Lance/Corporal James Catlow
8778 1st East Lancashire Regiment
Died 9th May 1915, aged 29
Lived at 81 Cog Lane
Commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium
Burnley Express 15th May 1915, 12th June 1915

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REPORTED KILLED (Burnley Express 15th May 1915) SOLDIER WITH SEVEN YEARS SERVICE

From a letter received in Burnley this week it would appear the Lce. Corpl. James Catlow, who resides in Cog Lane, Burnley, has been killed in action, but as his mother has received no definite information she is still hoping that the report may not be true. The soldier was engaged to be married.
Lce. Corpl. Catlow was working at Barden Pit as a collier when he was called as a reservist, and previously he had served seven years with the colours, four of which were spent in India, one in South Africa, and two at Curragh Camp in Ireland. He celebrated his 29th birthday on the battlefield, and before and since had many narrow escapes from death.
Mrs. Catlow has two other sons in the Army, Ptes. Edward and Willie, and one of them has been wounded in action. Definite news as to the son reported killed will be eagerly awaited by her.

"IF THE PUBLIC ONLY NEW" ( Burnley Express 12th June 1915)
DEAD BURNLEY SOLDER'S APPEAL

Reported as being killed in action early in May, and announced in the "Express" as such, definite news has not reached Mrs. Catlow, who resides at 123 Cog Lane, Burnley, as to the fate of her son James.
A private in the East Lancashire reserve, and called on at the beginning of August last, Catlow was promoted to the rank of lance-corporal on arriving in France, and the advance was fully deserved, the soldier having served nine years in the Army, four of which were spent in India, one in South Africa, and two at the Curragh Camp in Ireland. He celebrated his 29th birthday on the battlefield.
The soldier was engaged to be married, and his young lady and his mother had received indirect information of his death, but all doubts were set at rest by the arrival of the War Office intimation on Monday, that date of death being given as May 9th. Writing to his sweetheart two days previously - May 7th - the lance-corporal said:
"You will have seen in the papers that the Germans have been using gas. Well, they have not gassed me yet. We have all had issued out to us respirators, and when we get into the trenches to-night we shall be wearing them. I cannot tell you when I shall be able to write again, as we don't know how long we are going in for. There has been some fierce fighting of late on both sides, and many casualties. The public never get the truth in the papers, for I am sure that if they did they would not have to beg for recruits as they are doing. In my opinion, though, this war will never end by fighting; money will tell in the end."
Quite a short time before he was killed Lce.-Corpl. Catlow sent home a beautiful link of rosary beads and number of coins as mementoes of the war. He was well known in the Cog Lane district, and the sympathy of all who knew him will be extended to his relatives and fiancé. One of the soldier's brothers, Pte. Wm. Catlow, is in Glasgow Hospital, with shrapnel wounds in the leg.