Other Information:James qualified L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. in 1883. He was granted a commission at the rank of Surgeon Captain within the Medical Services on 31 January 1885, then served in Soudan the same year. From 1895-1896 he took part in the Ashanti expedition, being granted a special promotion to the rank of Major on 25th March 1896 for his services there. On 2nd August 1904 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, then on 13th September 1913 he was promoted again to the rank of Colonel. When war was declared, on 4th August 1914, James was in administrative medical charge of the Gibraltar Command, serving in the post of Deputy Director of Medical Services. On 24th February 1915 he was notified by the Director-General A.M.S. that he was to be Director of Medical Services of the Gallipoli expedition. However because the campaign was officially a secret at the time he was sent to Malta without any information, receiving no instructions, verbal or otherwise, until he reached Malta. As soon as he arrived he was ordered to proceed to Mudros and report on the suitability of Lemnos as a base from a medical and sanitary point of view. He arrived at Mudros on 5th March, but reported that Lemnos was not suitable due to insufficiency of water. While there he met up with Sir Ian Hamilton, who, after hearing his report decided to move the base to Alexandria, where James then proceeded to. He remained in Alexandria until 5th May 1915 when he, and his staff, returned to Mudros on the orders of Surgeon-General Birrell, and was sent on to Helles, landing on W beach. On 24th May he was ordered to return to Mudros, leaving his staff at Anzac and Helles. When in Mudros, he took up general administrative control of the Stationary Hospitals, established near the shore on the east side of the harbour. The only staff he had at the time was a Staff-Serjeant, R.A.M.C., until his A.D.M.S. returned from the Peninsula on 2nd July 1915. In 1916, James was appointed a Companion Order of the Bath. On 10th April 1916, he became the Director of Medical Services of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, succeeding Surgeon-General Bedford. He began serving under the temporary rank of Surgeon General and was responsible for all military medical services in Egypt and its frontiers, with his headquarters at Ismailia. On 12th August 1917 the Eastern Force ceased to exist. James remained as Director of Medical Services at Cairo General Headquarters until September 1917, when he was invalided back to England. During his service James was appointed Knight Commander Order of St Michael and St George.
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