Friends of the Somme - Mid Ulster Branch  
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Updates for Private James Ferson
Date Information
22/12/2019
22/12/2019 From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 6th July 1940: Nurse Moira Ferson (niece of Private James Ferson)
22/12/2019 Miss Moira Ferson (daughter of Mr and Mrs William Ferson of Ballymena, and grand-daughter of the late Mr William Ferson and Mrs Ferson of Drumnacross, Cookstown), has passed her final examination in nursing. She is at present employed in the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital.
15/02/2019
15/02/2019 From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 31st October 1918: Private James Ferson
15/02/2019 Private James Ferson, son of Mr William Ferson, Drumnacross, Cookstown, killed by a machine gun bullet through the heart when getting his gun into action in 1st October. Lieutenant Parsons, writing to his father, says the deceased was with him during all the recent fighting and did splendid work, and will be missed by all the battery. He did his duty nobly. The deceased was a tramway conductor in Toronto when he joined up, and was attached to the Machine Gun Corps. He was previously gassed, and last Easter he was home on furlough. Another brother is on active service.
15/02/2019 From the Mid Ulster Mail dated 31st October 1918:
15/02/2019
15/02/2019 At the meeting of the Hope of Cookstown Lodge, I.O.G.T., on Monday, Brother J H Donaghey presided, and there was a good attendance. Arrangements were made for a social meeting on Halloweve night. A resolution of sympathy was passed with Brother George Ferson, Drumnacross, on the recent death in action of his brother, a silent standing vote. A similar resolution was passed to Sister Lily Usher, Oldtown, Cookstown, who also lost a brother, killed in action a few days previously.
19/04/2017 Private James Ferson was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps when he was killed in action on 1st October 1918 by a machine gun bullet through the heart as he was getting his own machine gun into action.
19/04/2017 James Ferson emigrated to Canada.
19/04/2017 James Ferson was born on 2nd October 1889 in the Cookstown area. He was one of thirteen children, eleven surviving.
19/04/2017 Family: William Ferson, Maria Ferson, Thomas Ferson (born 1st April 1885), William Ferson (born 25th May 1886), James Ferson (born 2nd October 1889), Robert Ferson (born 20th March 1891), John Ferson (born 14th December 1892), Andrew Ferson (born 30th September 1894), Hugh Ferson (born 13th March 1896), George Ferson (born 16th January 1898), Elizabeth Maria Ferson (born 9th November 1899), Margaret Ferson (born 3rd June 1904), Maria Ferson (born 10th March 1907).
19/04/2017 It should be noted that until 1894, all GRONI records spell the surname as Pherson.
19/04/2017 The 1901 census lists James as age 11, living with the family at house 2 in Drumnacross Lower, Oaklands, County Tyrone. He was still at school. They were a farming family.
19/04/2017 The 1911 census lists James as age 21, living with the family at house 7 in Drumnacross Lower, Oaklands. He was a farmer.
19/04/2017 James Ferson was a son of William and Maria Ferson. William Ferson married Maria Acheson (various spellings) on 3rd June 1884 in the district of Cookstown, probably in Drumnacross.
19/04/2017 Prior to enlisting, James lived at 6 Chesley Avenue, Toronto and was working as a tramway conductor.
19/04/2017 At Easter 1918, Private Ferson was home on leave in Cookstown recovering from being gassed in an attack by the enemy.
19/04/2017 Lieutenant Parsons was with him at the time of his death and later wrote a very touching letter to the family in Cookstown. In it he said:-
19/04/2017 James Ferson is buried in Canada Cemetery, Tilloy les Cambrai, France.
19/04/2017 The Canadian Circumstances of Death Register records that Private Ferson was killed in action on 1st October 1918. Whilst operating a machine gun, during military operations in the vicinity of Inchy-en-Artois, he was killed by an enemy bullet.
19/04/2017
19/04/2017 James Ferson enlisted in Toronto on 10th April 1916 and was described as being five feet four and three quarter inches tall, with blue eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion. He was not married. He listed his mother as his next-of-kin.
30/12/2015 “I was with him during all of the recent fighting and he did splendid work, and he will be missed by all of the battery. He did his duty nobly”.
30/12/2015
30/12/2015
30/12/2015
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