Education & Career :

Surgeon, Kidgrove (1911).

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.

Detail :

BMJ; 14/9/1918 The names of the following officers of the R.A.M.C. have been brouight to the notice of the Secretary of State for War for valuable services rendered on the occasion of the sinking or damage by enemy action of hospital ships, transports, and store ships: Major and Brevet Lieut.-Colonel J. C. Furness, (S R.), (deceased). GLENART CASTLE

Indian Medical Gazette Page 238 June 1918 "Lieutenant-Colonel James Collins Furness, r.a.m.c., was educated at Glasgow and at Charing Cross Hospital, and took the L.S.A. in 1901, also the L.M.S.S. A. in 1907, after which he settled in practice at Kidsgrove, North Staffordshire, where he was Medical Officer and Public Vaccinator to Kidsgrove and Goldenhill District of the Wolstanton and Burslem Union, Surgeon to the Police and to the St. John's Ambulance Brigade, and County Director of the Staffordshire Branch of the British Red Cross Society. He served with the 25th Field Hospital in the South African War, receiving the medal; and held the honorary rank of Lieutenant in the Army from 1st March, 1903. He attained the rank of Major in the R.A.M.C. Special Reserve on 18th June, 1914, and had since been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel."

Probate record shows: FURNESS, James Collins of Kidgrove, Staffordshire, lieutenant-colonel R.A.M.C, died 26 February 1918 whilst in charge of Hospital Ship Glenart Castle. Probate London 21 March to John James Nelson, Solicitor. Effects £1809 14s 1d.

Lieutenant Colonel James Furness - Another German atrocity - "On February 26, 1918 the Hospital Ship Glenart Castle was leaving Newport, South Wales, heading towards Brest, France. She was clearly lit up as a hospital ship, a fisherman remembered: “I saw the Hospital Ship with green lights all around her - around the saloon.
“She had her red side-lights showing and mast-head light, and also another red light which I suppose was the Red Cross light.” At 4am, Glenart Castle was hit by a torpedo in the No. 3 hold. The blast destroyed most of the lifeboats, while the subsequent pitch of the vessel hindered attempts to launch the remaining boats.
In the eight minutes the ship took to sink, only seven lifeboats were launched. Rough seas and inexperienced rowers resulted in most of the boats being swamped. Only 32 survivors were reported. A total of 162 people were killed, including the Captain, Bernard Burt, eight nurses from the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service, seven Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) medical officers and 47 medical orderlies. James Furness was the most senior of the RAMC medical officers who perished. Of the hospital patients being treated on board, a total of 99 died. The matron of Glenart Castle, Miss Kate Beaufoy (1868-1918), was also among those killed. She was a veteran of the South African War and the Gallipoli campaign. She kept a diary which described life on board the ship. Evidence was found suggesting that the submarine may have shot at survivors in an effort to cover up the sinking of Glenart Castle. The body of a junior officer from the ship was recovered from the water close to the position of the sinking. It was marked with two gunshot wounds, one in the neck and the other in the thigh. The body also had a life vest indicating he was shot while in the water. After the war, the British Admiralty sought the captains of U-Boats who sank hospital ships, in order to charge them with war crimes. Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kiesewetter, the commander of the submarine which sank the Glenart Castle, was arrested after the war on his voyage back to Germany and interned in the Tower of London. He was released on the grounds that Britain had no right to hold a detainee during the Armistice. A memorial plaque was dedicated on the 84th anniversary of the sinking, February 26, 2002 near to Hartland Point, with the inscription: “In proud and grateful memory of those who gave their lives in the hospital ship Glenart Castle. “Please remember, Master Lt. Cmdr. Burt, Matron Katy Beaufoy, the ships officers, crew and medical staff who died when their ship was torpedoed by UC56 in the early hours of February 26, 1918. “The ship lies 20 miles WNW from this stone. For those in peril on the sea. R.I.P. Dedicated 26.02.2002.” James Collins Furness was born in High Wycombe in the autumn of 1864, the eldest son of John and Mary Furness. They lived in Newland Cottage in what at that time was Water Lane, now Desborough Road, just south west of the town centre. This was a substantial 18th-century house with outbuildings in a large garden. It was situated across the road from what is now the southern entrance to the Eden car park. The Furnesses were what would have been classed as “gentry”. For example, in the 1871 census John Furness, despite being only 33 years old was stated to be retired, and in later censuses his “occupation” was stated as “income from House Property”. James was educated at the Royal Grammar School and then apprenticed at the chemists Messrs Lansdale in Queen Square, High Wycombe. Having served his apprenticeship he moved to Charing Cross Hospital and eventually qualified as a “medical practitioner”. He joined the British Army and served throughout the Boer Wars in South Africa in the Royal Army Medical Corps. After completing his service term he joined the Reserves with the rank of captain. In the early 1900s he moved to Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, having purchased a local doctors’ practice in Heathcote St in the town. In the spring of 1905 he married Theresa Marie MacCarthy at Wolstanton, Staffs and the couple went on to have three children. When war broke out he was immediately called up for service and quickly promoted to Major, then to Lt. Colonel. He was sent to France and involved in the retreat from Mons in the face of the overwhelming strength of the German invasion.He was in charge of a field hospital which was in the path of the German advance when instructions were received to retreat. Putting the severely wounded soldiers under his care first Lt. Colonel Furness continued to treat them, with the result that the hospital was captured along with the medical staff and patients. Now experiencing the poor treatment of prisoners-of-war (POW) by the Germans all the hospital staff and patients were taken to an internment camp in Germany. After 11 months there James Furness was fortunate to be chosen to be part of a POW exchange. He was allowed a few months recuperation at his home in Kidsgrove and then was attached to hospital ships transporting the wounded back to England from various battle fronts. He was in charge of the medical staff and facilities on the hospital ship Lanfranc which was torpedoed on April 17, 1917. It was carrying 234 British and 167 German casualties. Of those who lost their lives 14 were British, including two officers, and 15 were German. Five crewmen were also lost. According to a report in the Bucks Free Press the Germans became panic-stricken and those who were mobile attempted to get in the lifeboats ahead of the more severely wounded. The situation became so acute that Lt Colonel Furness was forced to draw his revolver and threaten to shoot anyone who disobeyed instructions. James survived this sinking but was not to be so lucky when Hospital Ship Glenart Castle was torpedoed 10 months later on February 26, 1918. He was aged 53."

Masonic :

His record in the register of the Lodge at the United Grand Lodge of England reveals that he was "Drowned 26.2.1918"
Senior Warden.

A masonic memorial service is recorded in the Staffordshire Advertiser 23rd March 1918. It was held at the Parish Church, Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday 10th March, in memory of Freemasons and lewises who had fallen from Northern division of the Province of Staffordshire. All the lodges from N. Staffordshire were represented with some 350 in attendance in full regalia (being worn by dispensation by the Provincial Grand Master - The Earl of Dartmouth).

A solemn part of the service came when the names of those who had laid down their lives for King and country, were read out by Reverend Granville Sharp.

"While they grieved for them, they rejoiced that the Masonic order was adorned with such splendid examples of courage and self sacrifice. They had set a noble example to their fellows, and any who were leading useless lives should try to bring their lives into more conformity with the high principles inculcated by the Masonic Order. And then the men they were honouring now would not have died in vain."

The last post was played by two buglers of the North Staffordshire Volunteer Regiment.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley