b. 22/02/1869 Chesterfield, Derbyshire. d. 17/06/1941 Redhill, Nottingham.
DATE OF EM ACTION: 28/09/1916 Pye Hill Colliery, Jacksdale, Nottinghamshire.
James was the son of Isaac and Martha Short (nee Nightingale) and was born on 22nd February 1869 in Chesterfield. He was baptised on 2nd April 1869. Tragically, his father died later that year, and his mother raised him alone. On 26th July 1892, in Bolsover, Derbyshire, he married Effie Lois Needham, and they had four children, though sadly two of them died before their first birthdays. James was a miner at the Pye Hill Colliery in Jacksdale for most of his working life. His wife predeceased him, dying in Mansfield in 1929. In later life, James lived as a widower at 40 Reindeer Street in Mansfield, and he retired from mining. He died on the 17th June 1941 in Nottingham, aged 72, and was buried in Redhill Cemetery.
EM CITATION:
On the 28th November, 1916, at about 12.30 a.m., a heavy fall of roof occurred at the Pye Hill Colliery, Nottinghamshire, by which three men were buried. Foulds, Haddon, Heathcote, Short and Smith quickly arrived, and attempted to rescue the buried men by digging out the fallen roof and setting props as they progressed. The roof was still extremely dangerous and stones were constantly falling. Three times heavy falls occurred breaking the props which had been set up, but, on each of these occasions, the rescuers were fortunate in having sufficient warning to enable them to escape. They remained at work for seven hours until all three buried men were reached and taken out; unfortunately all were found to be dead. During the entire period the rescuers were in continuous danger of serious injury or death from a further sudden fall.
BURIAL LOCATION: REDHILL CEMETERY, ARNOLD, NOTTINGHAM.
EXTENSION, GRAVE 2564. (UNMARKED)
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
