James Roberts was born at 115 Leek Road, Burslem, Staffordshire on May 17 1896 to parents James Roberts a Potter's placer born c1859 at Smallthorne, Staffordshire and Elizabeth nee Highfield born c1861 at Newcastle, Staffordshire. James Roberts senior and Elizabeth Highfield were married at Cobridge, Christ Church on the 25th December 1888. It would appear that James was an only child.

James first appears in the census record of 1901 as a 4 year old living with his parents at 9 Back North Road, Burslem. His father was recorded as a Potters Placer and his mother a Warehouse Woman. 

The census of 1911 shows us that James, now 14 years old, was working as an Errand Boy. He is still living with his parents James (52) a Glost Placer, Elizabeth (49) a Warehouse Woman, who by 1911 had been married for 22 years and had only had one son, their address was 60 King Street ,Tunstall, Staffs.    

A Sentinel newspaper report dated November 20 1913 reports the death of James Roberts senior:  

SUPPOSED DEATH FROM LEAD POISONING AT TUNSTALL.

Mr. Hugh W. Adams (coroner) opened an inquest at the Tunstall Town Hall, on Wednesday, on the body of James Roberts, aged 55, a Potter's Dipper who resided at 60, King-street, Tunstall and died early on Monday morning. Evidence of identification was given by the widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Roberts who said her husband had worked 18 years at Messrs. Forrester's Phoenix Pottery, Longton. On March 4th, this year, he gave up work owing to failing health, and he had received compensation for lead poisoning since July 15th. On this evidence the inquest was adjourned until Monday afternoon.

James' WW1 service record survives and provides useful information. We see he was a pre-war territorial soldier as he first carried the service number 8753 with the 7th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment. He had attested to full service on the 31st August 1914. At this time he states he was born and living in Sneyd, Burslem, is 19 yrs old and employed as a Printer with Doulton Ltd. He was 5’6” tall weighing 119lbs with brown hair, blue eyes, fresh complexion and a chest measurement of 34”/3” expansion. His mother’s name is shown as Elizabeth Roberts of 19 Waterloo Road, Burslem but on documents dated 1920 her address is The Boat Yard, Barlaston, Staffordshire. Elizabeth Roberts was found on the 1921 census still living at the Barlaston Boatyard, working as a Home worker. 

It seems that James’ time in the Army was not comfortable. He spent a lot of time in hospitals or field ambulance stations mainly suffering from Pyrexia of unknown origin. His service took him to Guernsey on the 5th September 1914 with the 4th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment and we see that he was hospitalised with Conjunctivitis from the 3rd of August 1915 to the 7th August 1915. He would eventually leave the island on the 27th August 1915 being posted to the Mediterranean on the following day, with the 7th Battalion. Here again he would be hospitalised and taken to Malta on the 3rd November 1915. He was at some point posted to Depot Battalion but on the 26th March 1916 was again posted to the 4th Battalion on Guernsey where he remained until he went to France on the 24th May 1916 and was attached to the 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment. He attended field ambulance stations and hospitals from the 8th August 1916 until the 14th March 1917 suffering with Pyrexia of unknown origin (fevers). There his service record concludes until the 21st March 1918 when he is recorded missing presumed dead.

On 21 March 1918, the 1st Battalion was in front-line trenches near Saint Quentin when the German Army launched Operation Michael, the opening attack in their Spring Offensive. The battalion was virtually wiped out, losing 19 officers and 662 men in the attack itself and the withdrawal which followed. The Battalion war diary tells us that on this day the 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment were in forward positions outside a village named Vermand near St Quentin.The British were not expecting an attack as no intelligence they had gathered pointed to this. However at 4.30am on this day the Germans laid down a heavy and creeping artillery barrage on the battalion's position. Confusion reigned as amongst the regular high explosive artillery were gas shells. The battalion HQ situated in REDLINE (TRENCH MAP) was filled with gas causing its staff to evacuate it. To add to the confusion there was a layer of fog which caused reduced visibility so defenders had difficulty with visibility of both the enemy and their own troops/positions. From the HQ both servants, runners and signallers manned REDLINE in front of HQ. On the right were servants and signallers with a Lewis gun team and a machine gun. On the left a Lewis gun team manned by runners and signallers and one machine gun manned by the Machine Gun Corp. Within 15 minutes all the Lewis/Machine Guns had been hit or became unable to operate. Germans had entered the positions and the battalion tried to withdraw. The battalion conducted a fighting retreat inflicting losses on the Germans but plenty of casualties were suffered by the battalion and many were taken prisoner. The battalion remnants made it to an area between Vermand and Maissemy. The battalion continued to fight until the 27th March before being retired.

A sad report appears in the Staffordshire Sentinel dated 6th July 1918. 

PTE. J. ROBERTS, 1st Battalion, N.S. Regiment (Lewis Gunner) reported Missing since March 21st, 1918. Any news concerning him will be thankfully received by his Mother. Mrs. Roberts, 19, WaterIoo-road, Burslem. Stoke-on-Trent.

James was for official purposes recorded presumed dead on the 21st March 1918. 

Again the Sentinel Newspaper reports sad news: Mrs. Roberts, of 19, Waterloo-road, Burslem, has received news that Pte. J. Roberts, of the North Staffs. Regt. (Lewis Gun Section), is missing.

At the time of his death numerous official sources record his address as 19 Waterloo Road, Burslem.

He is remembered on Panel 67-68 Pozieres Memorial as well as the Burslem Royal Doulton memorial and he is listed in the Royal Doulton WW1 Roll of those serving 1914.

He was entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. It may appear odd that he was not entitled to the 1914-15 star but it seems possible that due to his hospitalisation in the Mediterranean he did not actually enter a theatre of war there.

Sources: 

Parents marriage: Indexes created from Anglican Parish Registers held at Staffordshire Record Office; Stafford, Staffordshire, England. 

FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

1901 census Class: RG13; Piece: 2597; Folio: 156; Page: 29 

The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 

J.Roberts death 1913. FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Author: Peter Singlehurst; Series Title: British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918; Archive Name: London, United Kingdom 

The National Archives; London, England, UK; War Office: Soldiers' Documents, First World War Wo363 

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19180706/003/0001?noTouch=true# 

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19190519/049/0004 

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19180702/102/0004.

November 20th 1913 inquest father's death https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19131120/158/0007 

War Diaries WO95/2213/1 .