I am the Grandson of Private James Kayley, and I have been married to Lynda since April 1972. We have two sons, Andrew, who was born in 1976, and Daniel, who was born in 1979. We lived for many years in Hyndburn, East Lancashire, and after our children left the nest, we moved to Thornton Cleveleys, where we have lived since November 2010.
Some time ago, I was given several boxes of documents and photographs that had been thought to belong to my Father, James's son. However, within these boxes, I discovered 2 old pocket sized notebooks that had belonged to my Grandfather, James. Contained in these notebooks were diary entries made by James whilst he was a prisoner of war in the last year of World War 1. Along with these notebooks were many photographs and military documents relating to his time in the 9th Battalion of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.
When my Aunt Mary, (James's daughter) died in 2013, I became a member of the oldest generation of our family, so I decided that it would be appropriate to publish this journal to commemorate both my Grandfathers life, and also as a tribute to all the members of the armed services who fought and died 100 years ago, and those who still do so today. It is from the information contained in the boxes I was given, that I have been able to publish this website for all interested in this period.
It is my intention to continue to research the places and names contained in the journal, and using the information I have in order to be able to verify some of the incidents and places described in the journals, and I will update this site accordingly, keep an eye on my blog if you want to know about any updates.
Some time ago, I was given several boxes of documents and photographs that had been thought to belong to my Father, James's son. However, within these boxes, I discovered 2 old pocket sized notebooks that had belonged to my Grandfather, James. Contained in these notebooks were diary entries made by James whilst he was a prisoner of war in the last year of World War 1. Along with these notebooks were many photographs and military documents relating to his time in the 9th Battalion of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.
When my Aunt Mary, (James's daughter) died in 2013, I became a member of the oldest generation of our family, so I decided that it would be appropriate to publish this journal to commemorate both my Grandfathers life, and also as a tribute to all the members of the armed services who fought and died 100 years ago, and those who still do so today. It is from the information contained in the boxes I was given, that I have been able to publish this website for all interested in this period.
It is my intention to continue to research the places and names contained in the journal, and using the information I have in order to be able to verify some of the incidents and places described in the journals, and I will update this site accordingly, keep an eye on my blog if you want to know about any updates.