| James Andrew Reynolds was the son of Thomas William and Marcella Elizabeth Reynolds. Thomas Reynolds married Marcella Sharpe on 17th May 1887 in the district of Moyle.
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| The family lived in Scotch Street, Dungannon, from where Thomas ran the family business. Thomas had a chemist and grocer shop.
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| James Reynolds was born in Scotch Street in Dungannon on 31st January 1896. Tragically, his mother died just two weeks after he was born on 12th February, aged 34.
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| Family: Thomas William Reynolds, Marcella Elizabeth Reynolds, Mary Kathleen Reynolds (born 2nd December 1888), William Reynolds (born 20th April 1892), Marcella Reynolds (born 11th March 1894), James Andrew Reynolds (born 31st January 1896).
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| The 1901 census does not list James as living with his father in Scotch Street, Dungannon.
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| However, the 1901 census lists James as age 5, living with his aunt Ellen Sharpe and his three siblings at house 36 in North Street, Ballycastle, County Antrim.
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| By the time of the 1911 census, Thomas Reynolds and his children had been reunited and were living at house 1 in Eglantine Avenue, Windsor Ward, Belfast. His father was described as a Wholesale Drugs General Merchant. Ellen Sharpe and her sister (presumably) were also living with the family.
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| James and his elder brother William are not listed as living with the family in the census.
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| James was educated at Bedford Grammar School, which is north of Luton in England. 2,350 members of the school served in the Great War, which would imply the school had a military background.
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| James Reynolds obtained his commission in October 1914 in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and joined the regiment at Portobello Barracks in Rathmines Dublin.
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| From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 3rd October 1914:
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| Mr James Andrew Reynolds, youngest son of Mr T W Reynolds, Dungannon, has received a commission in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and has joined the regiment at Portobello.
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| He subsequently underwent training in Tipperary.
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| 2nd Lieutenant Reynolds James accompanied the 7th Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers to England towards the end of 1915.
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| 2nd Lieutenant James Andrew Reynolds contracted a chill while in England.
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| As a consequence he was invalided out of service, the London Gazette reporting that Temporary Second Lieutenant James A Reynolds relinquished his commission on account of ill-health on 20th October 1915.
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| From the Tyrone Courier dated 4th November 1915:
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| Second Lieutenant J A Reynolds, 7th Irish Fusiliers, has relinquished his commission on account of ill-health. He is the youngest son of Mr T W Reynolds, Dungannon.
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| James Andrew Reynolds died of at the family home in Belfast on 2nd March 1916, aged 20. James is reported to have died of Bright’s Disease which is related to the kidneys. The GRONI Reference for his death certificate is D/1916/52/1007/76/329.
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| From the Tyrone Courier dated 3rd March 1916:
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| The death took place on Thursday of Mr James A Reynolds, late Second Lieutenant in the 7th Irish Fusiliers. the deceased, who was only twenty years of age, was the younger son of Mr T W Reynolds, 101 Eglantine Avenue, Belfast, and Dungannon, and was educated at Bedford Grammar School. He obtained his commission early last year, and underwent his training at Tipperary. He accompanied his battalion to England towards the end of last year, and contracted a chill, in consequence of which he was invalided out of service. He had been confined to bed for some weeks. The funeral was private.
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| 2nd Lieutenant James Andrew Reynolds is not listed on the CWGC because he did not fit the qualifying criteria - the main one being that the casualty was still in military service at the time of their death.
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| 2nd Lieutenant James Andrew Reynolds is buried in Drumcoo Cemetery in Dungannon in the family plot. He does not have a CWGC headstone.
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| 2nd Lieutenant James Andrew Reynolds is commemorated on the War Memorial in Dungannon.
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| Thanks to both Nigel Henderson and Kenny Farquhar who have provided invaluable help in compiling this information.
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