Born in Chase farm Hospital, Enfield on 24th February 1954.

Before the age of 1 the family moved to Ipswich where his Father, Ronald, took a position in the Engineering/Design department of Eastern Gas.

James had an Oldest Brother Malcolm Gregory, an Older Sister, Sandra Gabriel (Gay) and an older brother Paul Stanislaus.

James, like his older siblings, went to St Mary's Infants and Juniors school, run by the local Nuns. Malcolm had moved on to the Local Grammar school, whilst Gay continued in education with the Nuns in the local Convent and Paul went on to St Josephs college, a fee-paying school.

When James was at the Infants school it was found that he had a severe aversion to Fish having been forced by the Nuns to have it each Friday, this aversion remained with him for the rest of his life.

Malcolm, like his Uncle Roger, had a natural talent for Engineering and worked as an apprentice building and repairing Motorcycles and cars. Later he worked for British rail and became an ardent railway and steam enthusiast.

Gay went to drama college but worked mostly with training computer operators. She kept her love of theatre alive working with amateur dramatics.

Paul was not an academic and spent his early working life working on farms. Later he owned his own company repairing and maintaining grain moving machinery.

Hilary his youngest sister, was born several years after James and also attended St Marys.

When James was 16 the family moved from Ipswich to Dunstable and he and Hilary went to Kingsbury Grammar School.

James started work at Luton Corporation in the structural engineers department and later Bedfordshire Council where he met his first wife Louise. After local government re-organisation they moved to South Wales.

James worked for several Structural Engineering forms and became qualified as an Incorporated Engineer. He worked on projects as varied as schools, hospitals, industrial buildings and power stations.

James and Louise had 2 children, Bethan Emma and Tomos Edward. The marriage broke up when Tomos was young and James moved to East Anglia, later meeting Maureen who became his second wife.

As a teenager James played Cricket and Rugby for his schools, but was never as good at cricket as his Father had hoped. His Father was an excellent fast bowler and played at a high club level.

Whilst in Wales James became a competent ten pin bowler, playing in leagues and later initiating the first Welsh Tenpin Bowling Championships in Tonyrefail. After moving to East Anglia he kept up his love of Ten-Pin playing in leagues and either winning or placing in a few minor tournaments.

Marriage to Maureen was full of excitement and some Danger. Before marrying, whilst holidaying in Cyprus, they were both swept out to sea by a rip tide. Maureen had little effects but James spent several weeks in hospital recovering.

They later returned to Cyprus to marry in Paphos with all the wedding guests being associated with the sea rescue and James's recovery.

Whilst working near Cambridge James had a car crash in the Fens with the car upside down in a shallow drainage ditch. Many years later the effects of the crash became apparent with spasms and twitches occurring to his left side and lower back. These became progressively worse resulting in surgery to James's spine to remove the damage in 2017.

The surgery was not fully successful and his mobility gradually worsened, requiring walking frames and a modified car.

Then Covid 19 happened and James caught it in March 2020. He was in hospital for 5 weeks and was extremely weakened with much reduced mobility and could no longer walk any distance even with his frame.

In order to have some form of interest outside home James took up Archery, shooting from his wheelchair. Maureen also took up the hobby. This was then interrupted by the Covid Lockdowns.

He has continued working as a structural engineer from home for a company in Welwyn Garden City and has part ownership.