Scott, James

James Scott was born on March 1, 1887 in Glasgow, Scotland. Not much is known about his early life or other family members. Upon enlistment, James stated his next of kin was William Scott, and that he was living in Lethbridge and employed as a teamster. There is no indication as to the relationship between James and William Scott. He did have a fiancée, Miss Culver, who lived in Lethbridge, and later in Retlaw. According to pay information, the engagement was broken off, and James later lists a second fiancée, Mlle Paulette Grimde, who was living in Paris. On November 9, 1915, James Scott enlisted with the Canadian Engineers. He had prior military experience, serving six months with the 25th Battery Canadian Militia out of Lethbridge, Alberta. This unit would later be known as the 20th Battery CFA. Sapper Scott arrived in England on March 25, 1916, and remained in England until embarking for France on May 20, 1916. He would serve with the Canadian Engineers for the next 27 months, seeing action in several of the major battles of the First World War. On August 30, 1918, Sapper Scott was killed in action near the Battle of Amiens. He was laid at Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery. James Scott would have been eligible for the British War Medal, Victory Medal, Memorial Cross, death plaque and scroll. Sadly, none were ever issued as efforts to find his next of kin were not successful