2/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
James Henry Edward Yiend was the son of Alfred who was a stonemason and Margaret Yiend and was born at Winchcombe in the second quarter of 1893.
By the time of the 1901 Census, Margaret Yiend was shown as a widow and head of the household.
Before the war James had worked as a clerk typist for Mr E Smith Wood, a local solicitor but had moved to London prior to the outbreak of war, to undertake a similar job in Harrods.
In the 1911 Census he was shown as living in Cheltenham.
He enlisted in Cheltenham and probably joined the 2/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment and was originally numbered 3939.
The battalion was a Territorial unit and soldiers with the Territorial Force were re-numbered in 1917 and James’ number became 241291.
James was wounded in action in May 1918 and died in hospital at Bath on 3 June 1918; he was 25 years old.
His body was conveyed to Winchcombe Station and taken to St Nicholas Church for an overnight stay then the following morning a Requiem Mass was said for him, by Father Palmer and the flag-draped coffin was taken to the cemetery for burial: six wounded soldiers from the hospital acted as bearers.
In his eulogy Father Palmer commented on the noble and upright character of the deceased.
The funeral was attended by his mother and brother Dennis, then in an Officers Training Corps, plus many other family members, friends and wounded soldiers from Winchcombe Hospital.
His grave is now marked with a standard CWGC headstone.
His brother William (born 1895) was also being cared for at Bath possibly having been serving with the Gloucesters?. Of his other brothers Albert was reported to be doing war work in China and Edgar serving in Palestine.
Research by Graham Adams 13 January 2012