James Davidson (Service No. 2341723) died of wounds on 17 October, 1944 in the vicinity of Overloon and Venray. He was a Driver with the Royal Corps of Signals. He was initially buried at Cemetery De Kleffen, Overloon and re-interred on 28 January 1946 in Grave II. A. 4. at the CWGC Cemetery in Overloon. His grave is inscribed “We have lost, God has gained one of the best. All of us in London and Scotland.”
 
No photo of James Davidson has yet been found. Should anyone reading this have a photo of him or further information regarding him – or if they are aware of any errors in his biography below can they please contact the Foundation?

Military Career

Little is known so far of James Davidson’s military career. He was a Driver in the Royal Corps of Signals. This is a combat support arm of the Army. They are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications and information systems essential to all operations. During WW2 they served in every theatre of war.
 
Following the partial failure of Operation Market Garden when Allied troops made great inroads into the Netherlands but failed to capture the bridge at Arnhem, the Allied forces were left in a narrow salient. Operation Aintree was mounted to clear the Germans from the villages of Overloon and Venray which lay just west of the River Maas and south of Nijmegen to widen this salient.
 
Overloon was taken on 13 October. On 16 October there were a substantial number of casualties as they faced the challenge of crossing the obstacle created by the Molenbeek, a stream which lay between the two villages which was about 10 feet wide with steep banks. Once this obstacle was overcome, they entered Venray on 17 October – but there were still casualties from mines and continued enemy presence. It was on this day that James Davidson died of wounds. Another member of the Royal Corps of Signals, Signalman Arthur Richardson Dutton, was first reported as wounded on that same day but later that day was pronounced dead. It may be that both men were killed by the same incident. They were both buried in the same cemetery initially and later transferred to Overloon where they are buried side by side. Operation Aintree was successful, though with considerable loss of life and destruction of the villages.
 
James Davidson is commemorated with others on a memorial in Blackford Churchyard in Perthshire, Scotland: “In memory of those who died in the World War 1939-1945  Henry Hay. Donald McKinlay. John Gibb. James Davidson. Daniel Campbell. David McBeth. Robert King. Peter Mailer. Peter Campbell. Lewis Farquharson. Walter Rowe. James Stratton.”

James Davidson’s Marriage

James Davidson was the husband of Doris Florence Davidson.              
 
It is though that James married Doris F Miles in Taunton, Somerset, in Q2 1943.
 
In 1939 Doris F Miles had been living at 17 Kimberley Road, Plaistow, Newham, West Ham, Essex. She was born on 12 April 1923 and was working as a Printer’s Assistant. She was living in the household of a widow – Ruth Miles, born 14 February 1891. As well as Doris, 4 more of Ruth’s children were living with her at the time: John, born 28 Jan 1916 – a Stock Clerk; Lilian (later Newell), born 22 Aug 1920 – a Millinery Machinist; James A born 15 Feb 1925 – an Office Clerk Junior and Stanley born 18 Mar 1927. The record suggests that Doris first married someone called Davidson then someone called Renaut.
 
James and Doris Davidson had no children. Sadly, James died on 17 October 1944.
 
Doris went on to marry Albert E Renaut in 1949 in West Ham and had two children in that area.
 
Doris Florence Renaut died on 4 September 2004 in the Colchester District.

James’ Family Background

James Davidson was the son of Duncan and Jean Davidson.
 
Duncan Colvin Davidson married Jean McDougall Campbell in 1915 in Blackford, Perthshire. They appear to have had children as follows, all born in Blackford: James 1916, Duncan Colvin 1918, John 1921, Jean Campbell 1925, Isabel Clark 1927 and Murray Hall B. 1929. Duncan and Jean were living in Blackford in 1921 with their first two children, James and Duncan.
 
Little more is known of James’ life before the war.
 
It seems that James’ brother John, also fought in WW2, as did a cousin also called James Davidson. The Perth Advertiser of 19 June 1943 recounts the following story:
 
“Perthshire Cousins Meet in Africa
 
An Auchterarder man serving in the Royal Air Force and his cousin from Blackford received a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago when they met accidentally on a North African aerodrome a couple of days after the former had landed there. The participants in this dramatic reunion were Sergt. Wireless Operator Air-Gunner James Davidson, elder son of Mr & Mrs James Davidson, Gleneagles Station Cottages, and leading Aircraftsman John Davidson, third son of Mr & Mrs Duncan Davidson, The Neuk, Stirling Street, Blackford.
 
Sergt. Davidson was home on embarkation leave a few weeks ago and flew out to the Middle East shortly afterwards. Beyond knowing that his cousin had been in that theatre of war for over a year, he had, of course, no knowledge which part of the front he was serving on, but by a coincidence his plane landed on the aerodrome where L/A.C. Davidson was located.
 
The two lads had been going about their duties for a couple of days, completely oblivious of the fact that they were so close until they literally ran into each other. Recognition was mutual, although through the exigencies of the Service they had not met for some time.
 
Both have been in the RAF for about two years. Before joining up Sergt. Davidson was well known to railway travellers as booking clerk at Gleneagles, while L/A.C. Davidson was employed with Mr James Arnott, grocer, Blackford.”
 
John survived the war. He was living at The Neuk, Stirling Street, Blackford in 1972 when he married Mrs Margaret M Ross of Auchterarder in Blackford Parish Church.
 
Their brother, Duncan Colvin Davidson, married Christian Allison Dow in Auchterarder in 1948. However, he died the following year aged just 31 in Perth. No children were found and his wife later remarried. 
 
James’ father, Duncan Colvin Davidson died in 1950 in a tragic accident which was reported in the Strathearn Herald of 18 March, 1950, as follows:
“Blackford – Sudden tragedy – The death occurred last week of Mr Duncan C. Davidson (66), railway signalman, The Neuk, Stirling Street, Blackford. Mr Davidson, off duty, went along to assist farmer friend, Mr Wm Gray, Drumhead Farm. Taking over at the wheel of a tractor he was ploughing a feering, with Mr Gray following behind. When the tractor slowed down and lurched forward, Mr Gray rushed to the machine and found Mr Davidson dead.“
 
James’ sister, Jean Campbell Davidson, married David Ritchie Thomson in 1952 in Blackford. She was described in the Strathearn Herald of 13 September, 1952 as the eldest daughter of Mrs Davidson & the late Mr Duncan Davidson of “The Neuk” Blackford. Her husband was described as Mr David Thomson – younger son of Mr & Mrs Francis Thomson, Danny Cottage, Blackford. Her bridesmaid was her sister, Miss Isabel C Davidson. She was given away by her brother, John Davidson, and the ushers were Murray Davidson & Francis Thomson.  It is thought that they probably moved to Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland where they had a child. David Ritchie Thomson died in Bathgate in 2017, aged 89, and Jean Campbell Thomson in 2020, aged 95.
 
Murray Hall B. Davidson married Mary Glackin in 1956 in St Ninian’s, near Stirling. It is thought they had four children.
 
It is thought that Isabel Clark Davidson died in 2012 in Auchterarder aged 84. She does not appear to have married.

Scotland’s People for Scottish Birth, Marriage Death and Census Records
Find My Past for English Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Military Records, Census Records and Electoral Rolls
Wikipedia for information on the Royal Corps of Signals
Traces of War website for War Diaries
CWGC Grave Concentration Reports
Imperial War Museum Memorial List
The Perth Advertiser of 19 June 1943
Strathearn Herald of 18 March, 1950, 13 September, 1952, 06 February 1982
Dundee Courier of 24 January 1949
 
Research Elaine Gathercole