricardo, D.S.O, says:-
'I fear I have only bad news to send you. Your boys John and James took part in the great attack on July 1st, and were last seen gallantly advancing with their company against the German trenches. The Ulster Division got to the place they were told to win, but owing to those on the right and left of us being unable to get forward, we had to come back after 14 hours and all our bombs being expended. When the roll was called, both your boys were missing, and I greatly fear they must have fallen in the very severe fighting that took place. I doubt if they were taken prisoners, for 'No Surrender' was the feeling that day in the Ulster Division, and I should be wrong if I encouraged you to hope that they had survived. They were very gallant lads, and they helped to bring honour on the Ulster Division. They fell doing their duty to the last, and will be an example to their friends and neighbours for all time. Your loss is indeed a heavy one. You have given much to your king and country. Your boys were good soldiers and gallant comrades and we shall all miss them.'
The deceased soldiers were members of Derrygortreavy U.V.F.
From the Tyrone Courier dated 12 October 1916: Dungannon Council - Rank and File's Heavy Losses
The Clerk mentioned that Mr James Lynn, of Mousetown, Coalisland, had had three sons killed in action, and Mr William J Cumberland, of Kilnacart, had lost two sons in action. Mr Harkin said he was personally acquainted with the Lynns and he knew no sadder case than theirs. There were four brothers serving and the three young men who had been killed had volunteered since the beginning of the war and two of them at least had received promotion. The War Office, he understood, intended placing the fourth boy on home service. He proposed that letters of sympathy be sent to both families. Mr Irwin, in seconding, said Mr Cumberland had three sons serving and now only one of them was left. Messrs. McMinn and Elliott supported the resolution, which was carried unanimously.
From the Belfast Newsletter dated 28th May 1917:
Private John Cumberland and Private Joseph Cumberland, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, missing, now officially reported killed in action on 1st July. They were sons of Mr William J Cumberland, Kilnacart, Dungannon and had been members of Kilnacart L.O.L. 296, Killyman district, and of the Derrygortreavy Company, Dungannon Battalion U.V.F.
From the Tyrone Courier dated 31 May 1917
Official intimation has now been received by Mr William J Cumberland, Kilnacart, that his two sons, Private John Cumberland and Private Joseph Cumberland, Inniskilling Fusiliers, missing since 1st July, were killed on that date. The deceased were members of Derrygortreavy U.V.F. and Kilnacart L.O.L. 296.
Privates James and John Cumberland have no known grave and are commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.
James Cumberland is commemorated locally on the Roll of Honour in Eglish Presbyterian Church and on Dungannon War Memorial.
