Served in the Company machine gun section, being wounded in the shoulder on the 1st July 1916. After recovering from his wounds he was placed briefly with the 8th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment with the serial number of 35433. On the 2nd August 1916 he was transferred to Officer training and received a Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Machine Gun Corps. He was still in the Army in 1919 as he was part of his Battalion football team who were runners-up in the 5th Army football competition.
Born in Brindle on the 22nd September 1895 to James and Susannah (nee Woods), he was baptised in St. James’ Church in the village by Rev. Kinton Jacques on the 3rd November that year. James lived with his parents at Pear Tree Cottage in Clayton-le-Woods, attending St. John’s Church at nearby Whittle-le-Woods, working in textiles at Swansey Mill in the village. He married Jessie Golledge on the 8th May 1920 at St. John’s in Whittle-le-Woods and was the first of the family to emigrate to the United States after the war, living in Pawtucket in Rhode Island where he continued to work in the textile trade. James made a return trip to the U.K., arriving in Liverpool from Montreal on the 2nd June 1959; he died in America on the 27th March 1962. His other three brothers fought in the war – Arthur, Charles and Percy (the latter in the Pals, see below).
Other information: James Allsup had two cousins who served in the war. John Allsup served as Corporal 680900 in the Royal Field Artillery and after the war became Managing Director of Bamber Bridge Spinning Co. Also, Lieutenant Edmund Woods who was killed on Gallipoli on the 7th August 1915 whilst serving with the 1st / 4th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. Their stories can be found in the book ‘Brindle & Hoghton Pals’.
