Family Group
First World War Canadian Medal Pair & Memorial Cross - Private James Fordyce Oakley, 43rd Battalion (Manitoba Regiment), Canadian Expeditionary Force
British War Medal – 2476354 PTE. J. F. OAKLEY. 43-CAN.INF.
Victory Medal – 2476354 PTE. J. F. OAKLEY. 43-CAN.INF.
Memorial Cross (in box) – 2476354 PTE. J. F. OAKLEY.
James Fordyce Oakley was born on 15th October 1892 at Forfar, Angus, the son of Daniel Oakley of 2 Nursery Street, Forfar. He was educated locally and appears in the 1901 Census at 154½ East High Street, Forfar, aged 9.
By 1911 he was employed as a factory worker, before emigrating to Canada in May 1911, sailing from Glasgow to Montreal. He settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he worked as a clerk and warehouseman.
He enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Winnipeg on 31st May 1917, aged 24. His attestation papers record:
- Birthplace: Forfar, Scotland
- Occupation: Clerk
- Religion: Presbyterian
- Next of Kin: Daniel Oakley, 26 South Street, Forfar
He was posted to the 43rd Battalion (Manitoba Regiment).
On 8th August 1918, the opening day of the Battle of Amiens, the battalion advanced south-west of Demuin, France, during the great Allied offensive that marked the beginning of the “Hundred Days”.
Official Canadian records state:
“Whilst engaged in clearing a trench of the enemy, South West of Demuin, he was killed by a fragment of a shell.”
He was killed in action on 8th August 1918, aged 25.
He is buried at:
Mezières Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France
Grave Reference: B. 14
Local Forfar newspapers recorded that this was the second bereavement suffered by the family. His elder brother Fred Oakley, also serving with the Canadians, had been killed in action in June 1916. A third brother, Norman Oakley, was serving in France with the Royal Engineers.
The press noted that James and his brother Fred had been home on leave together the previous autumn — the first time they had met in nine years.
A Forfar man who emigrated to Canada, returned to Europe in uniform, and fell during the decisive opening blow of the Allied advance in August 1918.
First World War 1914-15 Medal Trio – Private Norman Oakley, Royal Engineers
1914-15 Star – 48994 DVR: N. OAKLEY. R.E.
British War Medal – 48994 DVR. N. OAKLEY. R.E.
Victory Medal – 48994 DVR. N. OAKLEY. R.E.
Norman Oakley was born on 6th May 1896 at Forfar, Angus, the son of Donald Oakley and Elizabeth Wilkie. He was raised at 154 East High Street, Forfar, and later at 16 Green Street, where the family were well known locally. In the 1911 Census he is recorded as a 14-year-old apprentice grocer, already beginning working life in his home town.
He enlisted in the Royal Engineers, serving as Driver 48994 Norman Oakley. He first entered the theatre of war in France on 10th July 1915, serving with the Expeditionary Force during some of the most sustained and destructive periods of trench warfare on the Western Front. As a Driver in the Royal Engineers, his duties would have involved the transport of stores, ammunition, engineering materials, and essential logistical support to front line units — work that was frequently carried out under shellfire and in dangerous forward areas.
He served throughout the war and was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, confirming his early arrival overseas and continuous service through to the Armistice.
Norman endured profound personal loss during the war. His elder brother, Private Frederick Strachan Oakley, serving with the Canadians, was killed in action in June 1916 at Sanctuary Wood. Two years later, in August 1918, his brother Private James Fordyce Oakley, 43rd Battalion Canadian Infantry, was killed in action south-west of Demuin during the great Allied advance on the Somme. Contemporary newspaper reports from Forfar record the double bereavement suffered by the Oakley family and the widespread sympathy extended to them.
Unlike his brothers, Norman survived the conflict. After the war he emigrated to Canada, spending periods in Winnipeg and later travelling between Scotland and North America. He eventually returned to Forfar, where he established himself as a grocer and confectioner at 16 Watt Street. Records show him operating the business through the 1930s and 1940s, and he later travelled to the United States in the 1950s before settling back in Angus.
Norman Oakley died on 10th August 1970 at Brechin Infirmary, aged 74, and was cremated at Dundee Crematorium.
He represents the surviving brother of a Forfar family that gave heavily during the Great War — two sons killed, one returned — a story reflected in local press reports and official records alike.
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AJMS Medals