Much of the early life of James Kendall is destined to remain shrouded in the mists of time. Born on 10th June 1883 in Stalbridge, Dorset, his parents are recorded as James Kendall and Anna Louisa Yeatman.

The 1901 census recorded James as being the head of a household, despite being only 17 years old. He was working as an agricultural labourer, and was living with his maternal grandmother, Mary Ann Yeatman, and her daughter, Louisa (the census recorded her as James’ aunt, although she shared a name with his mother).

James sought a proper career, however, and, on 19th July 1901, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records show that he was 5ft 6.5ins (1.69m) tall, with brown eyes, light brown hair and a fresh complexion.

Private Kendall was sent to Deal in Kent for his training: he remained here for nine months, before being transferred to Portsmouth, Hampshire. Over the next twelve years, he served on ten ships – including the HMS Duke of Wellington, HMS Egmont and HMS Renown – returning to the HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, in between each assignment.

James was billeted at HMS Victory when war was declared. During the conflict he remained based in Portsmouth, while being assigned to HMS Cornwall and HMS Birmingham for spells. It seems likely that his shore service helped support new recruits: Private Kendall’s experience would have been invaluable.

In 1915, James married a woman called Edith: there are no other details for her, other than that she his named as his next of kin on his service records.

When the armistice was declared, Private Kendall was serving on HMS President III, a shore base split between Bristol, Windsor and London. He returned to Portsmouth in the summer of 1919 and was formally stood down the following January, having been invalided out of the Royal Marines. He had served for more than eighteen years, and consistently received notices of high levels of character and ability.

James’ dismissal from service was as a result of an unrecorded illness, likely to be one of the lung conditions prevalent at the time. The next record for him is that of his passing, on 24th May 1920, at Bath War Hospital, Somerset. He was 36 years of age.

James Kendall was laid to rest in the city’s Locksbrook Cemetery. He was interred in the military section on the graveyard, often reserved for those servicemen whose families were unable to afford to bring their loved ones home.

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